It is the fall season and some gardens are looking somewhat bare now that all the colorful annuals are basically gone. It doesn’t have to be this way if you planted some late blooming flowers in the summer. Yes, the fall is a good time to do lots of chores like pruning roses and trimming your perennials. But your flower garden can still look beautiful for months to come. There are lots of flowers that bloom late summer to fall that you can plant in the summer and enjoy them through the fall season.

For starters, do some research on late blooming flowers and chances are that you will find many varieties. If you like lots of color in your flower garden, choose plants like Zephyranthes Robustus (also known as grandiflora) with gorgeous clear pink flowers. They bloom late summer through fall bearing pink flowers that resemble a lily. The growth is just about ten inches tall and these can be planted on rock gardens or you can mix them with your ground cover plants. The leaves are deep glossy green and the flowers grow straight up giving your flower garden a stunning look. Zephyranthes Robustus likes full sun and medium wet soil. (photo courtesy: wikipedia.com)

Another late blooming flower for you flower garden is Salvia Uliginosa which is considered a herbaceous perennial. Be careful where you plant this one as it can grow up to six feet tall. You can plant this one as a background flower in your garden. This is a pretty plant with lots of thin stems and yellow-green leaves with serrated edges. The flowers are bright blue with a white line in the throat that points toward the nectar and the pollen. Salvia Uliginosa starts blooming in the summer and bears lots of flowers well into the fall.

And of course, let’s not forget about the old time favorite Chrysanthemums that are known as true fall flowers. The gorgeous mum like flowers will add beauty and color to your flower garden. Although Chrysanthemums are sometimes called the golden flower, they come in white, pink and red also. You can plant them in your flower garden or in large containers that you can place in a patio or any other place that you want to brighten up. Chrysanthemums are herbaceous perennial plants with deeply lobed leaves and large flower heads and are easy to grow. Mix all the colors in one container for a stunning look in your flower garden. (photo courtesy: wikipedia.com)

While it is actually too late to plant those summer flowers that bloom into the fall, you can still have a colorful flower garden by just getting Chrysanthemums in different colors. There are other blooming flowers that can add beauty to your garden in the fall and Chrysanthemums is just one of them that will last for months to come. And your garden does not have to look dead in the fall.

Here are some other flower gardening sites that I found for you to browse. Thanks for visiting Best Flower Gardening!

How to Edge a Flower Bed | Reference.com Answers
May is Garden for Wildlife Month
iMyGarden $1000 Design Challenge Offers Gardeners a Chance to ...
Washingtonpost.com: Live Online
AOL.com Video - November Gardening Tips
Climbing Vines | Reference.com Answers

Technorati Tags: Chrysanthemums, container plants, fall colors, fall container flowers, fall flowers, Fall Season, flower garden, Gardening, mums

If you live in a climate that is not prone to lots of droughts or you are a gardener with an unlimited supply of water, consider yourself lucky. There are many of us who live in drought zones where the garden and lawn watering rules are very strict and this does affect the healthy growth of gardens and plants. Many people just give up when they find out how few gallons of water they are permitted to use, but some of us just find ways to
cope with less water. There are many ways to optimize your garden to conserve water while still keeping it beautiful.

Some of the ways you can try to conserve water include drip irrigation (the use of a pipe or hose with small holes to gradually seep into the roots of the plant), the placement of plants in groups of equal watering needs to prevent wasting water on plants that don’t need it, and using compost or mulch to insulate the water and prevent drainage. But one of the best ways to keep your garden alive during a drought is to take preventive measures.

If you watch your local weather forecasts, you will know that a drought will be predicted far in advanced. You will also be informed on the areas already experiencing a drought and when to expect some heavy rain. If you know in advance that heavy rain is heading your way, plan on setting up several rain barrels. Some people think this would be a time
consuming silly thing to do. But it can save you many gallons of water, and hardly requires any work. By the way, you can get some very pretty painted barrels at the stores.

Finding the barrels will probably be the hardest part. You can use your own garbage cans or visit your home improvement store and get a few 55 gallon plastic drums. Before you go running to the store, keep in mind that these drums or garbage cans are big and bulky so figure out how you will bring them home. I usually borrow a neighbor’s truck to get them home. You will probably want to cover the top of the barrel with a screen to filter out any unwanted leaves or debris that might fall off the roof of your home.

Once you have your barrels ready, you are faced with the decision of where to place them. Usually during rainfall, there is one corner of the house that rain tends to pour off heavily. If you are taking the simple approach to barrel placement, just place the barrel under all the places where you see large amounts of drips. While this might be the easiest way, you won’t see very high volumes of rain in the barrels. But, if you tweak your gutters in the roof of your home and remove each individual segment and place them at slant, all the rain water will be diverted to the nearest corner of the house. Once done, place a rain barrel at each corner to catch all the rain water. Believe me you will have plenty of rain water to use in your flower gardens.

Some people may think that the use of water barrels is an antiquated idea and that is not true. Maybe these people don’t live in a drought prone area and with lots of watering restrictions. I have been doing this for years and know for a fact that those barrels of rain water have been put to use in my gardens and I am saving money in the long run.

Here are some other flower gardening sites that I found for you to browse. Thanks for visiting Best Flower Gardening!

Chelsea Flower Show 2011 - The Cancer Research UK Garden - BBC
William Robinson (gardener) - Wikipedia the free encyclopedia
A Professional Gardener on Shielding Plants From Heat - Q&A ...
Warm up this winter at indoor flower shows - USATODAY.com
At The Chelsea Flower Show Pictures - CBS News - CBS News.com
The Garden Gloves Come Off - Wall Street Journal

Technorati Tags: drought conditions, garden drought, Gardening, painted rain barrels

Believe it or not, lots of people ask this question. My answer is clear, your summer garden is what you want it to be. There is no hard and fast rule as to what a summer garden should be. This means that your personal vision for your summer garden is going to be quite achievable if you take the time to do the proper research and plan the planting for your summer gardening wisely and with great care. One thing is certain, planting wisely can produce a summer garden that is beautiful and maintains some degree of natural pest control.

Your summer garden can produce flowers, fruits, vegetables and even be designed so that it attracts certain birds and butterflies. When planning your summer garden, you don’t have to commit to a single prevailing purpose. In other words, it is not at all inappropriate to plant some flowering plants or even herbs as pest control along with your favorite summertime vegetables. It is also acceptable to add a few vegetables of your choice in your flower garden.

The possibilities are endless when it comes to having lots of color in your summer garden. Brightly colored flowers are in abundance during the summer months and these bring a gorgeous splash of color to those hot and humid months when the summer sun is at its peak. By brining a few well placed colors into your garden as a highlight or border you are adding dramatic appeal. If you choose to make your garden a sea of brightly colored flowers, plants, leaves, and vines you can also achieve great results that may be breathtaking in beauty. Do keep in mind that you need to spend time maintaining a summer garden to keep it healthy and beautiful.

If you prefer nice and lush greenery and live in a climate that will accommodate this particular style of a summer garden, there is no reason to avoid this either. Vegetable gardens are yet another option when creating your summer garden and another fine example of just how versatile these gardens may be. Keep in mind that many people are discovering the beauty of vertical gardening and hanging plants for a few favorite vegetables and this may be an option if you wish to use limited space wisely and to greater effect.

Another option when it comes to showing the incredible versatility of the summer garden is raised gardening. This is quite literally planting your garden above the ground. Some people create elaborate ‘sand boxes’ of sorts in which the garden is planted. This allows great versatility for those with smaller spaces in which to plant their gardens as well as those who have landscaping issues that are inhospitable for gardening.

These are but a few examples of just how versatile a summer garden may be but I think they provide excellent insight and food for thought for those who are looking for a little something new and different for their summer gardens. And remember that a summer garden is just what you want it to be.

Here are some other flower gardening sites that I found for you to browse. Thanks for visiting Best Flower Gardening!

Off Topic Flower Gardening - Groups - Yahoo
Little Sprouts Grow Big Community Garden - Know Your Farmer ...
Basics Of Flower Gardening
Online Florist Beyond Blossoms Announces New Blog About Flowers
Wild Word Garden - MSN Games - Free Online Games
For Waterlilies an Odd Refuge in Texas - NYTimes.com

Technorati Tags: Gardening, raised bed gardening, summer garden, Vegetable Garden

Children love to learn new things and creating a summer garden with them is something that most kids do enjoy. Creating a garden with them will teach them those things that are important and give them appreciation of the things in life that are important to us. Kids need to know and learn our love of gardening! Whether you are creating a spectacular garden worthy of acclaim, fame, and blue ribbons everywhere or a simple garden that will hold pretty flowers, there are many lessons that your children can learn from working the earth by your side.

For example when working in the garden with your children, they can learn that life works in cycles. This is an important lesson for children and one that will be repeated often throughout the course of their lives. Of course this is only one of the many lessons that gardening will teach but gardening is one of the kindest ways I’ve seen this particular lesson learned by children. Somehow it helps ease children into those times when lessons about the cycle of life are not so kindly or gently presented.

The next lesson that gardening teaches children is that persistent effort often pays out with desirable results. Whether their gardening efforts yields pretty flowers or planting a small tree, there is often a desired result that they achieved. If you really want to capture your children’s attention when it comes to gardening, choose a fast growing flowering plant for their first gardening experience. The ability to see the fruits of their labor quickly appear is often one of the greatest gifts we can give our children.

You don’t have to make this gardening experience sound like a chore to your children. It does not have to make them feel that they are responsible for the success of a summer garden. Make it fun for them and start with a potted plant or maybe a hanging flowering plant or something similar that will yield visible results with less effort or time required for them to see quick results.

Don’t forget to point out interesting facts about the different plants in your garden that may be exciting to your children and they can learn from. Remember your first gardening experiences and share them with your children. You may be surprised to find how much you have in common with your children when it comes to ideas and enthusiasm concerning summer gardens.

When planning a summer garden with kids you need to consider all of the things you would consider when planning other summer gardens but relate those things to pint sized hands and sponge-like minds. Kids soak up every ounce of information we provide them at an alarming rate. Be careful that you aren’t teaching them incorrect logic when it comes to gardening and growing beautiful summer plants. More importantly, you should make a concerted effort to make sure that you are teaching your children the positive aspects of gardening so that this becomes an activity they look forward to for enjoyment rather than approaching it with dread.

You should also take great pains to insure that you allow your children to grow the things they will like in your summer garden too. Remember that when gardening with children there are many lessons that you can teach your children along the way. Science, math, and meteorology all have roles in gardening. But you should also be on the lookout for valuable lessons that your children can teach you about gardening and life in general when you take them out to work with you in your summer garden.

Here are some other flower gardening sites that I found for you to browse. Thanks for visiting Best Flower Gardening!

annual: Definition from Answers.com
Maine Flowers Bloom in Trio of Gardens - ABC News
Flower Gardening Tips : How to Grow Delphinium - YouTube
For Waterlilies an Odd Refuge in Texas - NYTimes.com
William Robinson (gardener) - Wikipedia the free encyclopedia
Guerrilla gardener movement takes root in L.A. area - latimes.com

Technorati Tags: educational gardening, fun gardening, garden lessons, Gardening, potted plants, small trees