The Green Thumb » Flower Gardens

Flower Garden: 4 Fundamental Tips on Starting a Flower Garden

Weekend Gardener — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 17:45:10 +0000

Are you thinking to start gardening as a hobby? Or maybe you’re planning to create your very own flower garden? That’s fantastic! There is much to be said about how gardening can be spiritually satisfying. And you’ll have so much fun experimenting with flowers and the beauty and splendor they can give to your lawn or to your backyard. Here are 4 fundamental tips on how you can create a wonderfully ideal flower garden.

1. Flowers are all about colors. These colors and their hues are all about harmony and coordination. And just like your wardrobe, a careless combination of colors could turn out to be quite unattractive. Truly unsightly. You really must coordinate the colors of your flowers. In such cases then, whatever you decide to grow and cultivate will require some planning and organization. One of the first decisions you’ll need to make is about the color scheme that you’d like to have for your garden or backyard. After that, select your flowering plants according to this plan.

2. Flowers can be used to brighten and liven up the shady areas and the dim locations of your garden or backyard. Have you got a spot or an area that isn’t being touched by sunlight? It just can’t be reached by the sun? You can readily enhance theses locations using better lighting to produce an explosion of colors. If flowering plants are to be used for this purpose, it’s best to select bright and vibrant colored blooms. It would be good to stay away from dark and gloomy colored flowers. They do nothing to help shady or dim areas.

3. Flower gardens often have a focal point. It may be a statue or a sculpture, a fountain or a water garden, or any type of monument or memorial. Still, if your flower garden doesn’t have such a focal point, you can make use of the plants themselves as the centerpiece. Aim to decide on a specific color, and choose flowering plants that provide blooms of such a shade. Then arrange your flower garden to direct attention and interest towards a cluster of these flowers.

4. Select carefully and intelligently between annuals and perennials for your flower garden.

Annuals come into flowers and bloom only once during their lifetime-which normally lasts for a year or less. Even with this, their flowers are far more colorful| and vibrant, far more fragrant and sweet-smelling, and far more grand than other varieties of flowers.

Perennials, on the other hand, bloom many times during their lifespan. This usually takes many years. Their flowers may not be as splendid as those of an annuals’ blooms, but perennials are definitely easier and more convenient to grow and cultivate. This makes them a much more practical choice.

There are many more tips and guidelines to help you in starting a flower garden. Take your time. This is something that you shouldn’t rush. You’ll enjoy the process so much more.

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Flower Gardening–8 Important Tips Concerning Flower Gardening!

Weekend Gardener — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 17:46:36 +0000

“A thing of beauty is a joy forever!” This proverb must have been invented, keeping flower gardens in mind! True, flower gardening is tough work; yet, it is a well-loved activity that has been in existence for ages!

Think of all the benefits flower gardening can provide! Your yard is a riot of colors, and the intoxicating fragrances from your flowers waft into your entire living space! Not only can you “see” beauty, but you can also “smell” it! You have therefore created a wonderful getaway to escape all your worries–the result is a peaceful state of mind!

The physical activity provides you with plenty of fresh air and exercise, resulting in good health. Also, the value of your property increases because of the magnificent landscape!

There are some considerations to be kept in mind regarding flower gardening–

(1) You could follow the example set by others before you–plan your garden on paper first. This has been attempted by novice and expert alike, and has proved successful. Many have even gone so far as to maintain a gardening notebook, where they have kept track of the flowering plants in their alloted spaces in their gardens, and how they reacted to different conditions and seasons.

(2) Which area have you allocated for flower gardening, if it is outdoors? Outdoor could mean the front yard or back yard. Are you going in for container gardening? Then plan out where they are to be placed–both outdoors and indoors.

(3) Regarding the flowers themselves, you will have to do some investigation first, that is, can they survive and thrive in the environmental setting that you create for them. Wherever they grow, every plant needs a healthy medium. It is your responsibility to promise that to all of your plants!

(4) You have to consider how much of space you can afford to allot to your flowers. Just like humans, some plants do not mind crowds, while others prefer their own private space!

What you need to keep in mind before beginning flower gardening is that there is going to be heavy competition among the plants for resources and nutrition. Keep the flowers at a distance of three to five feet from the boundary or fence. And do not plant them anywhere near, or at the bases of bushes or trees, since the bigger plants will grab all the nutrients and leave little for the smaller ones!

(5) The next thing to consider is, soil. The quality of the soil should be such that it can support the presence of essential nutrients, and allow healthy growth of plants. The plants should be able to get adequate amount of nutrition from the soil. A soil test should reveal its quality.

Should the soil quality not be up to standard, you will need to add things that will improve the quality of the plant medium. These additions are called “amendments”. Fertilizers are also an option. Peat moss aids in retention of water as well as drainage of excess water. But again, you cannot go on modifying and modifying the soil–everything has a limit!

(6) Plants cannot prepare food without adequate light. So check out if the area allocated for your garden will get sufficient sunlight. Even here, you will need to differentiate–while some plants relish direct sunlight, there are others that flourish in the shade. Some plants neither require too much of light nor too much of shade.

On an average, there should be enough sunlight for six hours in the day (some places manage to even receive 12 hours). Plants suitable for all light conditions and shade, are available for flower gardening.

(7) Flowering plants grow everywhere and manage to survive in all kinds of habitats. Over a period of time, they get adapted to their respective dwelling places and the surrounding ecosystem. The same conditions have to be created in your garden if you plan to grow them for yourself. Those plants that are tolerant of harsh conditions find warmth intolerable. Tropical plants, on the other hand, cannot survive in the cold northern climate; they have to be brought indoors whenever conditions become unfavorable.

(8) Now that you have researched all conditions and backgrounds, see what plants are suitable for your garden. The flowers should adjust to the conditions you can provide them, and not the other way round!

There are plenty of plants to choose from for your flower gardening. So do not hunger for those exotic ones that cannot grow in your garden! Since you are a first-timer, go in for simple stuff like violets, petunias, marigolds, etc.

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Flower Gardening Pictures- 9 Important Points For The Shutterbug

Weekend Gardener — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 17:45:50 +0000

If you should ever observe a range of photographs, you would notice that the most frequently photographed object is the simple “flower”! The reasons for capturing flowers on camera and presenting them as flower gardening pictures for public viewing, are varied.

It is hard for anyone to fathom how nature has managed to come up with such a myriad variety of colors! Fortunately, flowers are able to survive in all sorts of habitats, so beauty is to be seen everywhere! Not to forget the intoxicating perfumes that waft into the surrounding atmosphere because of their presence! Thus, flower gardening pictures have become a favorite topic for photographers all over the world.

Some aspects of flower gardening pictures are presented here–

(1) Every photographer realizes that the “flower” is a prized work of art produced by nature that is appreciated the world over, especially by avid gardeners. So these flower gardening pictures find their way into web sites dedicated to gardening, books on gardening, gardening magazines, guides and encyclopedias dedicated to gardening.

(2) There is no need to go in for highly advanced technological gadgets to snap photographs of flower gardens! Whatever camera is used, simple or expensive, good focusing will ensure a good picture. Experts believe that the photograph with its background is already present; only the “clicking” of the camera is required. So there is competition among the professionals to trap these “blooming beauties” forever in the form of pictures!

(3) The major aim is to inspire a viewer to go in for flower gardening! If the right interest can be created via these photographs, more and more people will realize the potential in creating a garden full of flowers.

(4) It is not necessary for the photographer to concentrate on a single flower. The idea is to impress the viewer with the beauty presented in the picture. So, the camera’s focus can be directed towards individual flowers; flowers in the foreground or background along with solid structures, or vice versa; small areas; or large expanses–depending on the purpose for which the photograph is being snapped.

(5) The time of the day is also related to the purpose behind the picture. It could be daytime or evening time. The focus could be on sunny areas in the garden or the shady parts.

(6) Additionally, it is entirely up to the photographer whether he/she wishes to present the entire picture, or just a bit of it and leave the viewer to fill in the gaps. Creativity can always find an outlet in different ways! What is important to realize is that flower gardening pictures represent reality in all its significence, they are not just mere copies!

(7) Since these photographs are meant for public viewing, novice gardeners as well as expert gardeners can use them as references. There are pictures of all types of healthy flowers, container gardening arrangements, various designs related to gardens, complete gardens, and so on.

(8) The idea is to get the viewer’s creative juices flowing! It can lead to more people deciding to take up the hobby of gardening. It can inspire gardeners to try out similar ideas as presented in the photographs, or even improve upon them. They can indicate what a garden will ultimately look like after it is finished.

(9) One need not be a professional photographer to capture flowers on camera! A dedicated gardener can create his/her own flower gardening pictures too. It would help to maintain a journal of photographs, indicating “what it was like before” and “what it is like now”. Photographs have to be taken regularly–the actual plot meant for the garden, growing seasons, final display. Written notes below each picture will serve as records for the future. Thus, the next garden is sure to be an improved, and much better version of the earlier one!

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My flower gardens

Weekend Gardener — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 17:45:46 +0000

It’s my first video. A small compilation of flowers from my garden,I hope you enjoy it.

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Flower Gardens – 5 Appealing Ideas For Flower Gardens

Weekend Gardener — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 17:46:34 +0000

To make your garden a beautiful place you will have to follow a few essential gardening tips so that you have a basic idea of what to grow in your garden and how to make it look colorful with a lot of flowering plants in
it to add to its beauty. A garden is like a bouquet which you will have to arrange carefully to get the most
out of it. The space you have will have to be used effectively so that it is shown to advantage.

A few practical ideas and tips on flower gardening to help you to get the best and most effective results from
your gardening efforts:

* To retain moisture around the plants and to prevent weeds from growing mulch is very useful. A good quality
of mulch can add fiber to the soil and prevent moisture from evaporating from around the plants, and from weeds
growing around it in the soil. This is a great help as it reduces the job of pulling out the weeds from the
plants.

*Pinching the head of the dead flower from the plant or dead heading as it is called will help in more flowers
blooming on the plant. This is a very effective method for flowers like roses, verbena and geraniums. If
deheading is done for these plants you will get blooms through out the season.

* Flower fertilizer should be used regularly for flowering plants. You will get a good harvest of blooms
regularly if you use the right kind of fertilizer for the plants. Flowers like blueberries, hydrangeas and
azaleas need a particular type of fertilizer and an acidic soil for good blooms on your plants.

* A useful way to recycle waste materials in the house is composing by which you can make your own fertilizers
and mulch combinations. By composing you invite worms and butterflies into your garden which are very necessary
for the soil and for pollination.

* Put plants that require the same amount of watering and sunlight together so that they get the maximum
benefit from the sun and from water. Some plants need watering regularly where as some need not be watered so
often, so make sure you segregate them and plant them with similar plants.

Water flower gardens frequently
Constant care should be given to flower gardens and they should be watered frequently as per gardening experts. What they need most is water, fertilizer and light to thrive on. The soil around the flower plant should be
dampened on alternate days and should be well watered at least once a week too. It is better to water the
plants in the morning as watering in the evening may cause the plant to rot. You could even check with the
nursery in your locality on the best way to mange your garden and especially flowering plants.

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An Introduction To Flower Gardens

Weekend Gardener — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 17:48:56 +0000

Becoming familiar with the general planting and maintenance requirements perennials and annuals is essential to the long term success of your flower garden. The Following are a few guidelines which will help your flowers bloom and remain healthy for years.

Begin with the garden’s basic necessities. Your flower garden must have an adequate supply of water and nutrient rich soil. The proper amount of sunlight light or shade is also critical. Any lack of these basic necessities will negatively affect the health of your plants.

Add compost and peat moss to sandy soils to increase the soil’s ability to hold moisture. Clay soils require the addition of sand and compost to provide adequate drainage. Compost is important in any garden since it provides your plants with nutrients. Be sure to water the flower garden more frequently during dry spells.

When planting your flowers be sure their planted at the existing grade of the garden. Flowers planted too high or too deep will often perform poorly. Also, make sure that you don’t pile soil or mulch around the plant’s stem. If you do, water will drain away for the plant rather than sinking in.

Plant perennials and annuals together in the same garden. Perennials are those flowers which bloom and grow larger year after year. After growing during the spring and summer, they die back to the ground each winter only to reemerge the following spring. Annuals grow and bloom for only one season. Perennials generally are classified as early, mid or late season bloomers. Iris, for example, blooms in the spring. Once its finished blooming it provides lush green foliage. Annuals bloom all season long; from spring until the first frost. Planting a variety of perennials and annuals ensures a colorful garden all season.

An occasional application of liquid fertilizer over the course of the season will help your flower bloom longer.

In the summer the main task in the flower garden is deadheading. Deadheading is the process of clipping off spent blooms. This won’t encourage many new blooms in perennials but will keep the garden looking fresh all season. With annuals, however, deadheading will encourage continuous blooms all season. Don’t discard the spent blooms in the garden as mildew and other plant diseases may spread throughout the garden.

Cultivating is another important garden task. Cultivating the garden soil is a job which serves two purposes. It keeps weeds from taking hold in the garden and allows water and nutrients to reach the plant’s deepest roots.

Know the difference between the good insects and the harmful ones. Many incest are beneficial to the garden. Butterflies, beetles and bees are important since they pollinate the garden flowers. They fertilize plants through unintentional transfer of pollen from one plant to another. Most flowers rely on insects for survival. Beetles, bacteria and other microorganisms assist the garden by turning dead plant material into compost. This enriches the soil and creates the nutrients which plants require. Other insects like lacewings, ladybugs and dragonflies are natural predators of more harmful insects such as aphids.

Proper garden planning and maintenance are essential to a healthy flower garden. Flower gardens, though easy to care for, require some maintenance. The work put into a garden is worth the effort, however, as they provide years of colorful blooms.

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Flower Gardens

Weekend Gardener — Sun, 23 May 2010 17:47:26 +0000

Product Description
In Flower Gardens, one of England’s foremost garden writers provides a beautiful and informative guide to choosing the best flowering plants for any garden and arranging them harmoniously in a given setting…. More >>

Flower Gardens

Tips To Create A Perfect Flower Garden

Weekend Gardener — Mon, 10 May 2010 17:44:45 +0000

Gardens, employing flowers as their primary elements, are called flower gardens. Plants, shrubs, trees and the other contributing components are present as well, but the focus is on flowers. These flower gardens are usually cultivated for ornamental purposes.

How Did The Idea Evolve?

Todays flower gardens have an interesting history behind them : While pruning, some farmers noted a few colorful weeds. They liked the colors and so left them there. The concept of tolerating these beautiful weeds, gradually caught on and led to the culture of cultivating flowers.

Knot Gardens

Flower gardens arranged artistically, are known as Knot gardens. Knot gardens are designed by a systematic composition of plants, herbs and shrubs. The plants are planted in a pre-calculated way so that when they grow, they end up forming a desired design. Most common ones are rectangle-regions or square-compartments. The edges are given shape with herbs planted in queues, with almost no space left in-between. These are also cut accordingly to maintain the width of the edges throughout in synch. The fence in this fashion, often brings paths in flower gardens, for the visitors to walk through.

These paths derived by boundaries, are sometimes filled with sand, gravel or concrete, and the trend of growing lawn in the regions traced is now on the rise. The number of square regions a Knot garden can carry, depends on the size of a garden and varies in the range of one to ten. These types of flower gardens were first designed in the times of Queen Elizabeth I in UK.

Plants used to form Knot flower gardens are lemon balm, hyssop, costmary, germander, marjoram, acanthus, mallow, chamomile, rosemary, calendulas, violas, thyme, southernwood, santolina etc. Such flower gardens are also called parterres.

Herb Gardens

The gardens with plants used for medicinal and cooking purposes are known as herb gardens. Some flowers are edible, one can eat them freshly-cut, while some others may only be eaten when cooked or baked. Flower gardens are at times, cultivated to grow medicinal plants too, such as aloevera. In ancient times, there were no modern physicians, just the nuns and monks, who were said to heal pain by using extracts of plants.

Aloevera is still widely used today for skin treatments, especially for treating acne. The others herbs falling in this genre are : rosemary, parsley, sage, marjoram, thyme, mint, rue, angelica, bay, basil etc.

Tips For Your Domestic Flower Gardens

Flower gardens need that extra attention from their creators:

- The color, aroma, height, leafage are all attributes of the plants, should be studied carefully before sowing their seeds in your flower gardens. One thing to be kept in mind is that no two plants with similar colored blossoms should be placed beside each other.

- Spacing between the plants should also be worked out in advance.

- A well-examined flower-seed-mix can be used to take care of the arrangements and designs of the flower-plants.

- Different plants bloom in different seasons. Paying due attention to this fact, the plants should be grown in such a way so as to make the flower gardens look colorful throughout the year.

What are some flowers that bloom all year long or last a long time?

Weekend Gardener — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 05:06:33 +0000

summer ♥ asked:

I want to make flower gardens in my yard, but I want flowers that bloom often or last a long time. I don’t like flowers that last 2 days and then they are gone.

Thanks for answering this.

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i need ideas for flower garden boarders?

Weekend Gardener — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 10:51:57 +0000

CO#1 asked:

i am in the process of planting new flower gardens…FUN! but im trying to come up with something inexpensive, and pleasing to the eye that i can use as a boarder, and for a retaining wall…any ideas you may have would be great!