EZ Gardening For Beginners

Lush blooming gardens are the dreams of many people. A garden that complements and beautifies your house is what you are looking for; you might be either in for a lot of money or a lot of work. Luscious fragrant gardens need to be designed, prepared, planted and then taken care of properly. If you just do not have the time to take care of a high maintenance garden or not the money for a gardener, then why not try a low maintenance garden? There are many low maintenance gardens that are beautiful and that will complement your house in a wonderful ways.

If you are looking for a low maintenance garden, than there are six easy steps that you can follow to achieve your goal. First of all, think about what takes the most care and time for regular maintenance in most gardens. Yes, of course, the lawn. Lawns get fertilized once or twice a year, aerated, patched and most of all moved. During summer, lawns might be moved once a week and depending on the size of your lawn, this task might take half an hour or even longer. So when designing your low maintenance garden; keep the lawn off the list. Instead of the lawn there are many other materials that you can use to create open areas and sitting areas in your garden.

Steps number two and three include the following materials. Low Maintenance gardens use lots of gravel, rocks and mulch in the design. Rocks can enhance the garden in several ways. You can introduce walls, beds, stairs, rock benches and sculptures to your garden. There are many sources in books and online that can give you inspirations for your garden design or you can hire a landscape designer to give you your dream low maintenance garden. Any bigger open areas can be made into play, walk or sitting areas by simply adding gravel or mulch. Gravel and mulch come in different sizes and colors and can make a great statement or contrast to the plants chosen for your design.

Low maintenance gardens also should include low maintenance plants. Therefore as step four include slow growing plants that do not have to be pruned and cut regularly, plants that grow in shaded areas as well as plants that are drought resistant. Drought resistant plants do not need to be watered daily or every other day. Generally in a normal climate you might not have to water these plants at all. These plants will be able to grow with the water provided through rain.

Low maintenance gardens can be luscious and green or flowery and fragrant if you choose the proper plants, but they need only minimal care. A low maintenance garden does not need to be designed by a landscape designer; you can design your own garden. Low maintenance gardens are often times easy layered garden due to the choice of materials. Therefore when creating your garden make sure that as step five you include material and plant layering.

Lastly, when creating a low maintenance garden, get advice from your local garden center and garden experts. They will be able to guide in your choice of materials and plants. A good garden expert will be able to find the colors you are looking for while he or she will also be able to tell you about the ease of care of these plants.

Therefore if you are considering a low maintenance garden, go ahead and dig in. Creating a beautiful low maintenance garden is actually easy, even for persons who do not exactly have a green thumb.

Do you wish you had a garden that could provide you with brilliant year-round color and fragrance? Do you love to garden, but fear that your green thumb is not as green as it could be? Have no fear, if you love to garden but can’t seem to get your plants to thrive, here is a handy guide to choosing the right kind of plants that will make your garden a true show-stopper.

Choosing the Right Plants is Key

Many novice gardeners spend a lot of time and money on plants that simply will not thrive in their garden. The key to establishing a healthy, lasting garden is choosing the right plants. If you don’t know already, figure out what planting zone you are located in. This is very important, because you might otherwise spend money on plants and seeds that are simply not intended to thrive in your specific climate. Although many plants can be adapted to a wide range of climates, make it easy on yourself. Choose plants that work in your climate. However, despite this warning, there are many hardy perennials that can be planted in a variety of gardens across a great diversity of climates. Before you get started in designing your own perennial garden, find out what winter hardiness zone you fall into. Also, check the back of seed packets to make sure that the plant will thrive in your growing conditions.

Your Secret Weapon: Plan Your Own Perennial Garden

As a gardener, your secret weapon to establish a lovely garden in no time will be the use of many hardy perennials. There are many different kinds of perennial plants, each with its own particular set of growing requirements. Some perennial plants are much easier to establish than others, and it is up to you to choose the plants that are most suited to your growing conditions. Fortunately, you will find that each planting region has its own set of hardy perennials that are suited to your particular growing conditions.

The Cost of a Colorful Year-Round Garden

Walk into your local nursery and you will notice that there is usually a pronounced difference in the cost of plants. The colorful annuals that come in that standard black plastic six-pack may be tempting, but if you were looking to establish a low-maintenance year-round garden, you would be better off resisting these colorful temptations. These colorful annuals will only last one season, and then it is up to you to replace them. Perennial plants, on the other hand, will continue to grow and, if you’re lucky, bloom throughout the season. It is no wonder that perennials are more expensive than annuals. They may not look immediately colorful, but stay with these plants and watch them grow.

A Short List of Easy and Low-Maintenance Perennials

Here is a short list of perennials that are appreciated for their hardiness, color and wide adaptability. These include the Peony, which will generally grow in zones 3-8. Many lilies are remarkably well adapted to a variety of climates, and will provide color throughout the warm growing season. Choose Siberian Iris, the Bulb Lily and the Daylily, all of which have been known to grow in zones 3-8. Other lovely perennial flowers that have become a staple of gardens across the country include the low-maintenance Purple Coneflower (also known as Echinacea, highly regarded by some as a medicinal herb), the Stonecrop and the Black-eyed Susan. All of these can be grown in zones 3-8. Finally, for zones 5-8, the Cranes bill is a hardy perennial that has even been grown successfully in zone 3.

Antique roses are among some of the loveliest flowers to grace many gardens. If you are an avid gardener, at some point in your life among the soil and seeds, you will probably want to try your hand at antique roses. Many gardeners find themselves intimidated by antique roses. This is probably because of the general splendor of these flowers, which makes it difficult o believe that these ruffled beauties are anything but easy to plant. But that is not often the case. Antique roses can be easier to plant and care for than you might think, but that does not mean that they are effortless. However, most gardeners agree that any effort that results in a display of thriving antique roses is well worth it. Here are some tips that can make it easier to care for antique roses.

Choosing the Best Planting Location for Your Antique Roses

Establishing a nice, healthy show of antique roses has a lot to do with the location you choose to place them. Here are some tips to preparing the rose bed. Many antique roses will grow in even poor soil locations, but if you want your garden to thrive, choose a location with well-drained and rich soil. Choose an open area that you know receives at least six hours of direct sun. Morning sun is always preferable. Make sure that the area gets a good amount of air circulation, as this will help prevent disease. Take the time to establish a good bed by practicing good soil preparation. If your soil is too sandy or too heavy, add a good amount of organic material to help enrich or break it up, depending on its condition. Ideally, you will want to prepare the soil bed a few months in advance so that the soil has enough time to absorb the new nutrients. Remember that you want to establish your antique roses in the healthiest soil possible. With this in mind, prepare your rose bed in spring or summer in preparation for a fall or winter planting.

Planting Your Antique Roses

Once your rose bed has been adequately prepared, you are ready to start planting your antique roses. Visit your local nursery in fall or winter for the best selection of antique roses. Remember that any roses you buy in a container will need to be planted using a high quality potting soil, and may require additional fertilizer and water. To remove the rose plant from the plastic planter, simply knock the plant out of the container gently and place it into the prepared planting hole. Do not worry about spreading the roots. Simply cover the plant with soil and water thoroughly.

Follow these Mulching and Watering Guidelines for the Best Results

What are the keys to taking good care of your antique roses? They are simple enough: mulch and water your plants with careful attention. This does not have to be difficult work. As for mulch, add a thick layer of mulch to your antique roses at least two or three times a year. That is all it takes to ensure less water stress, less weed growth, less heat stress and overall richer soil and happier plants. Mulching can be as simple as adding decomposed pine bark, leaf litter, pine needles or store-bought mulch. However, do the earth a favor and use mulch that you can find around the yard. As for watering, give your antique roses a good soaking every 7 to 10 days. Although they make look exquisitely delicate, many antique roses actually tend to be drought tolerant. Still, avoid light frequent watering, as this makes the plant more vulnerable to disease, and will encourage surface root growth. Deep, infrequent watering will help your plant become hardier and will lessen the risk for disease and evaporation.