Flowers should be a warm and welcoming addition to any yard. However, to make sure they stay beautiful instead of becoming an eyesore, there are some key tasks you’ll have to carry out from time to time. These guidelines will show you how to care for your flower garden so you can sustain a beautiful, blooming display for all to see.
WATER CAREFULLY
Giving your plants the right amount of water is vital to their growth, and that really does mean the right amount of water. Different species of flowers require different watering techniques. Once you buy flowers, make sure you know how often to water each different flower variety.
Typically, flowers require about 1 inch of water each week. When planning your watering schedule, you have to take into account local climate factors such as how often you receive rainfall. Factoring that into your schedule will help you avoid overwatering your flowers and causing diseases.
One of the biggest hazards you’ll have to avoid when watering your garden is promoting diseases. Providing too much water can lead to fungal diseases that will infect your flowers, hindering their health and beauty. The best way to avoid this is by watering directly through the soil, so the water reaches the roots. This way, you’re not watering directly onto the foliage, avoiding moisture that can lead to the aforementioned diseases.
However, when watering this way, make sure you’re not overwatering your roots either. Diseases love water just as much as your plants do, so it’s important to limit how much water you provide your specific flower. Too much water can drown your roots, making them devoid of the air they need to breathe. This overwatering will promote sick, rotting roots in your garden. Suffice it to say, rotting roots is something you’ll want to avoid at all times.
PROVIDE THE RIGHT SOIL
Just like flowers need the right watering methods to thrive, they need the right soil conditions as well. Flowers typically require well-drained soil that is rich in organic material. However, always make sure to research the soil conditions that the specific flowers you buy require.
Organic Matter
Flowers need a variety of nutrients to properly grow, including calcium, magnesium, nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. By mixing organic matter into the soil around your flowers, you can help them gain these nutrients so they can successfully grow and survive. There are different types of organic matter you can use in your soil such as compost, manure, or leaf mold. The pH levels of certain materials can vary, so be sure to take that into account when obtaining organic material. For newcomers to gardening, the idea of adding decomposing material to your flower garden might sound less nurturing and more destructive. However, that’s far from the truth.
The organic matter does much more than provide your plants with the nutrients they need. Adding this material also improves the watering process. Organic matter allows the soil to retain water for longer periods of time, allowing the plant to absorb as much water as it needs to thrive. Organic matter also improves soil drainage, especially if you’re dealing with heavy clay soil.
Additionally, mixing organic matter into your soil provides a nourishing ecosystem for certain organisms in the soil. The decomposition process that the organic matter goes through provides these organisms with the nutrients they need to survive, thus improving the plant’s health. Soil might just seem like a simple material that sits on the ground, but it’s actually a living, breathing ecosystem that needs proper nutrients to thrive, just like your plants do.
DEFEND FLOWERS FROM PESTS
As previously mentioned, there are some living organisms, including insects, that thrive in tandem with your flowers to create a fully functioning ecosystem. Bees and a variety of beetles can be a welcoming addition to any blooming flower garden. For instance, ground beetles will defend your garden from destructive pests like ants, aphids, caterpillars, and slugs. Unwanted pests can eat foliage and spread diseases throughout your flower garden.
As you can see, some bugs are beneficial to your garden, while others are not. That’s why you must take careful consideration when you spot signs of bugs chewing away at leaves. You have to find a product that will both kill the unwanted pests and leave the good garden bugs unharmed. There is a wide variety of sprays, traps, and powder you can use to kill these pests, but don’t be afraid to be picky when choosing a method, as you should always keep your garden’s safety in mind.
REMOVE WEEDS
Weeds growing around your flowers will turn your glorious garden into an eyesore. However, weeds can do more than hinder your garden’s visual appeal. Weeds need the same nutrients to grow as your plants do, so they’ll decrease the amount of sustenance your flowers receive over time. Weeds can also bring uninvited guests such as the pests you worked so hard to deter in the last part of the process. There are different methods of getting rid of these weeds, such as pulling them out of the soil by the root. Depending on the size of the weeds, you can do this by hand or with the help of a hoe and pick.
Additionally, you can use a weed killer as well. These sprays can effectively kill weeds, as the name suggests, but you have to be very careful when applying weed killer to your garden; if the spray gets onto your flowers, it can kill them as well. Once you get rid of the weeds, replace their spots in the soil with a few inches of mulch. This will help ensure no further growth occurs, which is a possibility if the weeds left seeds in your soil.
These are some of the most important factors to remember if you want to learn how to care for your flower garden. From the soil conditions to the watering methods, promoting the beautiful blooming of flowers in your garden takes a lot of focus, as well as a strong understanding of the plants and soil conditions you’re working with.
For beginners, it might seem like a lot to take in. However, once you begin gardening and really get into the swing of things, you’ll realize why people have carried on this outdoor activity for so many years. At The Gentleman’s Backyard, our online plant store for Canada residents will provide any garden with a bevy of beautiful, vibrant flowers.
