The spring is here, and with it comes a whole host of fun things to plant in your flower garden. If you are lucky, you’ll have several weeks of beautiful colors, shapes and textures. If not, you will at least have a few weeks of drought tolerant plants and flowers. I enjoy the challenge of gardening every year, and planting something in my flower garden each year is one way I challenge myself. You can have the same sort of fun by starting out with what to plant in your flower garden and how much time to spend planting and caring for it.
Schedule your time for cutting: There is something wonderful about stepping into your flower garden with only scissors and a plastic bucket of soil knowing that right around then, you’re about to fertilize your entire lawn with beautiful blooms. Over the past few years, cut flower gardening has grown tremendously in popularity, and now so many are finding the pleasures of growing their own flowers. Many people find it relaxing, creative and a great way to relax after a hard day. I do the same. One way I love to cut my flower garden each year is with my wife’s compact metal detector.
Plant what to plant in my flower garden according to what type of blooms we want: Many people love the exotic varieties of flowers like orchids, tulips, gerberas and dahlias. For years we were practically stingy on planting these types of flowers in our garden, but now we have two Gerberas and two dahlias in bloom and they are just growing bigger. I plant annuals and perennials in the beds. This allows us to move them around as needed throughout the season. We have even moved some of the annuals outdoors when the weather starts to get a little warm.
Plant what to plant in my flower garden based on what grows best with other plants: Some types of flowers grow better with certain other plants, some flowers grow better with other kinds of roots and some flowers are best planted according to what color of dirt they need. We have a large bed of annuals planted in a rock garden, mainly with annuals and forget-me-not annuals. Now those plants, much to our chagrin, are growing really well, even in the rocks! Our other annuals such as marigolds and basil are doing fine in the dirt, but our perennial roses are not growing that well at all. They are supposed to be in the soil all year long, but they only bloom during one part of the year.
Watering is another issue: Some plants can do fine when watered only once a week while other plants, especially those with hardiness zones, should be given to water more often. Perennials such as dwarf irises should be watered weekly, while other flowers should be watered daily. The kind of flowers you choose depends on the climate you live in.
What to plant in my flower garden depends on what will shade it the best from the sun: Long stem sunflowers, such as morning glories or single stem sunflowers, are best planted in the shade. Shorter stems such as blue spireas or sunflowers will do better in the sun. Other sun-loving flowers such as sunflowers should be planted in the sun, but they will bloom more if shaded. Sunflowers come in a wide array of colors, so they can be a good choice for those with a color preference.
How much attention to blooming and maintenance you want to give to your garden will determine what you plant in your garden. Potted plants are easier to maintain than the others; their roots can be tied up and removed if you wish, thereby keeping them from growing wild and damaging your garden. Many gardeners choose annuals and perennials because these types require little attention and blooming, making them ideal for the home gardener who wants to keep her plants small and under control. Annuals are best planted in a single row deep enough that they can be seen from the front yard, then cut back to about two feet tall. Perennials, on the other hand, can be found in any size and depth of a garden, so they are a good choice for the home gardener who likes variety.
One thing that many first year gardeners find difficult is the care of their roses and bushes. They have been accustomed to the lack of care and maintenance, and often find that they have damage to their plants from the lack of watering or the sharp cutting they receive in the winter months. Most gardeners agree that mulch is the best mulch available for the shrub or plant. It will not only provide protection from soil erosion, but it also provides a safe place for the roses or bushes to survive the winter months without rotting or freezing. Mulching is especially important around newly planted flowerbeds because they will not have access to the root system needed to survive.