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Starting a Garden
Starting a garden is an adventure! Begin with garden layouts that will build a unified, beautiful garden. You will create beauty with living plants. As each day, and month comes to pass, your plants will grow and change. As they mature, you will care for them as best you can. Some will have special requirements such as specific pruning, protection from sun or cold, the right fertilizer,etc., and others will be self-reliant, thriving with minimal attention.
What kind of garden do you want?
- Flower Garden Filled with beautiful flowers to enhance your home and for picking!
- Herb Garden For natural medicines, and cooking
- Zen Garden For meditation and relaxation
- Vegetable Garden For fresh garden vegetables to eat (and a few flowers to pick!)
Tools for Success
To care for your garden, you will need a minimum of garden aids (Tools) for completing simple garden tasks.
- Spade or long handled shovel to dig holes for planting
- Trowel for digging small holes, and other small garen chores.
- Hoe for weeding and cultivating
- Spading Fork to loosen and turn over soil
- Rake Raking the soil smooth
- Hand Prunners Prune small growth, picking and deadheading flowers
- Garden Hose or Watering Can To water your plants
- Gardening Gloves to protect your hands
Understanding the needs of your Plants
No matter what kind of garden you plant, all gardens need certain elements to perform. Sun, Water, Good Soil,and Fertilizer.
Gardens can be made on vast amounts of land, a tiny corner of the lawn, a balcony or terrace, or even in containers or pots.
When given the right elements, a garden can grow and thrive in any of these situations.
Good Soil builds healthy Roots
Your plants will only grow as well as their root systems allow them. Nutrients are gathered by the roots and sent up to the growing leaves. Plants need good, porous soil for their roots to grow well in.
It must let excess water drain quickly so the roots don't drown.
It must be loose and porous so water and air can reach the roots.
It should hold organic matter that will act as a sponge and provide space for air and water that supplys plant food.
Light up the Leaves
Most plants need Light (Sunshine) daily to grow satisfactorily. Roses need at least six hours.
The more sun a plant recieves, the better it's flowering ability. The best Sunlight is Morning Sun It is bright but relatively cool. The East side of your house provides Morning sun. Afternoon Sun Is hot and harsh. gardens in hot-summer areas will need plenty of mulching, and extra water to compensate for dry earth that will overheat roots.
Replenish the Food Supply
Nutrients must be replenished to keep the plant growing and flowering at it's best. The raw material of nutrients (starches, sugars and protiens) come in the form of fertilizer.
Organic fertilizer is not only good for the plant, but the environment and yourself!
Recipes for Homemade Organic Fertilizer
Plenty to Drink
Water to a plant is not only essential, but crucial! Without it the plant will wilt and die!
Before starting a garden, you should consider how you will water in cause of dry spells.
Plants need at minimum an inch of water a week during active growth. If mother nature doesn't provide this in the form of rain, you'd better get out the water can.
Water thouroughly and deeply. Let the soil dry on top before the next watering. If you only keep the top of the soil moist, the roots will stay shallow (where the water is). Then when you forget or don't get around to watering, and your plants become exposed to too much sun, or wind, the roots may dry and die.
Choose plants for your Area
The plants you choose for your garden will be influenced by what part of the country you live in. Visits to neighboring and public gardens will tell you what plants will successfully grow in your garden. Keep a notebook of plants you like, with their colors, growing heights etc. Jot down bloom dates, so you can plant a garden with constant color. Look in magazines, seed catalougs, on-line, at the Library, (all around) for flower garden ideas that suit you.
When starting a garden, start small, try not to be to ambitious the first year!
Beware of impulse buying! Stick to the garden plan, and research each plant before you purchase it.
Don't plant to close, give them plenty of room to grow to their fullest.
Most important: Don't get to emotional about your garden. Failures are to be expected. Just relax, and Enjoy the garden!
Go from Starting a Garden to all about rose gardening Home page
go from Starting a garden to garden designs using knockout roses
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Garden Design Ideas
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Follow this Organic "Spray Guide" for beautiful, healthy roses
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Simply "All" about rose gardening!
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