SmartHomeOwners

Garden plants and flowers bring out the creativity in all of us who have a passion for the outdoors.  Complement your home or garden by growing flowers in the summer months or all year long.  These flower gardening tips for beginners can help you get started without hassle.

Get the Right Tools and Do Some Planning

Growing your own flower garden can be fun and easy with the proper tools.  Consider investing in a good spade and shovel for digging, along with a high quality garden hose for proper watering. Purchase a pair of pruning shears for trimming your flowers and plants once they begin to grow.  Other garden tools you might want to consider for flower planting include garden shears, a wheelbarrow, a pair of scissors and a tape measure. 

Once you've purchased all the necessary tools, you are probably ready to take a visit to your nearest flower and garden shop. This is where you'll find a huge selection of plants and flowers to beautify your home and garden.  But how will you choose among so many?  Don't worry...just select a variety of colors to brighten your garden.  You'll find flowering bulbs such as daffodils, hyacinths and tulips, which require little maintenance.  These will also grow back year after year. 

Adding a variety of easy-to-grow perennials will also make your flower garden beautiful.  The most popular among these flowers is the daylily, which blooms in all colors except white and blue, and the geranium in colors of magenta, pink and purple. Both flowers can be planted in the sun or partial shade and will bloom year after year. 

Perhaps you are looking for an inexpensive way to change your garden plans yearly.  Annuals would be your perfect choice since they grow during the spring and summer months for one growing season.  Planting such commonly grown annuals as snapdragons, impatiens, petunias and coleus will create the perfect flower garden theme with all your favorite colors.

How to Get a Flower Bed Ready

Select a flat and sunny site to prepare good bedding.  This is the key to successful gardening for flowers.  Before planting, you will need to remove all grass, debris and loose leaves from your garden bed.  Spread two or three inches of leaf compost, manure or peat moss over your entire flower bed.  With a roto-tiller or garden spade, turn the soil over to a depth of eight inches while breaking up heavy clods and then rake evenly.  You can also mix in rich potting soil if the soil contains lots of clay or if it is difficult to break up.  The potting soil will add nutrients to the soil and help to nurture the young flowers.  Plant the flowers according to the instructions and be sure to measure the distance accurately between each planting to allow room for root growth.  The soil should completely cover the roots when planting potted flowers.  Pack the soil loosely around the flowers but use enough soil to keep it from washing away if a heavy rain occurs.

Once your flower garden is in full bloom, then you will need to persistently water, weed and fertilize your flowers. You can control weeds and add nutrients to your garden by spreading two to four inches of mulch around the flowers in spring and late fall.  Be sure not to over-water the flowers; water new flowers only every few days with a good soaking from the hose if there has been no significant rain during that time period.

Use these flower planting tips along with your own creativity to set up a lovely garden.