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.

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

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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

If you’re just looking for something to look nice in your yard, you’ll want a flower garden. You can easily design a flower garden with perennials and those gorgeous colorful annuals that show up in the spring. Perennial flowers are flowers which stay healthy year-round and are basically called weeds because of their hardiness, only nice looking. Different areas and climates have different flowers which are considered perennials. If you do a quick internet search for your area, you can probably find a list of flowers that will bring your flower garden to life. Breck’s has a great selection of perennials that are of the best quality so be sure to check them out. Perennials usually only require work in the planting stage – after that, you can relax and enjoy them.

Another choice for your garden is to have a vegetable garden which requires a little more work and research than a flower garden, but can be much more rewarding. No matter what time of the year it is, you can usually find one vegetable that is still prospering. You can design your vegetable garden to give you produce almost every day of the year! When starting a vegetable garden, you should build it with the thought in mind that you will be adding more types of veggies in later. This will help your expandability. Once all your current crops are out of season, you won’t be stuck with almost nowhere to put the new crops. A vegetable garden is ideal for someone who wants some produce, but doesn’t want to devote every waking hour to perfecting their garden.

One of the more difficult types of gardens to manage is a fruit garden. It’s definitely the most high-maintenance because when growing fruits, many more pests will be attracted to their sweetness. You not only have to deal with having just the right dirt and fertilizer, you have to deal with choosing a pesticide that won’t kill whoever eats the fruits and hopefully you will consider getting an echo-friendly pesticide. Your fruit garden will probably not produce year-round. The soil needs to be just right for the plants to grow, and putting in another crop during its off-season could be disastrous to its growth process. If you’re willing to put lots of work into maintaining a garden, then a fruit garden could be a good choice for you.

So now that I’ve outlined some of the main garden types that people choose, I hope you can make a good decision. Basically, the garden type comes down to what kind of product you want, and how much work you want to put into it. If you’re looking for no product with less work, go with a flower garden. If you want lots of delicious product, and you are willing to spend hours in your garden each day, then go for a fruit garden. Just make sure you don’t get into something you can’t handle!

Technorati Tags: Fruit Garden, Garden, Gardening, Perennials, Vegetable Garden

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.

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

Remove all the annual plants that should be just about gone by now and figure out if you want to plant fall flowering plants in the bare areas left by the annuals. Choose your fall flowering plants carefully as not all do well in cold weather. But it is still early enough for you to have a beautiful fall garden. Also, the fall season is the time when perennial plants need to be pruned and trimmed before these go dormant for the winter months.

There are lots of branches that need to be cut from trees and bushes and this is actually good for the plants in the coming spring season. Most gardeners agree that pruning and trimming at this time of the year is good for the dormant plants as these will support new growth during the spring.

If you need to trim some trees of branches that can be easily removed, be sure that you have the right tool for the job. In general, big tree trimming should be done by a professional arborist. However, if a pole pruner is all you need, then be sure to remove no more than a third of the total bud and leaf-bud bearing branches.

Avoid scalping a tree and be sure to cut to the tree’s natural shape. Remove dead branches but make sure these are not dormant ones that can stay on the tree. One way to find out is if the branch looked dead and had no leaves in the summer, it is time to remove it. Take a look and prune out diseased limbs and cut below the diseased areas. If you see branches that are in your way where you walk or mow, trim them. Branches should be cut next to the branch collar which is the area that the bark and trunk meet.

If you have dogwood, walnut, birches and maple trees, these should be pruned in the summer or fall because these will bleed sap when pruned in early spring or late winter. Use caution when pruning evergreens that have needles such as pine or spruce because these will not bounce back from a bad pruning. My recommendation is to only remove diseased or dead branches from evergreens.

And don’t forget your roses. If you have a rose garden, be sure to prune them in the fall or winter if you live in northern regions. Somehow, roses do benefit from fall and winter pruning and will come back stronger in the spring. Climbing roses should be pruned right before the leaf buds break and in colder climates this should be done late winter or early spring when danger of frost has passed. If you live in southern regions, chances are that you will have roses all year round and pruning can be done several times a year.

Technorati Tags: Annual Plants, fall flowering plants, Fall Garden clean up, Fall Gardening, Perennials, Roses

Cyclamen are herbaceous plants with a surface or underground tuber which produces leaves and blooms during the winter months and continues to bloom until April each year. They can be propagated from seeds but usually takes between 9-18 months to reach the flowering stage. For this reason, it is best to buy the plants at a local nursery which are already established.

These garden beauties rarely do well in warm weather and they do have a dormant period during the summer months. One key feature of Cyclamen is its unusual variety of leaves and markings which range from round to oval, arrowhead shape, and ivy-leaved ones. Cyclamen is a tuberous potted plant that loves the cool weather and indirect sun light. They thrive in temperatures ranging from 55 to 65 degrees.

This gorgeous plant will give you lots of much needed color during the winter months and will continuously bloom all season long. The leaves are deep green heart-shaped with silvery marbled patterns. Cyclamen will do well if planted in the garden where winters are mild, but my advice is to plant them in containers and place them in the patio. They also do well in balconies, window boxes and large flower pots.

Caring for Cyclamen is easy as these require very little care. Just make sure that the soil if kept moist but be careful not to over water them and that they have indirect sun light. With proper light, adequate moist soil and cool temperatures, you will have beautiful color in your garden all winter long. If your garden lacks color during the long winter months, go ahead and get some Cyclamen plants and place them in your garden. To get you started, here are some Cyclamen that I am familiar with.

Hardy Cyclamen Lily Pad White – Botanical name is Cyclamen coum Lily Pad White

This hardy Cyclamen blooms continuously from December to April with gorgeous white blooms above silvery green foliage. The blooms seem to arch above the wide rounded heart shaped foliage which looks like little frogs jumping from one lily pad to the next. The leaves usually arise in autumn and are olive green shade with silver overtones. These will tolerate frost and other inclement winter conditions and around December, white blooms will appear which will continue for up to 5 months. Lily Pad White likes the shade and thrives in zones 5-9.

Hardy Cyclamen Neapolitanum – Botanical name is the same

Wow! This Cyclamen is hardy even in 20 degrees Fahrenheit. This dainty Cyclamen is ideal for planting under the shade of trees to add beauty and color to your garden. It offers masses of lilac flowers with rich dark eyes and petals curving upward above heart shaped foliage. It thrives in zones 5-9 and in the shade beneath trees and shrubs and can also be planted in containers or pots.

Hardy Cyclamen Lily Pad Pink – Botanical name is Cyclamen coum Lily Pad Pink

This Cyclamen actually tolerates frost and inclement winter weather. Recommended for the shade garden, Lily Pad Pink blooms continuously from late winter to mid spring. It has lavender-pink flowers and two tone green foliage marked with silver. Plant these in containers or large pots or even beneath trees or shrubs for a stunning winter flowering garden.

To a beautiful winter garden,
Diana

Technorati Tags: Bulbs, container plants, Cyclamen, cyclamen seeds, Fall Gardening, flower pots, Perennials, persian violet, primrose, shade plants, tuberous plants, window boxes, winter blooming bulbs

Ground cover plants are basically low maintenance plants that spread out to cover any area where you plant them. They can protect bare soil from erosion, can be planted to cover up slopes and banks, or just have a beautiful carpet on the ground with bright colors. There are many varieties to choose from, most of them grow less than 24 inches tall, and thrive in just about any type of soil.

What I normally do is to try and match the color scheme that is already in my garden. For example, I have red Roses in the front of my house and red and white Pentas all around the edge. To cover a few bare spots that I have, I bought white ground cover plants. It looks great because the white breaks the red color nicely and I am basically not changing the colors I already have.

If you have some bare spots in your garden, just visit your local nursery and get some ground cover plants. Or, if you prefer to buy online, Proceed to this site. It is a good source to buy from. Here are some of the ground cover plants that I am familiar with:

Bee Balm Coral Reef – Botanical name is Monarda Didyma

If you like butterflies around your garden, then this ground cover is for you. Coral Reef has a rich minty scent that attracts butterflies. A native of North America, this plant thrives even on wet soil and has been seen along side of creeks and ditches in some areas.
Coral Reef requires no special attention and will spread quickly. You can thin the plants out every year and start another bed elsewhere in your garden.

Coral Reef hot pink blooms begin early summer and continue until the fall. Plant them in full sun and keep it in moist soil and you will have beautiful flowers all summer long. Coral Reef grows to 36 inches tall and up to 48 inches wide, and thrives in zones 4-9.

Bergenia Redstart – Botanical name is Bergenia Cordifolia Redstart

This one is an evergreen ground cover that you can use in just about any location for year-round beauty in your garden. Although it is a low growing plant, it is very vigorous and forms mounds of leathery, dark green foliage. The leafs are heart shaped and in the spring, gorgeous 18+24 inch bloom stalks appear which are covered with bright red flowers. Bergenia Redstart is only 6 inches tall, loves full sun, and grows well in zones 3-8.

Blue Fescue Boulder Blue – Botanical name is Festuca Glauca Boulder Blue

A must have for every gardener as this ground cover tolerates poor, dry soil. If you have some hard to plant areas in your garden, then consider planting Boulder Blue as this plant will grow anywhere and tolerates just about any drought conditions, extreme heat and poor soil. Boulder Blue has silvery blue foliage that will continue year-round held in a cascading mount for an awesome look. It grows to 8 inches high and 10 inches wide, it is maintenance free, loves the sun, and thrives in zones 4-8.

As I mentioned before, there are many varieties of ground cover and listed above are just a few of the ones that I am familiar with. When you purchase them, be sure to follow the instructions given for each plant and you will have beautiful color in your garden and all your bare spots will be covered.

Technorati Tags: flower garden, garden flowers, Gardening, ground cover flowers, Perennials

Because of its beauty, Crepe Myrtle breeding programs have been established in the US and Europe generating a wide range of plant sizes, various growth habits, different color flowers and fall foliage colors. As a result, there are approximately eighty different species in the botanical name of Lagerstroemia.

Crepe Myrtle can be described as a multi trunk medium to large shrub or tree. The trunks or stems are smooth, fluted like, pale brown with sort of like peeling bark. The leaves are green and oblong shaped and depending on the climate, the color of the leaves can turn to various hues. The flowers are ruffled and you can get red, white, lavender, and pink colors. The petals have broad fringed blades with their lower portions narrowed into long, slender claws.

There are several botanical names for Crepe Myrtle that go back in history but the Lagerstroemia is very popular and native to Asia, although popular also in India, China, Bangladesh, Nepal, Burma, Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, Japan, Philippines and Australia. One of the first species was Lagerstroemia Indica which was described by Charles Linnaeus in 1759 and he used the name Lagerstroemia in honor of his friend Magnus von Lagertroem who was an avid naturalist and director of the Swedish East Indies company.

Crepe Myrtle requires very little care but according to most gardeners, you should never prune them where you actually dehorn the plant. Cutting them too low actually stops the plant from flowering effectively. You can go ahead and remove dead flowers from the shrub or tree and this will enhance the flowering performance of the Crepe Myrtle. Just be careful and don’t go too low with your cutting.

The most common types of Crepe Myrtle that you can get at any local nursery are dark pink flower Miami and Tuscarora, red flower Tonto, lavender flower Muscogee, white flower Acoma and Natchez, pale pink flower Biloxi and bright pink flower Sioux. You can plant these in any type of soil but must be a sunny location and be sure to use some compost at planting time to hold the soil together for rapid growth.

Crepe Myrtle produce crepe like flowers all summer long and in the warmer climates it can go on blooming long after the fall season. Somehow, when I think about Crepe Myrtle, I envision warm summer days. And As I mentioned before, the flowers are beautiful and so is the tree or shrub in itself. It is just a very attractive plant that will add awesome beauty to any flower garden or landscape.

Technorati Tags: crepe myrtle, flower garden, flowering trees, garden trees, Gardening, Perennials