A few years ago I made the decision to create a wild flower garden within my existing garden. I had been working to develop a more earth friendly approach to my garden, trying different options for fertilizing and pest and weed control. The next logical step for me was to establish a wild flower or natural style garden.
I was new to this and thought that this particular section of my yard would require little work. After all, if these flowers grow wild without any human help then I had found the ultimate “no maintenance” garden…right. Wrong. As I researched, I learned that I had to design my wild flower garden to take account of soil type, light and moisture.
However, I also found that if you are prepared to learn from nature, it becomes a delightful journey with guaranteed success, after all, mother nature has been growing flowers and trees since time began.
If you are considering a natural wild flower garden, remember for success you need to work with your local environment and choose plants that will thrive in those conditions. Again, learn from nature, check out local forests, meadows and parks. What kind of wild flowers grow there and just as important, exactly where are they growing, under trees, out in full sun, between rocks or at the edge of a pond.
Your garden can be anything you want, a full wild flower garden or a garden within your existing garden, it can have a simple mulch path with a small bench for sitting, or elaborate brick walks and walls, water feature and lighting. The amount of work involved is determined by size and layout.
You can start your garden from wild flower seed or plants but whichever you choose, for a successful garden you need to plan and prepare and then plant.
This is the first of a series of articles on how to plan, design and grow a wild flower garden.
Gabrielle Bennett is a gardener with many years experience gardening in different climates. More information on Wild Flower Gardens can be found at http://www.complete-flower-garden.com
This article “Go Natural With Wild Flowers” is free to use as long as the following is attached: - Author Gabrielle Bennett: http://www.complete-flower-garden.com
Pruning your roses is one of the most needed and the most annoyingly difficult tasks that goes with proper rose care. It takes a steady hand the proper procedure to ensure the best possible roses that you can get.
Pruning your roses is basically the act of getting rid of dead and damaged pieces, and teaching the new growth to grow in the correct outward facing direction. That just means that you are training them to grow facing the outside of the shrub or bush. This gives your roses the correct amount of circulating air to thrive in.
Here is a list of the proper techniques to guide through the pruning process.
* Soak your pruning shears in equal parts of water and bleach. This will help to protect your roses from diseases and insects.
* Pruning in the early spring, just after the snow melts is best. However you want to do it before any new growth appears. The best time would be when the buds are swelled, or red.
* Hand shears are the best tool for pruning the smaller branches. (about 4 1/2 inches thick) Loppers are best for the branches that are thicker or the thickness of a pencil. This will make it easier. You should use a heavy pair of rose gloves to avoid the thorns.
* You want to get rid of the winter protection that you set up like cones, burlap, and mounded soil.
* You want to get rid of the dead wood first. (That would be the black wood that is black inside as well as out).
* Next, you wan to get rid of the thinner wood, which is the stems that are thinner than a pencil.
* Cut all of the branches that cross or overlap one another because these are often diseased or will become so.
* Keep the remaining five healthy branches. These are often dark green. You will want to make your roses fluted or vases shaped, with an open center, and keep them from touching or overlapping each other.
* Cut your healthy canes to be about one to four feet long, or whatever size that you prefer.
* Cut you roses properly so that they stay healthy. Cut so that the bud is facing outside of the bush and at a 45 degree angle that slopes inward so that you can keep promoting the outward growth.
* You should use bypass pruners that work like scissors and not the anvil types because the anvils crush the stems and make the roses more available to diseases.
Gordon Goh is author of the free, informative website Flower Garden offering quality useful tips for Rose Gardening Tips. He is offering FREE Wealth Building Software for average person in creating Unlimited Streams Of Escalating Income
You’ve wanted a flower garden for such a long time. They just add so much color and interest to your yard. You have waited in anticipation through the winter to start digging a place for a flower bed, purchase and plant your bulbs, seeds or plants, and to reap the many benefits of a well cared for flower garden. But maybe you need some tips and ideas for getting started. Here are some helpful hints for you to get going on that special gardening project.
It is wise to plan out your flower garden before getting your flowers. The fist step is make a sketch of your house, garage, trees, and any other buildings or landscaping on your property. An important consideration is the direction your property is facing as well. You don’t want to plant a flower garden, and then find that it doesn’t get enough sunlight for the flowers to grow. Flower gardens are also best when planted on a level or gently sloping ground because the water runoff from steep slopes will cause the soil to erode.
Another thing to consider would be the style of flower garden that you would like. Flower gardens can be straight or curved in shape, formal or casual. Your house can be a guide on deciding on your particular style. For example, if you have a traditional house, then a symmetrical, formal design might be for you. If you have a country-style house with gingerbread trim, then a less symmetrical and more casual planting maybe for you.
The next step in planning your garden is to decide what kind of flower beds would be desirable to your yard and you. A flower border is set against a backdrop such as a house, shrubs, or the edge of your patio as well as other places such as property edges. This choice of flower bed is a good option for those with smaller yards. Another type of flower bed which will work well with bigger lawns is called an island bed. An island bed is a flower bed that is planted in the middle of the lawn itself so it will give the effect of a splash of color washed up on the lawn itself. It is best to plant the taller plants in the middle of the island and to have the smaller plants around the them so they will look great on all sides. It is advisable though, to avoid making the island too small and having it made in the middle of the yard when the yard is otherwise empty.
When digging your flower bed, be sure to consider the width of the flower bed, so that it will be wide enough to accommodate the front, middle and back layers, and provides enough room for your plants to grow. As a rule, the longer your flower bed is, the wider it should be as well. Most flowers need well drained soil, so it is advisable to avoid locating your garden where there is standing water after heavy rains or during a spring thaw. The exception to this woud be when plants that can tolerate boggy soil conditions are desired. You should take the sun exposure into consideration as well because this is key to your garden planting. Some plants like full sun while other love shade
After the flower bed is dug up, and the landscaping is in place, the next thing to consider is the plants themselves. Do you want to have color throughout the year or only in certain seasons? Do you leave town in certain times such as the mid summer? If this is often the case, be sure to obtain flowers that are low maintenance during those times, such as mid summer or that bloom in the springtime. Flowers that bloom in late summer, as well as a few shrubs and trees that provide great autumn color can also add beauty to your garden through out the year if year round enjoyment is desired. Light-colored flowers, evening-scented plants, as well as garden lighting, can make your flower garden into a pleasant evening retreat after a long day at work.
Now for the fun part of planning your garden begins. The overall color of your garden is very much based on your own personal tastes. However, there are a few guidelines to follow. It is not a good idea to add too much contrast or too many colors to your flower bed due to the fact that these colors will cancel out each other and will give a visual overload. However, if the contrasts are used in moderation, it can add some spark. Colors can also reflect mood as well as the seasons themselves. Hotter colors such as reds, oranges and yellows work very well in mid summer, while the soothing effects of lighter, pastel colors go well with the springtime of early summer. Or perhaps you would like a single color garden is more to your tastes.
With careful planning and preparation, you can create a spectacular spectrum of color and fragrant scents right outside your door for you and your family to enjoy.
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