Your summer flower garden needs to be landscaped properly and this should be one of the first things to take into consideration when planning and planting your garden. Take a look at the natural landscape or terrain of your lawn and garden area before you start buying plants. The idea here is to work with what you already have as a landscape rather than working against it. Believe me, this will save you some work and will add beauty to your garden. My advice here is to go with the flow of your existing landscape as in most cases your ideas will blend well with the natural terrain of your lawn and garden area.

Start by taking a quick survey of your lawn. Don’t just look at it, walk the length of your lawn and the area that you are planning for your garden space. Measure the terrain and take into consideration inclines and slopes if any. While doing this, you can also study the condition of the soil and any areas that seem inadequate for panting. For example, you may have some areas in your lawn that have lots of rocks or too much water buildup and these can cause problems when planting a summer garden. You can either forget about planting in these areas or make an attempt to remove all the rocks if that is the case. Stay away from areas that have too much water buildup as plants may not survive here.

Take into consideration the amount of shade a particular area gets during the day as that will determine the types of plants you will buy. Keep in mind that if you do have a shaded area in your garden you can keep it that way and buy shade loving plants for it. You can even create some shade by adding plants that grow much taller or using rocks to create shade and even climbing vines on trellises or fences. There are lots of things you can do in planning your summer garden and you need to pay attention to the area you have in mind for the garden to ensure that the end result is what you have in mind.

Once you have an idea about the terrain and landscape of your garden area, think about the types of flowers or plants that you will need. Keep in mind that if you are planting a flowery garden it is likely that you will be planning to achieve some degree of beauty within your landscape. Now you can decide if you want to keep the flowers and plants within a certain color scheme or maybe mix bright vivid reds and yellows with blues and greens for a very dramatic look. This is your personal decision so choose wisely. One important thing to remember is that you should landscape your garden according to the amount of time and effort you want to devote to its upkeep and maintenance. If you are looking for a garden that is basically sow and grow then make sure it is filled with plants and flowers that are suited to that sort of low maintenance.

Another tip here is that if you have a very large area and have no clue how to landscape that area for a summer garden, it may be worth the effort to have a professional landscaper do the work for you. If you decide to have professional landscaping done, be sure to check into a maintenance program with them for the upkeep and landscaping or maybe have them provide a low maintenance type garden that you can maintain. Although many gardeners find the task of landscaping their garden enjoyable, you may not be amongst that group so I hope that the gardening tips provided here will give you a starting point on getting your garden landscaped and ready to grow.

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

Shakespeare garden - Wikipedia the free encyclopedia
Safety Tips for Gardening with Arthritis Offered by Therapists at the ...
How to Learn the Top Flower Gardening Tips - Video Details
The dirty dozen: 12 plants to avoid - MSN Real Estate
Home & Garden: Spring Blooming Calendar (washingtonpost.com)
Gallatin County MT - Horticulture

Technorati Tags: garden landscaping, Landscape

It is starting to warm up a bit in some areas and there are lots of things you can do in your garden to get ready for spring season. Hopefully, you took care of your plants before the cold weather by watering them and adding lots of mulch to your shrubs and trees. Also, during really cold fronts, like the one we just had here in Florida, you covered your perennials and all tender shrubs with blankets and quilts.

But as you look around your garden, you see those sad looking flowerbeds that are still frozen and actually crunches when you touch them. Some perennials, pansies and snapdragons may be drooping and when you touch the soil it is frozen solid. Gosh! It really is sad to see your garden look like this. But this in reality is what happens to your garden during the colder months in the northern areas or even cold fronts like we have here in Florida.

If you have hardy perennials in your garden, the good news is that snow and ice act as insulators and this actually may have helped the plants survive the cold weather. Some gardeners believe that after a big freeze or cold front, you should not wash the ice or frost off the plants because it may damage the plants. Leave the frost alone and wait until the soil is completely thawed and dry before working on the garden.

Once the soil is frost free, water it lightly to make sure the roots don’t dry up completely. Don’t over water as this may cause your plants to rot. Once it starts warming up in your area, start removing the damaged leaves from your perennials and other plants that were affected by the freeze. Be sure to remove any leaves that look mushy, yellow or dried out to prevent the spread of disease. Remember that the roots of these plants were somewhat protected even during a cold front and these should come back healthy in the spring.

The exception to this is tropical plants that are sometimes called “woody” plants. Don’t prune plants like hibiscus or lantana right after a big freeze or frost. These plants are best pruned in the spring or once the danger of frost is gone. Wait until you see new growth beginning to sprout or you can scratch the bark lightly until you see green wood. If the green is there, go ahead and prune your tropical plants.

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

Will Rogers Gardens - Wikipedia the free encyclopedia
In the Garden Getting Ready for Winter - NYTimes.com
Flower Gardening Tips : How to Grow Delphinium - YouTube
Explore Cornell - Home Gardening - Flower Garden Design Basics
Tips for growing a cut flower garden
iMyGarden $1000 Design Challenge Offers Gardeners a Chance to ...

Technorati Tags: Big Freeze, Flowerbeds, Garden Care, Hardy Plants, Landscape, Perennials