Water Gardening And Plant Selection April 12, 2011 18:56
So you have decided to start water gardening. You have finished all the hard work like digging and leveling. Now let the fun begin. Yeah, the fun part is picking out your plants. There are four types of plants you will want for your water garden: marginals, oxygenators, deep-water and floaters. After you've planted your plants in clay pots, plastic tubs, or pans, pack in the fertilizer, add chemical-free soil, packed tightly, add pea gravel to the container to keep the soil from floating away. Put your plant in the water at the appropriate depth and you're all finished! When picking your plants, you'll probably choose some tropical water lilies. These aquatic beauties are popular choices as they offer big blooms day or night and a knock-out fragrance. Water lilies love warmth and they will definitely die at freezing temperatures, they will thrive at daytime temps of 75F, or nighttime temps of at least 65F. The big advantage to hardy water lilies is that they can stay in the water year round, unless it freezes deep enough that the roots freeze. Both hardy and tropical water lilies are true sun worshippers. They need at least 5 to 10 hours a day, along with regular fertilization, to keep these plants thriving. Of course we also want a lotus plant for the water garden. They are relatives of the water lily. The lotus plant is much bigger than the water lily, they feature big and beautifully splendid blooms. Their seed pods and leaves are breathtaking and they are a favorite in cut flower arrangements. Marginals are grass-like plants that will grow best in shallow areas no deeper than 6 that border the water garden. They also do well in mud. Bamboo, papyrus, cattail and many other plants fall into the category of marginals and grow best with at least three hours of sun. You also need to add some plants to fight off algae, provide food for fish, and oxygenate water. These plants are fairly cheap, can be bought in bunches and they do well in gravelly and or sandy soil. They are also hardy enough to survive through the winter months. Another popular plant is the water hyacinths. These beauties need no soil. Simply toss them in the water and they're planted. A water hyacinth plant does it's part by fighting blanket weeds and algae by keeping sunlight scarce on the waters surface. But one note of caution: This plant is very invasive, so keep it under control or you may wish you'd never laid eyes on it. Take your time, choose plants wisely, and know your climate. Your rewards will be great in return.
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choose the best flowers for your flower garden April 29, 2011 11:57
There are beautiful annuals and plants, that are fail-proof, for people who want to rejuvenate their flower garden look with something fresh this spring. Each year flower gardeners have great intentions to try new plants. But most often when we walk into our local garden center we tend to feel overwhelmed with all the choices we end up buying what we know we can grow. These annuals are easy to grow and care for because they have been selected by experts who recognize super-performers. This should be welcome news to the millions of gardeners who have been left feeling frustrated by poor garden results. When the gardener goes to the garden center to pick out plants, its not always obvious which plants are going to thrive over the season. A well-bred plant will be disease resistant, tolerate more variations in the weather and growing conditions, and be heartier and full. The combination of good breeding with high standards for growing finished plants should make it easier for gardeners to select annuals that they can expect success with. Twice as Nice If you want to double the petal power, try flowers like Fiesta Double Impatiens or Double Wave petunias. The Fiesta Double Impatiens are one of the prettiest and easiest annuals to grow in the shade and they spread with twice the flower power. These annuals are covered with double rose- like blooms that will make people think you are growing roses in the shade, adding a touch of elegance to any garden. You don't need to pinch to keep them full and lush. Fiesta Rose is the hot new color this spring. For sunny locations, try the Double Wave petunias. These annuals spread up to 3 feet in a season and are great in containers or the landscape! Colors range from deep rose to lilac. Explore The Exotic Fusion Impatiens will be a great addition in flower containers, they come in hot new iridescent colors that really smolder --Heat, Glow, Radiance, Infrared, and Sunset. Mix and match colors for a dazzling array of color. These huge flower heads are held high above the foliage for a striking show of vivid colors that are sure to grab your attention. Plant them in baskets, beds, or anywhere you'd plant traditional impatiens. Tropical looks are all the rage. Boom Without Bloom Foliage is also hot this spring, and the bigger the better. New from Simply Beautiful is Kong Coleus, that offers a big boom without the bloom. When you see it you'll want to call it King Kong Coleus! Its gorgeous foliage, the leaves are as big as a gorillas hand and the colors are amazingly vivid and rich, newly released tri-colored Kong Mosaic is a show-stopper! Kong loves the outdoors in full shade but can also be used inside in bright light conditions. Sophisticated Summer Snapdragons AngelMist Angelonia are free-flowering orchid like blooms that are reminiscent of old fashioned snapdragons. They grow and thrive in both wet and dry conditions and love the heat, unlike snapdragons. Try the unique mounding trailing basket variety; itll quickly fill your baskets and flower containers to their brims and overflow with a cascading cachet of color growing 6 inches tall and spreading to 16 inches. Perpetual Petunias Wishing your petunias would spread and fill in more? Try Easy Wave Spreading Petunias and sit back and watch them multiply! Easy Wave is more mounded than their sister plant The Wave and you can plant them earlier in the season than other petunias. Easy Wave prefers moist soil, full sun, and a good feeding with an all-purpose fertilizer every two weeks, especially when planted in containers. Easy Wave Red, is the very first true red Wave petunia. Glorious Ground Cover Each Simply Beautiful Landmark Lantana plant spreads up to 2 feet by almost 2 feet! This gorgeous ground cover was bred specifically for landscape use. Landmark is a blooming landscape, with flower heads similar to small geraniums. Its perfect for mass plantings, maintaining control, mounding and filling in beautifully with a array of color. Plant in any sunny spot, Landmark annuals loves the heat but also performs well in cooler climates.
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