Flower Gardening &
Landscaping
The desire for color in the garden is
best satisfied by the liberal use of annuals', perennials and
bulbs in variety. All three classes of plants have their place,
because each has its value as to season of bloom, height or
mass of color.
Succession of bloom from early spring to late fall is
the goal of nearly every gardener. To achieve this consider
first that very few hardy flowers have an individual blooming
period of more than two or three weeks. Even annuals bloom only
during the summer. Therefore, even for a small garden, one may
have to select several dozen different kinds of plants' to
assure bloom from March to killing frost.
Your climate will determine how early in the spring
and how late in the fall you can have flowers. An added factor
is the location of your garden. Low spots in valleys often
suffer more from frosts than those at slightly higher
elevation, or on hillsides. This is usually due to lack of air
drainage to carry the cold air away. Those near large bodies of
water, such as lakes and the ocean, may have a later spring but
a longer growing season in the fall than those but a few miles
away. Very hot summer climates, especially where the nights are
hot, limit the kinds of flowers that may be grown. This
applies to hardy flowers as well as annuals. Basic to all
successful gardening is good soil and good soil
preparation.
The skillful gardener employs
numerous devices to achieve a colorful flower
bed or border. For example, by planting spring flowering bulbs
between and beneath other flowers, each square foot of ground
should give at least two crops of bloom. Conversely, after
spring bulbs, such as daffodils and tulips, are through
blooming, they may be interplanted with annuals for summer
bloom. As summer blooming annuals go by in September, they can
be followed by chrysanthemum clumps transplanted from another
part of the garden. An orderly plan, made in advance, will
simplify the task of keeping the show going from season to
season.
The kinds of flowers you grow will be determined in a
measure by the amount of sunlight available. This will vary
from bed to bed, from one side of the house to the other. Most
flowers will thrive in full sun but a few require shade. Others
are shade tolerant, though doing better with a greater amount
of sunlight. So it is possible to have flowers in the shade of
trees, shrubs and buildings even where no direct sunlight
reaches. Such plants as ferns, many wild flowers, and begonias
have to be protected from the summer sun, for otherwise they
may sun-scorch.
When making a plan, it is important to know how tall
each kind of flower grows so as not to plant tall growing ones
in front of low ones. The habit of growth should be known too,
so as not to crowd massive clumps like peonies next to smaller,
weaker growers such as peachleaf bellflowers; or sprawling
coreopsis next to a low, tufted Japanese primrose.
Whether you are an experienced gardener or
an enthusiastic beginner, this SITE is designed for
you.
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