Andrea’s Garden Blog

While many types of insects, birds and animals seen in the home are unwanted intruders, others play a vital role in pollinating plants and moving seeds from one place to another.  In fact, without these animal and insect helpers, most plants would be unable to reproduce.

Even though most gardeners understand how important this cycle of pollination and seed disbursal is, few fully understand why it occurs, or how it benefits both the plants and the animals.

The rewards of pollination and seed disbursal to the plants are easy to determine – they get to spread their seeds far and wide, and start new plants in far off locations.  The rewards the insects, birds and mammals derive are many as well, and they include:

• Nectar – nectar is actually a sugary solution, and

Tags: birds, gardening, insects, nectar, pollen

One of the many advantages of growing perennials is the ability of these beautiful flowers to return to full bloom season after season.  While this ability to bloom repeatedly is one of the things that makes perennials so special, it also introduces a number of important factors into your gardening plan.  One of the most important of these is a proper pest control regimen.

While a garden full of annuals starts each season as a blank slate, the perennial garden is essentially a work in progress.  The fact that the plants stay in the ground through winter makes things like proper pruning, disease management and pest control very important.  If the garden bed is not prepared properly after the current growing season, chances are the quality of the blooms will suffer… Continue reading the rest of this article...

Tags: gardening, healthy plants, perennials, pesticides, plant breeds

To many people, fall is the time of year when the gardening season is drawing to a close, and it is time to close the flower bed and prepare for winter.  Even though most gardeners are ready to hang up their garden tools and get ready for the next season, gardeners can continue to enjoy the beauty of the fall season, since there are a number of beautiful flowers blooming all through the autumn of the year.

There are many fall bulbs available to the average gardener, and it is important to choose the right ones.  When initially planting the bulbs, it is important to take care to choose the best location within the garden.  It is important to choose a location where the delicate fall bulbs will not be overshadowed… Continue reading the rest of this article...

Tags: fall flowers, gardening, planting, varieties

Gardening is a wonderful, relaxing hobby for many people, and it continues to top surveys of favorite leisure activities.  Most of the time a garden provides a soothing, relaxing environment, and healthy, attractive plants.  As with any living thing, however, flowers and plants are prone to a number of diseases and pest infestations.  It is important to use commercial fungicides properly to banish disease from your garden.

Simply paying attention to the condition of the plants in your garden may be the best way to keep disease outbreaks at bay.  After you have been gardening for awhile, you will develop a feel for what is normal, and that will make it much easier to spot any outbreaks before they spread throughout the garden.

In addition, simply keeping the plants in top condition… Continue reading the rest of this article...

Tags: diseases, fungicides, gardening, healthy plants

Sunflowers are certainly stars of the gardening world.  It is hard to miss the beauty of sunflowers standing tall, either on their own or edging a bed of more traditional flowers.  Few who have seen these stunning beauties can deny their stunning beauty and attractiveness.

The family of sunflowers, known scientifically as genus Helianthus, includes both annual and perennial varieties of sunflowers.  As their name implies, sunflowers generally prefer full sunlight, so it is important for gardeners to choose the sunniest part of their garden when planting these stunning plants.

It is also important to take the adult size of these plants into account when planting them, and to space them accordingly. Most varieties of sunflowers are quite large, so it is important to space them widely so they will not crowd… Continue reading the rest of this article...

Tags: fall blooming, gardening, large flowers, pests, sunflowers