The “perfect garden” is simple. It’s the garden you imagine with vegetables or flowers or a mix of both. It’s the garden in a size and location and design that suits your needs and wants. In reality, the perfect garden is where, how and when you want it – because there is no right or wrong way to garden. There is only your way. There are, however, ways to make it more perfect in terms of success so your time, energy and money are put to good use. Here are 5 tips for the “perfect garden,” all gleaned from my decades of successes and failures and training as a Virginia Master Gardener and horticulture student. For more specific tips about vegetable gardening, read How to Start a Victory Garden 2.0. Tips for a Perfect Garden Perfect Garden Tip 1: Know your zone. When I first started gardening in southeastern Virginia, I lived in USDA cold hardiness Zone 7. Tender plants were likely to freeze and die in a typical winter that often dipped below 32 degrees. Oh, … [Read more...] about 5 Tips To Grow The Perfect Garden
flowers
Tips for Growing Healthy Roses
Follow these tips for growing healthy roses and your garden will be the envy of the neighborhood. Roses are the rock stars of the garden. Rose bushes are stately and impressive, and the flowers look lovely for weeks at a time. Back in 1986 when Ronald Reagan was President of the United States, he signed a proclamation that named the rose as America’s national flower. Fittingly enough, the ceremony that certified “national flower” status for the rose was held at the White House Rose Garden. That’s just one reason why millions of rose bushes are planted every year. Despite the old-fashioned beliefs that roses can be tough to grow, advice from respected rose experts says otherwise. “All plants need the right growing conditions to thrive, and roses are no different,” said Chris Van Cleve, a writer and rose expert who calls himself the Redneck Rosarian. “Just provide the right growing conditions and the right care, and rose bushes can thrive in almost any garden.” Below are 5 … [Read more...] about Tips for Growing Healthy Roses
How to Grow Sunflowers
How to Grow Sunflowers: Classic Sunflowers and Popular Varieties. Sunflowers are well-loved flowers that bloom all summer. Their cheerful faces brighten the garden. They come in different colors from traditional sunny yellow to dark shades of ruby and claret red. And other varieties can also come in orange, gold, and brownish tones. Sunflowers are drought tolerant, resistant to pests, and attractive to pollinators and birds. Their large flowers make beautiful bouquets, and their seeds are a great source of food for birds and people. So, if you have considered growing sunflowers in your garden, we have growing and care tips that will keep your sunflowers healthy and strong. Types of Sunflowers The classic sunflower goes by the botanical name of Helianthus annuus. The petals are bright yellow, and the large circular center (where the seeds form) is dark brown. There are many varieties (or cultivars) of this classic sunflower. These include mammoth sunflower, Helianthus … [Read more...] about How to Grow Sunflowers
Our Favorite Fun Flower Facts
Check out these favorite fun flower facts about the flowers you love to grow! Use these favorite fun flower facts to impress your friends with these handy little tidbits about the most popular spring- and summer-blooming flowers! We expect to add add to this list periodically, so check back to see what we've added. And if you have a favorite flower that you would like to see featured, let us know in the comments below. Let's spread the word about these fascinating garden favorites! Flowering plants are widely available at local garden centers. Did you know you can also buy garden plants online? Check out Nature Hills Nursery, the largest online plant nursery company. Also check out the Flowering Plants on Amazon. Favorite Fun Flower Facts About Roses We begin our list of favorite fun flower facts with the rose. Roses just might be the most popular flowers in the world. They seem to be everyone's favorite flower! People associate roses with love. But … [Read more...] about Our Favorite Fun Flower Facts
Orchid Garden Pool Landscape
I never expected to design an orchid garden pool landscape. But then I visited a new landscape design client. I quickly realized that just past their front door was a gorgeous swimming pool. How do you landscape a front entrance that’s a pool lanai? Most swimming pools in Florida are surrounded by garden beds with tropical plants on the inside of their screened enclosures. But this pool lanai was surrounded by four bare walls. Deciding on a design theme was easy when I found out my client was an orchid lover. I decided that I wanted to display an orchid garden on the tiled walls. But how to connect them together and take care of them properly and without a lot of maintenance? That part would be a challenge. The Orchid Garden Pool Landscape Design Up to the challenge, I searched for driftwood that would securely hang on the walls. I wanted to attach the various orchid species, tillandsias, bromeliads, and ferns just like they hang from trees in their native … [Read more...] about Orchid Garden Pool Landscape
