How do I start a garden?

Hi my name is Ashley Korn. I'm looking to start my very first garden. I want to plant flowers that come back year around...do I have to plant theses in the fall? Can I do it now?





Thanks.

How do I start a garden?
Yes you can start now, when you go to the store Walmart or whatever store you go to look for Perennials, they usually only flower once tho, so you need to get ones that flower in spring summer and fall, see here for directions





http://englishgarden.lifetips.com/cat/11...








You will also need a few annuals to fill in here and there until it gets going
Reply:See garden is a place to recreate you and your mind., your the architect of your garden., select the plants based on seasonal and availablity and go ahead.
Reply:Hi:


You are wanting to plant perennial flowers, as they come back every year. You can plant perennial flowers in the spring, summer and fall. There are many varieties to choose from, and it will depend on what climate zone you live in. There are also perennial flowers that you can plant in full sun and also shaded areas.





I will link you to the gallery of plant section of my website. There is a page on perennial flowers that you may be able to get some ideas for. There is also a page of annual flowers. I will also link you to the plan - prep - plant page, as this is a very simple method to doing any type of garden. I will also link you to the site map, as this page has everything that is on the website. Browse through and see if you can find any other information, tips or techniques that may help you out. Good luck to you on your perennial flower garden and have a great day!


Kimberly





http://www.landscape-solutions-for-you.c...





http://www.landscape-solutions-for-you.c...





http://www.landscape-solutions-for-you.c...
Reply:Ashley you are probably looking for perennials and yes, you can plant them now. Perennials come back every year just know that the first year, they could be sparse of flowers depending on what you get. How do you start your first garden...take these things into account. Where do you live? What zone? The country is divided into zones based on high and low temps. Stuff in zone 10 (Florida) won't come back in Zone 6... Next, how much sun do you get? Sunny is good for flowers, Shady not so much (but all is not lost as there are plenty of shade loving plants that flower). Next, soil type? Sandy is very different than clay. Does the plant want lots of water? Not good for sandy soil that drains unless you water...And finally, what's the water situation? Live in a drought area and have water restrictions? Live in a soggy area and need water loving plants? Different plants want different amounts of water. OK once you have written all this down, measure the area you have for your garden. If it's small, you don't want to get a plant that gets too big or you will crowd your garden in no time. Then, visit a local nursery or Depot type store. They can usually direct you to the right place and they usually carry plants for your zones. Import note here!!! Read the labels. The label will tell you the zone, the size at maturity, the color of bloom and when it blooms. Once you have all this info, you can sit and 'design' a bed. Tall flowering in the back (or center if you want a circle and can walk all around it) next medium height and then low along the edge. Mix your flowering times so something is always in bloom.





The most important advise I can give is have fun. Don't set out to be perfect. We learn by our mistakes. You can dig stuff up later that 'isn't just right'.





Lastly, don't rule out annuals (flower once, but they usually give color all season long) Annuals are great your first year because they give instant gratification and inspire you to keep going. Also, look into bi annuals. They grow leaves this year but will flower next year. If you plant them 2 years in a row, then they flower every year. But bi-annuals usually die after they flower, that's why you plant every year for a couple of year. Many reseed and give you color forever more.





Have fun, hope this help. OK one more bit of advice. Go to the library and check out a few books. Lets you see what others are doing and you can 'copy' designs that you LOVE by substituting plants of similar color that grow in your area.





Welcome to the world of gardening. It's AWESOME!
Reply:Most gardeners plant annuals and perennials. Annuals for continuous color and perennials that will bloom a few weeks each year. Most you can buy at a garden center (some on ebay even). You can plant them now, though some perennials may take a year to really get going.
Reply:You can plant in the spring but may have less bloom the first year. Look to buy bulbs that will continue to produce for many years to come needing only to be thinned every few years. Also for the bed choose any design you want, tall plants in the back is standard but it's not set in stone. I've learned that no plant is home until it's been transplanted at least three times, do this only during dormancy months, or you risk loosing the plant. The main thing is have fun with it, choose plants that you like and will grow in your region and area of yard. Take a look at your soil, till or dig it up to about 2 ft deep of loose good garden soil, amend it if necessary adding lime, garden soil, fertilizer, and don't forget to give it a good bed of mulch which will work to protect the plants and keep them cool and damp during the hot weather. Check your yahoo weather and go into the gardening area, it will give you a good deal of information on what to do and when to do it. Good luck and I hope you enjoy your first garden. Most of us amateur yard gardeners will agree, once you do a garden, you will always have one and it will continue to increasing in size and in it's beauty, enjoyed by all, for many years to come!
Reply:Miss Ashly,





You can plant most flowers now. The best way is to figure out the size garden you can have and then what kind of plants you want. Not all plants bloom all the time and some like sunny spots while others like shady ones..





You can check at the nursery for more information as well as on line. I pretty good book to get by Sunset is the Western Garden book for about $16 to $20. It explains just about everything from types of soils, plants bushes and trees...





No matter what...have fun knowing every plant has the perfect flower as you watch them grow....
Reply:When designing a garden find any central attraction say a big tree, a pond, a statue etc around which you may design. Have arches in gates, Hedges and egdes and rememeber a turf is the heart of garden. Use flowering trees in periphery and flowering annuals as edges. Plant flowers around tree base.