Roses | Best Flower Gardening

Can Flower Gardening be Addictive?

Feb 102010

In my humble opinion, yes, flower gardening can be addictive. The addiction referred to here has nothing to do with food cravings or other known additions but rather the compulsion of shopping in abundance for roses, different types of plants, flowering shrubs, bulbs and even seeds. For me, the compulsion is roses as these are my favorite flowers. For some, it’s the stunning colors of annuals come spring time. And those of you who love bulbs completely ignore your budget and buy tons of these.

It goes without saying that most flower gardening enthusiasts love to have a beautiful and colorful garden but tend to overspend when buying plants, trees and shrubs. For example, I have a friend who loves irises and she always has to have the latest type of iris that is available. Recently she confided in me by saying that she was spending a fortune on her iris garden. My reply to her was that if she loves her iris garden and has the money to spend, she should just sit back and enjoy every minute of it. I also suggested to her to shop online for irises and she could spend less money than going to her local gardening place.

When redoing my gardens, I am tempted to just buy everything on site when I visit my local garden stores or even when I buy from online places like Breck’s. Knowing that this is not a good idea, what I normally do is to design the garden area first. If you design your garden area before shopping for plants, you can basically count how many plants you will need for your garden. Believe me this will save you lots of money. You will be tempted when you visit your local gardening place but just make a decision to buy the plants you need and nothing more.

So yes, flower gardening can be addictive but this is one addiction that is easy to combat and it is a positive one. Don’t be tempted when you see a two for one sale at your local gardening place and just buy what you need to redo your flower garden. Be sure to take you garden design plan with you when buying your plants and this will help you to control your spending. Whatever you decide to spend on your flower garden will be money well spent. Remember that a beautiful flower garden adds value to your home and your heart and soul. There is nothing more satisfying than stepping outside and seeing a flower garden in full bloom.

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

How to Plant Seeds and add Color To The Garden with Flowers ...
Grape Hyacinth - Dictionary.com - Reference.com
Gardening by Choice: Flowers & Foliage: Information from Answers ...
Horticulture for the Home: Flower Gardening — NDSU
Gardenia | Define Gardenia at Dictionary.com
Perennial Flower Gardening

Technorati Tags: Bulbs, Flower Gardening Design, Flowering Plants, Gardening, Iris, Roses

It is time to Clean up the Garden for the Winter Months

Flower Gardening 5 Responses »

Oct 132009

It is October and cooler temperatures are in the horizon signaling the end of busy summer gardening chores. There are no set standards to winterize your garden because it really depends on where you live and weather conditions in your area. But there are some things you can do now without much effort. Start by taking inventory of what worked well in your garden during the summer and what you would like to change.

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.

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

Seductive scent of the West - latimes.com
Flower garden - Wikipedia the free encyclopedia
Browse subject: Flower gardening | The Online Books Page
Gardening Flower - Holmes County Home
washingtonpost.com: Style Live: Style
Blanket-flower encyclopedia topics | Reference.com

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

Flower Gardening Tips – Perennials

Flower Gardening, Gardening, Perennials No Responses »

Feb 102008

According to the dictionary, the word perennial means lasting or active through the year or many years. And, that is what I like about flower gardening with perennials. You plant them once and they come back faithfully every year. Perennial gardening can provide your landscape with many years of flowers, shrubbery, foliage and lots of color. (photo courtesy: deanneart.com)

With perennials you can create a stunning flower garden just by planting lots of different plants of multiple colors. There are no set rules when gardening with perennials and these are ideal for borders, along a fence or against a wall near shrubs or evergreens.

After you decide where you want to plant some flowers, place different varieties of perennials in groups. I normally use tall perennials at the back of a wall in the garden or in the middle of an island bed and follow by planting shorter one towards the outside and low border plants at the edge of the bed. To do this, be sure to choose plants of various colors, bloom period, heights and sun/shade requirements. (photo courtesy: activerain.com)

Most perennials require lots of sun but shade loving ones such as ferns, hostas and bleeding hearts need to be planted in a filtered shaded area. What I love about perennials is that they require less maintenance than annual plants. To minimize disease problems, give perennials adequate space where there is air circulation.

Good rich soil and mulching are very important when planting a perennial garden. Soil should provide good drainage and aeration. Mulch should be applied in early summer to established plants to conserve soil moisture during the hot days of summer. If you live in an area with sandy soil, apply several inches of organic matter such as manure, peat moss or compost to the soil surface and work into the top at least ten inches. Soil to plant perennials should also be rich in Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Potassium.

Did I mention that perennials multiply? After a growing season, you can divide some perennials to prevent over crowding. If you have spring and early summer blooming perennials like peonies and poppies, you can divide them in the fall. Mid to late summer and fall flowering perennials such as chrysanthemums and asters should be divided in the spring. But, iris and daylilies can be divided right after flowering. Either way, you can enjoy beautiful columbines in the spring, peonies in early summer, delphiniums in mid-summer and black-eyed susans in late summer all in the same bed! (photo courtesy: wikipedia)

Just remember that you don’t have to be an expert gardener to have a beautiful perennial garden. Most perennials are easy to grow with minimal upkeep in the form of watering and fertilizing. Perennial gardening has been a passion for many people because you don’t need to buy new plants each year. It does not matter whether your garden is large or smal because you can always find a wide variety of easy to grow perennial plants.

To your beautiful garden,

Diana

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

The dirty dozen: 12 plants to avoid - MSN Real Estate
At Longwood Gardens the clivia houseplant is anything but ordinary ...
Flower garden | Define Flower garden at Dictionary.com
Basics Of Flower Gardening
Flower Gardening : How to Grow Carnations From Seeds - YouTube
Garden encyclopedia topics | Reference.com

Technorati Tags: gardening with perennials, perennial gardens, Roses

Flower Gardening Tips-Roses

Flower Gardening No Responses »

Feb 052008

Did you know that the modern age of rose gardening occurred when Jean-Baptiste Guillot produced a new class of rose in 1867? Since then, rose gardening has become an all time favorite hobby for lots of gardeners around the world.

Most people would have you believe that rose gardening is difficult. And, I am here to tell you that it is not. I find rose gardening easier to do than other flowers. Why? Because you plant your rose bushes once and with a little care, you will have beautiful roses for many years to come. Nothing is more beautiful than a rose garden in full bloom!

To get you started with your rose garden, remember that good soil is key in order to have healthy beautiful roses. It has been said that Soil Syrup is the answer for most soil problems. It can be applied directly to the plant or sprayed-on to condition your rose garden. This will improve that pH level so that Nitrogen, Phosphorous, Potassium and trace minerals are made available to your roses. Also, the soil should be well drained but hold some moisture to prevent the roots from drying out completely.

When you are done conditioning the soil, begin planting your roses and be sure to read and follow the instructions given with each rose bush. Gently remove the rose bush from its container and place it in the area that you want to plant it. Cover the hole with soil and gently press the soil down around the rose bush. Water your roses regularly for the first two months until they take hold and are fully established. I prefer to water roses in the morning.

Roses love sun, so it is best to plant them in a sunny area. I also feed the roses in the spring and mid-summer with systemic rose food. One of the best in the market is Bayer 3 in 1 Systemic Rose food. Just follow the instructions given and your roses will stay healthy and beautiful for many years.

Rose gardening is not difficult and when in doubt, do a little research to get answers to your questions. With a little work and perseverance, you can create your dream rose garden.

To your dream rose garden,

Diana

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

Flower garden | Define Flower garden at Dictionary.com
GardeningAtHome - Twitter
Flower Gardening Tips : How to Grow Nicotiana - YouTube
Twitter / @edsalvato/Flower-gardening
Gardening - Wikipedia the free encyclopedia
AOL.com Video - Wisteria Gardening Tips

Technorati Tags: Gardening, gardening tips, rose gardening, Roses

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