Growing tips for healthy Perennial flowers

 

Perennial flowers have an advantage over annuals if you’re looking for low maintenance gardens. I often place perennials in tucked away areas of the yard or on hillsides. I also find a perennial garden work perfectly for a small space garden.

But just because a flower is a perennial does not mean they take no care. I also add a few annuals to a perennial garden area to fill in holes and give you those bright splashed of continuous color annuals are known for.

 Perennial planting tips:

Perennial flowers are best planted in mid to late spring. This gives them time to adjust to their new home and get a solid roothold before the heat of summer. A fence will also provide shade in the heat of summer.

Perennials are generally in a root ball form. You will not see many roots unless the plant is root bound and this will create problems with the plant growing properly. You may have to divide the plant to loosen the roots.

Plan ahead and count how many plants you plan on putting into the ground. If there are more than 5 medium sized plants, you want an area about 7 1/2 feet to plant in. Measure out the area of your yard that gets good morning light and evening shade. Perennials thrive in this lighting situation.

Find the area in your yard that will accommodate the area needed for your number and size of plants. If your perennials were bought in a store, refer to the tag as to how much water and light each plant will need. You may want to research the perennial plant varieties more to aid you in plant placement.

When planning your garden area create the garden in an oval or flowing shape instead of square or rectangular, unless you are setting up a formal garden look. Flowing lines create a more natural look.

Plant you perennials varieties in groups of 3, 5 or 7. Odd planting numbers look more natural. Group perennial varieties instead of spacing them out one by one have a richer fuller look in the garden.

A good rule is for small plants are to plant them 6 to 12 inches apart. For medium plants, space them 12 to 18 inches apart and for large or tall plants 1 1/2 to 3 foot apart. This will give the plants ample room for roots to expand and grow.

Remember that if you plant your perennials too close, you will have to divide them up later so the roots do not become overgrown.  If you must divide, do so in the late spring and early summer with plenty of water available. As a rule of thumb most perennial varieties will need divided every 3 to 5 years.

After you have divided the plants move them to a portion of the yard that has ample light and room for the plants to grow. If you have more plants than you want you can always trade them with neighbors for new perennial varieties you may not have.

If you are planting seeds and have no plant tag, read the instructions on the seed pack for the type of flower you are raising or research online.

When I plant perennial seeds I always add annuals to the garden area. Perennials grow slow form seeds and will not be as showy the first year so annuals will add color and a full look while the new plants take root.

Each perennial has different specifications for light and water. Check with a local greenhouse for more information on specific flowers, or use the Internet to search your perennial plants needs.

 

Preparing a Vegetable Garden

Preparing a vegetable garden is something that needs to be done with care. It is very important that you start out with a good plan when you are going to have a vegetable garden. Jumping in without adequate preparation can mean doing a bunch of work that does not pay off. Since gardening can at times be very hard work, you do not want to have to do any extra work that could have been avoided with a little planning.

Location is the first important point. Where will the garden go? It cannot be so high that it is not able to get and keep enough water. But you do not want water to pool in the garden either. You need to be able to reach it with water and it needs to get lots of sun. It also needs to be somewhere that does not get too much sun at the hotter parts of the day depending on where you are in the world. Animals can be another important consideration. If you grow a garden right next to the forest line for example you make it very easy for deer and other animals to get in and out of your garden and you will be feeding them more than you are feeding yourself.

Keeping vegetable garden free from pest requires a good garden sprayers. Read top rated sprayer reviews here.

One way to deal with all of this is to enlist the help of other gardeners in your area, as they are usually very helpful and like to help other gardeners plan and create their garden. I would get several different gardeners opinions on things so that I had a variety of ideas to work on.  I believe this will save you lots of time and trouble when it comes to preparing a garden.

Some things to ask other gardeners in the area are where they get their supplies and what they like to grow and at what times of the year they plant the things they grow. How do they deal with pests? Where would the put the garden if they were on your property.

These are just a few tips remember that there is a lot to gardening and take your time and prepare up front so you do not get discouraged by having to do too much of your work over and gardening will be an experience that is fun, relaxing and very rewarding for you.

 

Organic Container Gardening

Container gardening is almost by definition organic. You do not have to have anything in that container that you do not want. Simply keep a close watch on whatever you put in the containers and you will have vegetables that you know for sure are organic. That is a rare thing today as organic can be defined in many different ways in what you find on your grocery store shelf. Many times the organic vegetables at the market are not as good of quality as the non-organic but we would all prefer organic.

The most important aspect of growing an organic container garden is first starting with quality soil. You will need to get soil that you know has not been treated with chemicals in the past as those chemicals can hang around in the soil for long periods of time. Your best bet may be to purchase organic soil from your garden supply store depending on how many containers you have to fill.

Once you know that you have the base of good quality organic top soil then it simply becomes a matter of managing what goes into the soil from then on. So if you have a problem that develops with certain types of bugs eating your plants for example you will need to look for an organic solution to the problem.

Fortunately there are many quality organic product lines for gardening on the market today so simply talk to the folks at your local gardening supply store and let them know what you have going on in your garden that you need help with. They get these questions on a daily basis and will be able to point you to the products that others keep coming back for. This is usually a good sign that they work well and you will save yourself quite a bit of time and effort by doing it this way.

Enjoy your organic container gardening efforts. There is nothing quite like fresh high quality vegetables that you grew with love.

Preparing a Vegetable Garden

How to Grow a Vegetable Garden

How to Grow a Vegetable Garden

First you need sunlight. This is obvious but it is an important consideration. The area that you plant in needs to get plenty of sun but not so much sun that it scorches the plants. If you have not grown gardens before it might be worthwhile to have an experienced gardener take a look at the places you have in mind for location of your garden and make recommendations.

The same advice can apply for watering. You need an area that can be reached for watering and where water does not pool. The water sitting around your plants can cause them to rot. Conversely if you have plants in a place that is very hard to keep moist and all the water runs off from that spot then it will take a lot of watering to try to keep the garden wet enough to grow. Depending on the size of the garden this could be very difficult.


Preparing a Vegetable Garden

Next you need to know some basic facts like what can be grown in your area and at which times of the year. One great way to learn more about this is by visiting other gardeners to see what they grow and when. Gardeners are usually very helpful and have lots of tips. But remember that this is your garden and you do not have to do it their way. Most gardeners are pretty sure they have the best way to garden so that is how they will typically present their gardening methods to you. Pick the things that work for you.

Another great way to get some perspective on all the gardening ins and outs in your area is to visit your local gardening supply stores and your local nurseries. This can help you to learn what they have to offer and what they recommend for you to grow. They will have the supplies you need for the season you are in on hand and the next season on the way too.

Use these tips but remember that gardening is a learning process where you never really stop. Enjoy and happy learning!