A flower garden makes the environment around you better. It can give you beautiful flowers and attract pollinating insects such as bees, butterflies and hummingbirds.
Steps
Step 1. Start small
Enthusiasm for gardening can be enormous, but just as quickly it can wear off as the work increases. Start with a small flowerbed, let's say 23 square meters, which can accommodate between 20 and 30 plants, of which three will be annuals and a couple perennials. When your experience consolidates, you can increase the measures.
If even 25 square meters seems too much to you, make a border, or start with pots. Two or three plants in a nice container can create a nice visual impact and give you an example of what it will be
Step 2. Make a detailed plan and make the flower bed following the diagram
If, on the other hand, you are not good at making plans on paper or you do not know where and how wide you want the area, place the flowers directly on the ground.
Using a garden hose is a way to delimit or mark a bend, for example. If you have a lawn next to the bed you are planning, remember to leave some space for the mower
Step 3. Choose the place
The first thing to consider is how much sun the area receives. Six hours a day will be fine for most plants. Avoid that ground under which household pipes pass and keep at least 90 cm from gates and fences.
- In areas with a warm climate, it is better to think of areas where there is a little shade, to give the plants a respite from the afternoon sun; so the flower bed east of the house or gate is usually the best choice. Thus it will also receive some protection from the hot drying wind that usually comes from the west.
- You can grow a garden even if you have 12 hours of sunshine a day, but you need to pay more attention to the variety of flowers. Choose the ones who love full exposure. The garden will need to be watered often.
Step 4. Choose a site with good soil if possible
They can all be improved, but avoid those areas with rocky and shallow terrain, where water collects or slopes. Stay at least 6 meters from trees and bushes of a certain volume. Trees will put the finishing touches on your garden when it comes to water and nutrition.
Step 5. Do a soil test
It is not a must, but it will help you determine what it may need in terms of nutrients, and suggest what fertilizers you need, as well as determine the pH. Your municipality's land office can help you with this.
Step 6. Start tilling. Once you identify the place and mark its boundaries with the hose, remove any turf and weeds that may be reborn. Using a pitchfork or spade, loosen the soil completely going at least 20 cm deep, 50 is better. Remove stones and other debris.
Step 7. Level and break up the compacted soil with a rake
Add a couple of inches of compost or manure, more if the soil is low in nutrients. If it is sandy, however, add sphagnum moss or grass clippings to improve its hydrological seal. Add silt instead if it's too acidic. Most plants prefer neutral to slightly acidic soil.
A soil improver such as compost can be bought in bags or even by the quintals. Combine it with the soil together with the generic fertilizer with a proportion of 10-20-10
Step 8. Buy the plants or seeds and plant them, depending on each one's instructions
Small plants go front. Most must be buried at the same depth in which it grew. Secure the ground around the collar. Remember, when arranging plants, they will grow so consider a little more space and read the labels of each carefully to understand how much they need.
- Buy more varieties of flowers because they bloom at different times and this way you will always get a flower garden.
- If you don't have many flowers that bloom in early spring or late winter, take a tour of your city's gardens to see which varieties are in bloom. Go out and buy some of these varieties. After a couple of times you will have ready flowering all year round.
Step 9. Water properly
Just like a good waiter, a good gardener checks to see if he needs it before adding water. How much it takes depends on the needs of your plants, the climate and exposure, and how much rain the garden takes.
Step 10. Periodically remove dead flowers
Many plants bloom again, but only the old buds should be cut. Also get braces and prune if necessary.
Advice
- If you have a sick plant, it is better to burn it than to try to cure it because you could infect the others in the flowerbed as well. You can also throw it in a plastic bag and then in the bin.
- It is usually a good choice to plant a variety of perennials that bloom at different times of the year (Not just one type of flower or you will have them for a short amount of time). Plant annuals between perennials to fill the space. Annuals add a lot to the garden because they tend to be more colorful than perennials. They also bloom at different times of the year so choose to vary.
- Happy, healthy plants tend not to develop disease and to resist animals. So even in this case, prevention is better than cure. Do your best to give the plants good soil and humidity and choose plants that are suitable for the climate and exposure.
- Annuals are also such because it is possible to bury them all year round. Often they are cheap and many have colorful flowers that reward beginners. The following season you can start from seeds. Some annuals are 'mock perennials' in the sense that they hold up well in their native environment but tend to die in winter when grown in colder climates.
- Whatever you decide to plant, learn about the names first. If there are no care instructions, search online. If you have no idea how to find information you can always try and see, but it is an expensive choice to gain experience in gardening.
- Perennials last from year to year. They require annual maintenance but no relocation. They must be divided, supported and cared for more than usual in winter, pruned and arranged as regards old branches and buds.
