Andrea’s Garden Blog

Trying to grow healthy, vibrant flowers without proper soil chemistry is definitely a case of putting the cart before the horse.  Good soil is the cornerstone of successful gardening, and it is important to make sure that your soil will meet the needs of your plants before the first seed is planted.

While soil chemistry is important no matter what types of plants or flowers you grow, it is particularly critical when it comes to working with bulbs, perennials or other plants that remain in the ground for than one season.  The reason is that the chemistry of the soil can change from year to year.  Therefore, if a formerly well blooming patch of the garden is looking a bit haggard, the first place to look is at the condition of… Continue reading the rest of this article...

Tags: gardening, pH balance, soil

Annuals are among the most popular of all flowering plants, loved by gardeners around the world for their color, hardiness, variety and beauty.  Since annuals must be planted afresh every year, however, it is important to start them properly in order to have a fresh vibrant garden.

What sets annuals apart from other varieties of plants like perennials and bulbs is that annuals complete their entire life cycle within a single season.  That means they sprout from seed, grow, bloom, then die to ground all within one growing season.

Most types of annuals can be successfully started from seeds, and many experienced gardeners prefer to grow their plants from seed.  Growing from seed provides a greater degree of control, and a lower costs as well.  Most types of annuals can be successfully… Continue reading the rest of this article...

Tags: annuals, gardening, planting, seasonal, seeds

Zinnias, Verbena, and Petunias

One of the most critical considerations for a successful garden is choosing the types of plants that will grow the best in your particular environment.  Matching the plants to the climate in which they will be grown is the best way to ensure your garden will thrive.

Those who live in hot, dry climates often think that they will be unable to enjoy a lush garden without constant watering and attention.  Fortunately, however, there are a great many annuals that love just such a climate.  The list below is a sample of annuals that can take the heat.

Annuals best suited for hot and dry climates
While all types of annuals and other plants require regular… Continue reading the rest of this article...

Tags: annuals, gardening, hot climates

One of the features of bulbs that make them so attractive is the ability for the gardener to divide their bulb plants to produce new growth, share with friends, or just plant in different areas of the landscape.

In addition, many bulb flowers become overgrown, and reducing the growth through dividing bulbs is the best way to get things back under control.  It is generally easy to tell when a planting of bulbs needs to be divided.  One sure sign is when a previously well blooming planting of bulbs has begun to provide only sparse blooms.  Most times the culprit is overcrowding, and the solution is to divide those bulbs.  Properly dividing the bulbs will reduce the overcrowding and allow the remaining bulbs to bloom for vibrantly.

The techniques used to divide… Continue reading the rest of this article...

Tags: bulbs, dividing, gardening, planting, seasonal

Bulbs are among the most attractive, and easiest to care for, flowers in the garden.  A bulb garden in full bloom can be a wonderful, attractive sight for any gardener.

Another great thing about bulbs is the sheer variety in which they come.  There are bulb plants to satisfy virtually any taste, and bulb plants come in a staggering variety of colors, sizes, shapes and textures.

Even within bulb families, there is quite a bit of variety.  The humble tulip, for instance, boasts a variety of different shaped blooms, from the traditional bell shaped to a number of more exotic varieties.  With all these varieties to choose from, finding just the right bulbs for your garden can be difficult.  We are, therefore, providing this guide to popular bulb flowers, including their optimum… Continue reading the rest of this article...

Tags: bulb types, bulbs, gardening

Just about every flower gardener will work with bulb plants at one time or another.  Bulbs are loved by gardeners for the ease with which they grow, their hardiness and the fact that they can bloom again and again for many consecutive seasons without the need to replant.  With all these advantages, it is no wonder that bulb plants are so popular among both new and experienced gardeners.

Choosing the right bulbs, however, is one thing that many beginning gardeners have trouble with.  After you develop and eye and feel for finding the best bulbs, however, you will be able to spot them from across the garden center.

When choosing bulbs for your garden, it is important to choose the firmest and largest bulbs.  The size of the bulb is important, since… Continue reading the rest of this article...

Tags: bulbs, fertilizer, gardening, introduction, planting, seasonal

Roses have long been a favorite among all types of gardeners, and roses continue to enjoy great popularity today.  In addition to their beauty as cut flowers and in bouquets, roses are among the most useful and attractive flowers to grace the landscape of any home.

As a matter of fact, the exterior of any home can be made more graceful and more inviting through the use of wonderful landscape roses.  Choosing the right ones, and ensuring that they compliment the overall style of the home, is very important to the overall success of the landscape.

Fortunately, the number of ornamental landscape roses make finding them an easy task.  The difficulty consists of choosing the right ones from this variety.  There are a number of classes of roses whose characteristics make them… Continue reading the rest of this article...

Tags: designing, gardening, landscaping, roses

The devices and implements used for fighting plant enemies are of two sorts:

(1) those used to afford mechanical protection to the plants;

(2) those used to apply insecticides and fungicides.

Of the first the most useful is the covered frame. It consists usually of a wooden box, some eighteen inches to two feet square and about eight high, covered with glass, protecting cloth, mosquito netting or mosquito wire. The first two coverings have, of course, the additional advantage of retaining heat and protecting from cold, making it possible by their use to plant earlier than is otherwise safe. They are used extensively in getting an extra early and safe start with cucumbers, melons and the other vine vegetables.

Simpler devices for protecting newly-set plants, such as tomatoes or cabbage, from the cut-worm, are… Continue reading the rest of this article...

Tags: care, tools, weeds

Your backyard landscaping is going to have to be about many different things but the most important one of these if your well being. Most people get into backyard landscaping because they want to change the look and feel of their home, they want to make it a wonderful place where their family can feel safe and comfortable at all times. Backyard landscaping is a great way to add some more peace to your life whether you are alone or you have a large family and tons of kids. You will be able to create a sanctuary with your backyard landscaping that you have never had before in your life.

Backyard landscaping does not have to be drastic or hard. You can do your own backyard landscaping or you can hire… Continue reading the rest of this article...

Tags: backyard, contractors, landscaping, preparing, tips