| r gardening can be an extremely rewarding hobby. | | | | it with water when it seems dry; keep it moist |
| But it is a hobby that requires work and | | | | (but avoid it being soggy). Turn the pile to |
| dedication. Following a few flower gardening tips | | | | circulate oxygen. When it’s ready (usually |
| will ensure that you enjoy yourself, product a | | | | when there’s no heat), you can mix it |
| healthy flower garden, and that you avoid any | | | | with soil before planting your flowers or use it as |
| harm to natural ecosystems. | | | | mulch; but use it quickly or the nutrients will |
| The most important first step in starting your | | | | dissipate. Make sure the stuff you put in the pile is |
| flower garden is to figure out where you want to | | | | small, either use a shredder or run your lawn |
| do your planting. If you decide to plant in a | | | | mover over them. |
| container, then you can pretty much create the | | | | After that brief interlude about decaying matter, |
| soil conditions you need for the majority of plants, | | | | let’s get back to our some more flower |
| though there will always be some plants that will | | | | gardening tips. So you’ve dug up your |
| not be able to grow in your area because of | | | | garden, tilled the soil, and added amendments. You |
| temperature or sun exposure conditions. | | | | should wait a few weeks before you actually |
| If you choose to plant in your yard, you should | | | | start planting so that the amendments have the |
| first do a soil test, which you can pick up at many | | | | time to seep into the soil and diffuse across your |
| gardening supply stores; even if your local store | | | | little plot of soon-to-be vibrant life. While |
| doesn’t have a soil test kit, someone on | | | | you’re waiting, hit the books again and |
| the staff will be able to tell you where to get one. | | | | figure out which plants you’d like to plant |
| A quick way to test what kind of soil you have is | | | | and what their requirements are. |
| to pick up a handful from your yard and rub it | | | | Figure out what kind of garden you’d like |
| back and forth in your hand; if it sticks together, | | | | to have; what colors would you like to see, what |
| that means that your soil is composed of a large | | | | fragrances would you like to smell? Some nice |
| quantity of clay, while if it comes apart, there is a | | | | additions to a flower garden are the foxtail lily, the |
| large presence of sand. Too much of either | | | | lily of the Nile (also known as the African lily) and |
| isn’t good because clay doesn’t | | | | some delphinium. If you’d like to attract |
| drain well and roots find it hard to penetrate, while | | | | butterflies, get some butterfly weed, lantana, or |
| sand doesn’t retain nutrients well. A good | | | | butterfly bush. |
| soil has equal parts sand and clay and is called | | | | You’ll be astonished at how far a little |
| loam. | | | | planning can go. If you do your homework, and |
| Among their flower gardening tips, many expert | | | | follow some useful flower gardening tips found in |
| gardeners recommend keeping a gardening | | | | garden catalogs and guides, you can have a |
| journal, in which the first entry is a sketch or | | | | garden displaying color in all seasons; all you have |
| diagram of your new gardening project; where | | | | to do is mix and match early-season bloomers, |
| you’re going to place your garden, the | | | | mid-season bloomers and late bloomers. Plant |
| shape of your garden, and a rough idea of what | | | | early blooming perennials in a group next to a |
| flowers you’re going to plant and in what | | | | group of later bloomers; between groups of |
| arrangement. Then, as time goes by, you can | | | | perennials, plant groups of bulbs. The leaves of |
| write down how successful (or unsuccessful) you | | | | perennials can also be used to give color to your |
| were with certain flowers and include pictures of | | | | garden, once all flowers have finished blooming. |
| your garden and any individual flowers. | | | | Indeed, green is not the only color leaves come |
| Once you’ve decided your garden spot, | | | | in; pay attention to those plants whose leaves are |
| dig down into the soil around 8 inches to a foot | | | | burgundy or silver-like, and use them as |
| and remove all rocks and extraneous materials. | | | | “space fillers” when flowers are |
| Break up clods and level the ground with a rake | | | | not in bloom. |
| and add one or more inches of compost or | | | | Make sure you know what hardiness zone |
| manure, more if the soil is poor. Add peat moss | | | | you’re in; the USDA has divided the US |
| or grass cuttings to increase water capacity | | | | and lower Canada into hardiness zones based on |
| (especially if the soil is sandy) and add lime is too | | | | a 10 degree Fahrenheit difference in average |
| acidic (most plants don’t too well in very | | | | minimum temperature. Certain plants can only be |
| acidic soil). Mix all the soil and organic matter | | | | grown in certain hardiness zones; this information |
| together, turning it a few times; this is called tilling | | | | is usually located on seed packets or flower |
| the soil. Again, apply the rake to level the bed. | | | | guides. Make sure you buy appropriate plants for |
| Add soil amendments like compost into the top | | | | your zone. |
| six inches of soil and mix with a general purpose | | | | You can actually start your gardening a little earlier |
| fertilizer like 10-20-10. | | | | than when you should if you start plants from |
| Let’s talk a little bit about organic matter. | | | | seeds in the house. Jiffy pots made of |
| Organic matter is made up of the remains of | | | | compressed peat moss are handy. You put |
| living things, animals and plants, which decompose | | | | starting mix or potting soil, let the plants grow for |
| and return to the soil, giving up their nutrients and | | | | a few weeks in sunlight (until they reach about 4 |
| vitamins. A good amount of organic matter in the | | | | inches) and then put outside. The jiffy pots will rot |
| soil makes a soil fertile and nutrient-rich, a great | | | | and the plant roots will grow into the soil. Also |
| medium for plants. If your soil doesn’t | | | | check the back of seed packages for flower |
| have much organic matter, not to worry, you can | | | | gardening tips and information on when to plant |
| always add compost or manure to | | | | seeds in your area, how to plant them and how |
| “amend” the soil (but don’t | | | | close to sow the seeds. If you get seedlings, be |
| add too much; too much of a good thing can be | | | | prepared to have to put them in the ground as |
| bad). Compost is the partially decayed remains of | | | | soon as possible. |
| plants and animals and is an excellent source of | | | | You’ve done your research, |
| organic matter; what’s more, you can | | | | you’ve written in your journal, |
| make it yourself and keep it handy for all your | | | | you’ve bought your plants. When planting, |
| gardening needs. Indeed, it’s relatively | | | | it’s a good idea to place smaller plants up |
| easy to make your own compost pile and it will | | | | front and the larger ones in the back. Make sure |
| help save you money and trips to your local | | | | your flowers are about 3 feet away from any |
| gardening supply store if you have a ready supply | | | | buildings or fences, 20 feet away from large |
| of organic matter. | | | | trees and 5 feet away from any large bush. Also |
| Compost provides nutrients and enriches soil; as | | | | make sure to avoid shallow, rocky soil, any areas |
| an amendment to soils rich in clay, compost helps | | | | where water tends to stand, and steep slopes. |
| drainage, while as an amendent to soils rich in | | | | After you’ve planted your flowers, lay |
| sand, compost helps hold more moisture. Also, by | | | | down some mulch (compost that isn’t |
| maintaining a compost pile, you are helping out the | | | | completely decayed) over the soil but make sure |
| environment by decreasing the amount of | | | | it doesn’t touch the stems of your plants. |
| material piling up in landfills. | | | | As with all organic matter, mulch adds nutrients to |
| Follow yet another of the important flower | | | | the soil, blocks the growth of weeds, maintains a |
| gardening tips and start a compost pile; get a six | | | | stable soil temperature and increases the |
| inch layer of chopped leaves, grass clippings and | | | | soil’s water retaining capacity. Keeping a |
| waste from your kitchen like banana peels, lettuce | | | | constant 2 to 3 inches of mulch around your |
| leaves, coffee grounds or tea leaves | | | | plants in the growing season is a good idea. As an |
| (don’t use bones or meat), and you can | | | | added bonus, you could place layers of damp |
| also use shredded branches, garden plants whose | | | | newspaper under the mulch to block the growth |
| time has come (make sure they’re not | | | | of weeds, which could be very detrimental to |
| diseased), shredded paper, weeds (make sure | | | | your flowers. |
| they haven’t gone to see), straw or hay, | | | | Some gardeners will use chemical pesticides and |
| or newspaper. Cover this layer with three to six | | | | other highly synthetic substances to create a |
| inches of soil, manure, or finished compost. | | | | successful garden. The majority of gardeners, |
| Alternate layers of organic matter and soil | | | | however, will tell you that organic gardening is the |
| manure to reach a pile about three feet tall; the | | | | way to go. No chemical pesticides, just a focus on |
| heat generated by this pile will function to sterilize | | | | improving soil quality and using plants wisely. |
| your compost and you will be able to use it for | | | | Indeed, there are some plants that, when grown |
| potting soil, mulch, or as a soil amendment. | | | | in combination, can actually benefit the garden (like |
| Keep the pile in an area that is shady and sprinkle | | | | rose and garlic). |