It is difficult for gardeners living in colder areas to maintain healthy plants and shrubs during the winter months. But in reality, snow is actually good for your garden and it protects them during the winter months. Snow acts as an insulator to your plants and shrubs to keep the roots warm so leave it alone and don’t remove it.

A snow covered garden means that plants remain moist and are protected from all the freezing temperatures. When it is freezing cold out, snow is actually warmer than the temperature of the air and this protects your plants and maintains healthy roots. Also, all that snow on your flower garden helps to lock in moisture on the roots of your plants before the top layer freezes allowing the plants to have enough water until spring arrives.

All that snow covering your plants is providing a steady temperature for all your bulbs, shrubs, trees, and perennials. One problem that I had with my flower garden when I lived in New York was that when the ground began to thaw, some plants and bulbs just came right out of the ground. If this happens, just push them back into the ground. The following year, I covered the garden with a thick coat of mulch in the fall and that extra protection stopped the problem with plants coming up from the ground.

Did you know that most of the damage done to your garden is not from the snow? Damage to your plants is actually caused by ice, freezing temperatures and wind. But the damage is caused by these is usually done above ground so the roots are protected. Lots of shrubs and trees suffer from cracking and splitting when they get hit by freezing temperatures and ice forms.

So remember that a snow covered garden is good for your plants and bulbs and it is best to leave it alone. If trees and shrubs become frozen as a result of freezing temperatures, leave it them alone too. Trying to scrape ice from them may break all the branches and create more problems. Also, be careful when salting near your garden or flower beds. The chemicals from de-icers can poison your plants. Remove the snow near you garden using a shovel to protect the plants from harmful chemicals.

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

Thoughtful Gardening - Flower Gardening - Gardens - YouTube
At Longwood Gardens the clivia houseplant is anything but ordinary ...
Twitter / Gardening Resource: Flower Gardening 101 - The ...
The Low-Water Flower Gardener
Beginners Guide on How to Build and Maintain a Flower Garden
The dirty dozen: 12 plants to avoid - MSN Real Estate

Technorati Tags: Bulbs, Gardening, Perennials, shrubs, snow covered garden, trees, winter plant protection

Tulips are unique flowers that are in a class of their own. They somehow herald the coming of spring and grace us with their gorgeous flowers. There is nothing more refreshing than watching those beautiful tulips pop up after a cold hard winter. Tulip bulbs are easy to plant and maintained but you must plant them now to get them to bloom in your flower garden at springtime. Considered perennials because once you plant them they come back every year, tulips are a great investment for your flower garden. (photo courtesy: Breck’s)

Spring flowering tulips need to be planted now in November. Hopefully you already have the bulbs and if you don’t hurry up and get them as most companies that sell tulips require several weeks for delivery. If your tulip bulbs are purchased from a local gardening place, be sure to inspect them carefully. Make sure that bulbs are not dried out and free of mold. Tulip bulbs should be firm to the touch but not dried. Check for spots or anything that may indicate that the tulip bulbs are infected with fungus. Also, grab those bigger bulbs. The bigger the tulip bulbs are the bigger the flower you will get.

Most companies that sell tulip bulbs usually provide good information and advice for planting your tulip bulbs. But keep in mind that the planting depth for your area depends on where you live. A rule of thumb to follow is that if the ground where you live does not freeze for extended periods of time, you can plant your tulip bulbs about an inch shallower that the depth suggested by most companies. Get your tulip bulbs from a reputable company like Breck’s and you can’t go wrong if you follow their instructions. (photo courtesy: Breck’s)

An important thing to remember before planting tulip bulbs is that you must have good fertile soil. If your soil is not good your bulbs, or any other plant for that matter, will not do well. Nutrient rich soil is the key to healthy plants that will give you gorgeous flowers in your flower garden. Read the instructions that are included when you purchase your tulip bulbs and find out what the best location is for planting your bulbs. Some tulip bulbs can be planted in areas of full sun while others like a shady area or maybe part sun.

Decide how you want your flower garden to look when the bulbs are in full bloom. Proper spacing is essential so just follow the instructions given by the company where you purchased your bulbs. If you want a really dramatic look, plant your tulip bulbs closer together in bunches and mixed colors. Your flower garden will surely be the envy of all your neighbors and the talk of the town! Again, in order to have healthy tulip flowers, you must plant good quality bulbs. So do buy from a reputable company like Breck’s. They have been in business for many years and the bulbs come from Holland which is known as the tulip capital of the world.

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

Year Round Colour for Your Ever Flowering Garden
The Garden Gloves Come Off - Wall Street Journal
Your gardening questions answered - USATODAY.com
Articles about Flower Garden - New York Times
Q&A: Expert guide to gardening bad weather or not - USATODAY.com
Flower garden encyclopedia topics | Reference.com

Technorati Tags: Flowering Bulbs, Perennials, spring bulbs, tulip bulbs

Is your flower garden for your enjoyment or someone else’s? We spend lots of time creating a gorgeous flower garden that can be the envy of the neighbors but sometimes forget about ourselves. Often times we don’t really take the time to check the things we should avoid when creating a flower garden. Thinking about the potential pitfalls of your flower garden will lead to much better results for you and not the neighbors. Let me assure you that there are many lessons to be learned when wrong decisions are made when creating your flower garden.

The first thing that comes to mind that we are all guilty of is creating a flower garden for the neighbor’s enjoyment. Now if you spend most of your time outside then this if fine, but if you spend the vast majority of your time inside your home then it is not fine. So when planning your flower garden, plant it in an area that you can easily view from inside your home. Remember that the garden is for your enjoyment and should be planted so that you actually get to view and enjoy its beauty.

If you have a big lawn, keep your flower garden on scale with your lawn to avoid cluttering. In other words, don’t create a tiny garden when you have a big lawn in front of it. It will look out of place and unprofessional. Try your best to keep everything in perspective with the size of your lawn and the area where you will plant a flower garden. Also try to avoid looking as though you have no plan for your flower garden. You don’t have to be a landscaping design expert to just come up with a simple plan to create your garden. Without this planning, your garden could be doomed to look as though it was poorly planned. So do spend some time planning your flower garden and remember to keep it in scale with your lawn.

Another important pitfall when planning your flower garden is actually failing to take into consideration the types of plants and flowers that you want to plant. Ask yourself a few questions when planning this process. What types of plants require little maintenance? What color flowers compliment the colors of the outside of your home? What kinds of flowers should you plant that will not grow really tall and cover your pretty windows? Should you plant annuals or perennials? Should you plant ground cover to compliment your desired flowers? Does the ground cover color scheme match your desired flower colors? Once you’ve answered all these questions, select your plants according to your needs and desires.

The key to having a gorgeous flower garden is to take some time and plan it out properly. You can’t just throw some plants in front of your house and hope for the best. That is not the way to create a flower garden that you will be proud of. Some planning is necessary here. Of course, make sure your planning is done according to your personal taste and desired level of maintenance. Also remember that all gardens do require some maintenance. So do expect to spend some time at keeping your garden looking beautiful at all times.

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

FLOWER GARDENING - University of Illinois Extension
Shakespeare garden - Wikipedia the free encyclopedia
Twitter / Kevin Rozanski: Flower Gardening Tips http ...
Tips on Flower Gardening - Yahoo! Voices - voices.yahoo.com
Artemisia is more about form and foliage than flowers - latimes.com
Flower gardening business plan on Squidoo

Technorati Tags: annuals, flower gardens, gardening pitfalls, landscaping design, Perennials

We know that the word perennial means lasting through the year or possibly many years. Of course, that is what is so desirable about planting perennial flowers in your garden. All you have to do is plant them once and they come back every year without you having to spend lots of time caring for them. Did you know that perennials are also considered a weed? Indeed, and this is one weed I don’t mind having in my garden. The best part about gardening with perennials is that you can plant them anywhere in your garden. They are ideal as borders, against walls, along a fence or even around some evergreens or shrubs.

Perennial flowers are usually local flowers that don’t require much care and are very strong. One of the things I like is that during their off season, perennial flowers and stems die back but you can’t really tell that the plant is there. Somehow, perennials are not like other plants when they die because they don’t leave a huge brown clump of dead plants in your garden. Just leave them alone and when it is time for them to bloom, new flowers will come up where the old ones were.

Before you plant perennials, make sure that the soil has proper drainage and if the area gets saturated for long periods of time you should build a raised bed. Once this is done, it is time to start selecting your perennial plants. Your goal should be to have the perennials flowering as much as possible through the whole year. The best way to do this is to research the types of flowers you want in your garden and create a list of when these perennials bloom. If you plan this right, you can have blooming perennials all through the year. Keep in mind that getting the right mixture of plants will give your garden a constantly changing array of colors all year long.

Some gardeners start their perennials using seeds but I prefer to go to my local nursery and buying established plants. I also prefer plants that are already flowering so that I can see the color of each plant and figure out the color scheme that will blend in my garden. When visiting your local garden shop or nursery, be sure to ask the employees how well the perennials will do in the area that you live. As an example, when I buy perennials I always ask if they will survive in the ever changing climate that we have here in central Florida.

Use mulch when planting perennials. It will save you lots of time and work by reducing the amount of weeds and increasing water retention. We have lots of pine trees in my backyard so I collect all the pine needles and use them as mulch. This saves me lots of money and it works great as mulch. Be careful with fertilizers on perennials. Use it sparingly once your plants start to come up. Make sure you read the directions that come with your perennials and plant them accordingly.

Some perennials tend to spread out while others just grow tall and if they are planted too close together they might end up choking each other out. What I normally do is plant tall perennials at the back of a wall or you can plant them in the middle of an island bed. You can also plant shorter ones towards the outside so that they look like a border in your garden. Most perennials are easy to grow and require little maintenance. Just water them and watch them grow beautifully. Plan your perennial garden carefully and remember that you don’t have to be an expert gardener to have an awesome display of flowering perennials in your garden.

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

Flower gardening business plan on Squidoo
AOL.com Search Video - Flower Garden Tips
How to Edge a Flower Bed | Reference.com Answers
Your gardening questions answered - USATODAY.com
AOL.com Video - Create the Perfect Flower Pot
Flower garden ideas for my front yard area? - Yahoo! Answers

Technorati Tags: choosing perennials, evergreens, garden plans, garden soil, perennial gardening, Perennials, shrubs