Home Sweet Home

Having a flower garden can add a great deal of color to the look and feel of your yard. Actually having the knowledge to make the flowers grow will produce healthy plants. In order to help you get that great looking, healthy flower garden the following tips should go a long way in helping you.

Always be sure you know the basics and apply them.All flowers need to have access to enough sunlight, water and nutrient rich dirt. If you are missing just one of these ingredients, the health of your plants will suffer. The water part can be controlled by you. Always water more when it is hot and dry outside for long periods of time.If you are going to use flowers that originate from bulbs, be sure to plant them at the proper depth. If you are going to use any type of shrub or perennials, do not pile dirt or mulch up against the stem of the plant. This will make the water run away from the plant. If the stem gets to hot, it will rot.

Next you should have a good mixture of both perennials and annuals.

The flowers that come from bulbs will bloom every year. You do not have to replant them. They are a plant once and enjoy for years flower. Annuals are a different story. They only last one season and then die. By mixing the two types of flowers, there will always be actual flowers in your garden.

Caring for your flowers during the summer.

After a flower has bloomed and then died off, snip it. This is called deadheading. Just snip the flower head off. By doing this the flower will make even more flowers. You could end up with a plant that sparks conversation. Just be sure not to throw the dead flower head on the ground near your garden. It will get moldy and may lead to a plant disease. You do not want that.

Which bugs are good and which ones do I get rid of.

You need bugs for your flowers. That is how the flowers get pollinated. Butterfly’s, bees and beetles will pollinate the flowers just by jumping from one to another.

Other bugs that are beneficial are dung beetles, sow bugs. Combined with some types of fungus and bacteria are necessary to break down parts of the plant that have landed on the ground. This actually enriches the dirt.

If you see a lacewing or a dragonfly, keep them around. They eat the bugs that are bad for your flower garden.

When your flowers are blooming, there is a way to keep them that way for a longer period of time. Just add some fertilizer to the soil. You will have beautiful flowers to look at and admire for a longer period of time.

One last thing. Always prune your the dead stuff off of your flowers. It makes them look even more beautiful.