While it is good practice to water our flower gardens regularly, be aware that too much water is not good for the plants and can actually kill them. Here in Florida where I live, we go from having long periods of drought to a rainy season where it will rain for several hours just about every day. We are having that rainy season right now and I am constantly checking my garden for puddles of water.

The important element in well drained soil is oxygen which allows plants to grow when the roots are not constantly in water and it will not allow water to settle on it. Soil that does not drain well is usually oxygen deficient which results in drowned and rotted roots. Once the water is gone, oxygen flows into the roots of the plants and they will be fine.

Test your garden for drainage by digging holes in various locations during the rainy season. If you see water in the hole the next day, you have slow drainage. If this is the case, get some compost and mix it in with the soil that is there now. Compost is the best to rectify this situation.

It is also good practice to use mulch in areas prone to intense heat in order to keep the roots cool and reduce the amount of evaporation that takes place in the surface of the soil. If you do use mulch, be sure to always test the soil under the mulch for good drainage.

Good drainage in your garden is the key to having beautiful, healthy plants and flowers. This is especially true if you have a rose garden like I do. Roses like moist soil but they don’t like to be in puddles of water. So be sure to test your garden soil for good drainage during the rainy season. Your garden will love you for it, and you will love your garden!

To your well-drained garden, Diana

This entry was posted on Saturday, July 19th, 2008 at 2:35 am and is filed under Compost, Flower Gardening, Gardening, Soil. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.