If you are a gardener like me, then you know how frustrating it can be to find holes in all your plants and flower petals that have been eaten up by pests. The amazing thing with garden pests is that they can do lots of damage very quickly. You may check your flower garden early in the day and by the end of the day, you can find damage done by pests. There are lots of pests that can destroy your garden but some of the most commonly known ones are slugs, caterpillars, snails, birds and worms. From experience, there is no way to get rid of these pests completely but you can control them and save your garden.

What about insects you may ask? They are one of the worst things to have in any garden because they can live in weeds, piles of leaves, under the soil and many other places. What I normally do to try and keep insects away is to get rid of places in the garden or even near the garden where the insects could be living. Decaying matter, weeds, old leaves or old mulch must be removed from the garden or yard as this is where insects could be living and destroying your garden. Make it a point to regularly turn over the garden soil and break apart large clumps of dirt. This will eliminate the living spaces that insects may use to hide underground.

There is a dormant garden spray that you can use to get rid of garden pests but you need to be very careful using it. It is called dormant because you normally use it around February or March when plants are dormant and it will keep pests under control. But you can also kill your garden if you don’t follow the instructions given carefully. You can’t just spray this dormant spray everywhere as it will kill your plants. What you need to do is find the places where you know from experience pests can hide and spray just those areas.

Birds can be another problem for your garden if you have fruits and vegetables. Somehow, birds tend to leave flower gardens alone but they love to eat your veggies and fruits. Chasing the birds out of your garden won’t help because they come right back for more. But if you put a large bird feeder somewhere in you yard, it will help to keep the birds away. Be sure to get a squirrel proof bird feeder. Yes, some birds will continue to come back to your garden but not as often because now they have a place with food to eat. If you have a dog, let it loose near the garden and the birds will fly away fast. My dog chases anything that moves in the backyard!

There are lots of other pests that can kill your gardens but the ones I mentioned above are the most common ones. The best way to keep your flower garden free of pests is to check it regularly and if you see a problem try to eliminate it as soon as possible. If you are not sure of what the problem is, visit your local garden center and ask for help. Explain to them what is happening to your gardens and they can recommend a course of action to get rid of the pests.

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

Easy flower gardening for an apartment complex? - Yahoo! Answers
AOL.com Video - How to Create Flower Arrangements
Flower gardening tips on Squidoo
Flickr: audreyjm529
Guerrilla gardeners green their city on secret moonlit missions - CNN
Kid-proof your garden - Baby Fun Guide - Family and Parenting ...

Technorati Tags: birdfeeders, birds, birds in the garden, dormant gardens, garden insects, Mulch, Soil

Creating a raised bed in your flower garden can be a challenge when you have plants that require good water drainage. I know how frustrating it can be to have a yard that just won’t cooperate when some plants can handle the excess water in an area that doesn’t drain properly but some will not. The plants that do well will benefit from the excess water and it might help them bloom quicker and more beautiful. But other plants just don’t cope as well and these may die quickly. What I normally do when I buy plants for my garden is to check the drainage required for each plant and figure out the area where they will be planted so they get proper drainage and there is no conflict with other plants.

To figure out how much water your designated patch of soil retains, dig a hole about ten inches deep. Fill it with water and check it in a day when all the water has disappeared. Fill the hole again with water and if the second time the hole is full of water, your soil has a low saturation point. This is not good for almost any plant to survive and you need to fix it. The method for improving drainage in your garden is to create a raised bed. You can create a small border for a raised bed and add enough soil and compost to raise it above the rest of the level of the yard by at least 7 inches. Just doing this small border will improve drainage significantly.

The two main areas that you would want to build a raised bed are on grass or dirt. Both of these situations should be built slightly different. If you want a raised garden in a non grassy area, this will be easy to build. Just find some type of border to retain the dirt you will be adding. What really works for me are the good old two by fours. Just grab a few and place them around the area where you want your raised bed. Once the two by fours are in place, add some soil and maybe some manure. I normally wait a while before planting on the raised bed just to make sure there is no deterioration taking place.

If you are planning to build a raised bed where sod already exists, this may be a little more difficult to do. For starters, you need to cut the sod around the perimeter of the garden and then flip it over. This is not as simple as it sounds and you need something that has a very sharp edge to slice the edges of the soil and be able to get under it. Once the sod is turned upside down, you can add a layer of straw to prevent the grass from growing back up. On top of the layer of straw, you can add all the soil and manure that a normal garden would need.

After your raised beds are built, you can start planting your plants the same way you’ve planted them before in any other areas of your garden. Be careful and make sure that the roots don’t extend too far into the original ground level. Keep in mind that the whole point of creating a raised bed is to keep the roots out of that ground level that saturates easily. The beauty of a raised bed is that you will notice a great improvement almost immediately after planting you new plants. The new soil added facilitates better root development, evaporation is prevented and decomposition is completely discouraged. Combine all these things and it makes a perfect environment for almost any plant to grow beautifully. So go ahead and start building that raised bed and you will see that the results are worth every bit of work you’ve put into it.

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

History of Flower Gardening
Primrose | Define Primrose at Dictionary.com
Tips and Tricks: Summer Flower Gardening - Yahoo! Voices - voices ...
BBC - Chelsea Flower Show 2011 - Tourism Malaysia Garden ...
Spring is Just Around the Corner! – Hildreth Public Library
Chelsea Flower Show: Definition from Answers.com

Technorati Tags: compost, garden raised bed, garden sod, garden water, manure, proper drainage, raised bed, Soil

Did you know that Peonies are a one-time investment for a lifetime of beauty? And since Peonies roots can be divided again and again, a single planting can provide beauty for many generations to come. As a little girl, I remember that my mother always had Peonies in her garden and so did all the neighbors. That is because mother always shared them with anyone who came to visit so every garden near our home had gorgeous Peonies.

Did you also know that if you order your Peonies now you can save over 60% off the regular price? Peonies are planted in the fall for spring flowering and if you get them now, you can enjoy them right in you garden or yard at very special money saving prices. Very reputable companies like Breck’s are offering special prices for anyone who wants to place orders now for fall shipping of Peonies. So the time to buy Peonies for fall planting is now.

Peonies are long lived perennials that produce large flowers in the spring that actually look like roses and are absolutely beautiful. It comes in many colors but some of my favorites are cream, coral, pink, white, rose, scarlet and yellow. Peonies require winter cold to flower and it is best to plant them in a northern exposure and do not mulch in the winter. They grow best in full sun but can tolerate light shade. Be sure to plant them in well drained soil and preferably in a raised bed for proper drainage. (photo courtesy: Breck’s)

Ideally Peonies should be planted around September or October. Dig a hole about 12 to 18 inches deep and about 18 inches wide. Be sure to space them at least 3 to 4 feet apart. Add some compost to the hole and about a half a cup of fertilizer. Be sure the fertilizer is at the bottom of the hole and not on the soil that will surround the roots. Peonies are deep rooted plants so be sure to prepare the soil properly before planting. Add some regular soil to the hole, about half full, then place the Peonies root with the eyes facing upward and work the soil in around the fleshy roots.

In the spring, you can mulch the Peonies with a 3 inch layer of organic matter to control weeds and conserve moisture. In the fall, remove the old mulch and leave the plants without mulch during the winter months. Remember, Peonies need cold weather to promote flowering and growth. Peonies flowers are very large so it is recommended that you stake the plant to prevent them from breaking or bending over. Select stakes that are at least 12 inches shorter than the plants and sink them in the soil behind the plant. Using a soft cloth or plastic covered wire, tie the stems to the stakes carefully.

There you have it! Follow these simple guidelines and you too can have gorgeous Peonies in your flower garden. The best part is that you will have them for many years to come. Remember to order them from a good company like Breck’s that offers the best quality and will provide planting instructions. And, as I mentioned before, you can save lots of money by purchasing your Peonies now for fall planting.

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

Garden design - Wikipedia the free encyclopedia
Twitter / Flower Gardens: Flower Gardening http://t. ...
At The Chelsea Flower Show Pictures - CBS News - CBS News.com
A Professional Gardener on Shielding Plants From Heat - Q&A ...
Embrace the Chill: Plant Bulbs - WSJ.com
My Flower Garden

Technorati Tags: Fall Gardening, Gardening, Mulch, Peonies, Soil, Spring Flowers