FLOWER GARDEN SECRETS

Flower gardens are for enjoyment. They provide you with visual beauty, the joy of working with soil and plants, and the pride of showing others what you have created. As a gardener, one is always experimenting and learning anew what delights a flower garden may bring forth. This enjoyment can be intensified by creating your garden, or a room within the garden, with a theme.Think of the old formal gardens with their hedges uniquely designed to provide a visual appeal that has survived the ages. Think of the Japanese Garden with its calm Zen-like quality. Theme gardens can be based upon a historical time or place or special types or colors of plants. They can be created for the wild creatures we hope to draw to our garden such as butterflies or hummingbirds.Each type of garden has an unique appeal and some even more pleasing gardens can be had by using combinations. We Americans are famous for being the “Melting Pot”, for combining things we have brought from the rest of the world. Imagine having a butterfly garden surrounded by old rose varieties. Imagine a vegetable garden with a Zen garden in the middle. The combinations are endless.The book Theme Gardens by Barbara Damrosch is a great starting place. She has several types of theme gardens with pictures and layouts. Use these plans to create your own just like her suggestions. Or lay out a garden that is uniquely yours using these plans as a starting point. There is no real right or wrong way to lay your garden out, so learn as you go and have fun.

Because of their relative ease of planting and growing, bulbs of all kinds are a popular flower choice. A wide variety of flower bulbs are available today. Tulips, lilacs, daffodils, crocuses, irises, dahlias, and gladiolus are just a few of the flower bulbs available. Even within one flower family, there are often many variations. For example, there are over one hundred tulips available for fall planting alone.It would be difficult to house all of the different bulbs in one store, and even more overwhelming for a customer to try to decide which one is right for them. Luckily, stores don’t even have to try. Consumers can simply open a flower bulb catalog and see pictures of all of the different varieties available. Many of the catalogs will give all of the pertinent information to consumers—name of flower, colors available, water requirements, sun requirements, geographic area, price, etc. These flower bulb catalogs make it easy for customers to decide at a glance what type of bulb they need.Jackson and Perkins is a well-known flower bulb catalog company. John Scheepers, Inc. offers a catalog of Dutch flower bulbs. Old House Gardens bills itself as “American’s only source devoted to antique flower bulbs.” Finally, Van Dyck’s offers a catalog of flower bulbs and perennials.

Meditation gardens are really a new concept. These gardens are built with the aim of providing relaxation. Meditating in meditation gardens has proven to foster stress recovery by inculcating positive feelings and reducing negative emotions and stressful thoughts. These special kinds of gardens have an invigorating ambiance to revitalize your body, mind and soul.Meditation gardens are ideal places for those who prefer outdoor meditation. They are conducive to peace and tranquility. Meditation gardens bond human beings with nature. They are ideal for relaxation, reflection and cogitation.Most meditation gardens have simple and uncluttered design. Meditation gardens designed in circular shape represent the cycle of life. Square shaped gardens represent universal order, and shapes such as a Celtic knot symbolize the journey of life.

One such specialized type of garden is one that is devoted to the cultivation of flowers. Flower gardens are popular due to their aesthetic appeal. Located on large tracts of land they make commercial sense, as flowers have a worldwide market. Size is not a restricting factor for the beauty of a flower garden. Creativity and a love for plants and flowers can transform a small plot into a rare treat for the eyes. Human creativity in this field can be seen in the form of a rock garden, a bonsai garden, a tropical garden, a Chinese garden, a Zen garden, a cottage garden, a Japanese garden or a water garden. Whatever their type, these gardens add a lot of beauty to their surroundings.Large flower gardens are huge crowd pullers. Tourists from far off places throng to see nature’s bounty nurtured. As increased tourist activity brings in good revenues state administrations take a lot of care in maintaining their gardens. Planned events like flower shows bring out the best gardening talents in the neighborhood and encourage people to take up gardening.

Flowers are one of nature’s greatest gifts. Their scent, their colors, their shapes… everything about flowers is beautiful. A colorful, cheerful flower can brighten even the darkest day. Even more enjoyable than looking at flowers, though, is growing them. Flowers can be bought from pots and replanted. They can also be grown from clippings. However, one of the most popular ways of growing flowers is from bulbs and seeds.Growing flowers outdoors from bulbs is simple; in fact, it is so easy that it’s almost foolproof. One of the most important aspects is timing. Bulbs need to be planted about six weeks before the first frost. Bulbs must be planted in an area with good drainage and a lot of sun. Make sure the soil is loose, and then plant the bulbs about six inches in the ground. (Package directions may vary depending on type and location; when directions differ, following your package.) Try to place the bulb in the hole with the pointed end facing up. Cover the hole and water. Voila! You’ve planted your flower bulbs.Flower bulbs and seeds make flower gardens accessible for everyone. They can be grown virtually anywhere. One idea is to plant them in containers. With container gardens, even apartment dwellers can enjoy the beauty of flowers. Container-grown flower bulbs and seeds also allow growers to defy nature. Flower bulbs can be planted indoors in any season and in any climate, as long as the indoor conditions are favorable for growth.

Garden planning is an avocation that can be carried to extremes. I have heard rumors that there are actually places that pay people to plan gardens for them. No one would be that silly. Imagine being paid to do something that is well, an obsession.Personally I have perfected garden planning. It is considered high art when I undertake flower garden design! I post do not disturb “genius at work” signs in preparation. Pictures of flower garden ideas drift like colors in your mind. Formal gardens, whimsical gardens, oriental gardens, rock gardens.All the garden types you can dream of are at your fingertips, if not actually in your yard! Somehow the Royal Botanical Gardens at Kew come to my mind as a attainable garden goal. Better homes and gardens has a wonderful tool to help you plan layouts and colors. better homes and gardens flower garden planner. It’s a fun way to spend a blustery afternoon.Planning the layout and textures of gardens is very diverting. I can spend hours making lists from the garden catalogs. These usually arrive just in time to take my mind off of winter. Winter is relative after all. In Florida the land of sunshine, just a few grey windy overcast days,Can precipitate severe gardening withdrawal, fits or even swoons may follow. I think it is probably akin to those heavy snow days in the north.The kind that cause cabin fever. Give me a cup of coca and a couple garden catalogs, and I am happy. Burpees catalog another favorite of mine is the white flower farms catalog.I won’t even mention what awaking to a frost with a temperature of 20 degrees will do to you if you garden in Florida. Living in paradise I consol myself with knowing that in a few weeks summer will arrive.Then I will of course be nattering about heat and sweating in the summer.I actually plan flower gardens on paper; I draw them out, several hundred dozen times. Of course I always find a reason to change this or that, depending on catalog advice, which direction the wind is blowing and whether or not it’s a full moon. Great bargains can be found if your patient. Then I throw the flower garden layout ideas in the trash and start buying what’s on sale at the flea markets. Gardening is always good.

Composting with ContainersFor flower gardens, your compost mixture should be made in layers using nothing except green organic materials. Those with a disdain for using chemical fertilizers can create their own compost pile using organic waste material to use on their garden or in separate containers. Three drums are recommended for composting, although the need is based on the amount of it you will require for your flower gardens. Using multiple containers helps maintain the proper mixture throughout the process.Composting for flower gardens is a year-round effort. Begin in a drum or suitable container. Layer green organic waste and top it with a layer of dirt from the garden. The materials will heat up as they compost, then will begin to cool. Once cool, use a pitchfork to move the material to a second container.

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