The Garden Shedde » bulbs

Winterizing Your Roses

Edi T. — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 20:38:58 +0000

You work hard from early spring throughout the fall to have a healthy and flourishing garden. You buy the best seeds, bulbs and plants from local garden centers or your favorite online store. But with the onset of winter you start to worry about your plants.

If you have planted roses and are living in an area which has harsh winter, then you need to over winter your plants. That means you must add mulch to them to protect them from frost and snow. You will want to first remove the old mulch from around your rose bush. Next put four stakes Long around the plant and tie burlap around the stakes. Fill the inside of the burlap with dry leaves and organic mulch. This will ensure that your rose plant is protected from cold winds and will not suffer.

You can find various other kinds of containers available to do this job. You should be able to find them at garden centers in your area.

A Garden for All Seasons

Edi T. — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 17:34:14 +0000

If you want to have a garden for all seasons it’s easier than you might think. The key is planting a mixture of plants in your beds and not just roses or annuals. By planting a combination of annuals, perennials, shrubs, bulbs and other plants native to your area, you should get a longer lasting season of blooms and beauty.

Check with your favorite home and garden store to find out what kind of plants do best throughout the seasons in your area as well as those that flower at different times during the same season. Varying the planting during the season varies the blooming times. Incorporate long and short flowering perennials as well as foliage plants, trees and shrubs. Once these are put together within your planting beds you should have a wonderful sustaining garden throughout the seasons.

Using Planters to Decorate your House

Bee R. — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 22:55:11 +0000

Do you want your home filled with the fragrance of the outside garden? You can have that by planting your favorite flowers and bulbs in planters. Planters also help to fill those empty corners and awkward spaces in your home if you know how to use them.

Have you ever heard a Realtor talk about showing a home? They often tell their client to bake cookies or bread right before someone comes to the showing. This wonderful fragrance reminds them of home and childhood. Just like that fragrance, flowers bring the smell of freshness and wonder into your home and it’s so easy to do.

There are species that enjoy shade; cineraria, salvia and hosta’s that can be placed in entry ways or breezeways or anywhere where they improve the interior of your home. You can bring in the fragrant bulbs of freesia or hyacinth when they bloom if you have planted them in planters. Why you can even makeover a room by placing few planters at suitable locations.

Having plants in the house also improves the air quality in our home through the plants natural processes thus giving us better air to breathe. This can all be possible by using planters for your plants both inside and out.

Plant in the Fall for A Spring Garden

Ellen M. — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 08:24:28 +0000

Gardeners in the colder zones (Zones 3-8) will need to plant bulbs in the fall in order to have these flowers bloom in the Spring. The bulbs must go through a period of hibernation in order to ‘wake up’ in spring time. The most common spring bulbs are tulips, daffodils, hyacinths, and crocus.

Design your garden so that the taller plants are in the back and shorter in the front. Also, be aware of when the plants will bloom so you can have continuous blossoms over the spring months into early summer. In order to have a natural looking garden, stagger the placement of the bulbs rather than plant in straight rows. One way is to toss the bulbs on the prepared soil so they land in random positions.

Choose bulbs that are firm and have no signs of decay on them. Bulbs should be planted in well drained soil. The depth of the hole will depend on the type of bulb you are planting. Water the area after planting to ensure any air pockets are eliminated so the bulb is in contact with the soil.

Make Your Spring To-Do List in the Fall

Edi T. — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 19:57:03 +0000

Fall is the time to walk around your garden with a clip board. If you do not have a garden journal, consider starting one now. Think about successes you want to repeat and failures to remedy. What projects do you want to conquer next year? What items need to be repaired or replaced?

What are some subjects you would like to study over the winter; possibly companion planting, planting by the moon cycles, or how to attract beneficial insects? Refer back to your list when you visit the library, have extra time to research online, and when the new seed catalogs arrive.

Another way to help beat the winter blues is to force some bulbs indoors. Two popular and easy flowers are the Amaryllis and hyacinth. Both can be purchased at a garden store in the fall. There are special vases that are used to force hyacinths which can also be found in garden stores.