Thursday, October 2, 2014

Fall-planted Flowers for Extra Splendor

Planting Bulbs and Wildflowers
Fall is an excellent time for planning the spring garden. I hope you enjoy this guest post and find the information to be useful! 

The first and most important step to having a beautiful garden full of flowers is their planting. If you do not properly plant the seeds and then perform the required care it is very unlikely that the flowers will grow as beautiful as you want them, if they grow at all. That is why it is very important to follow certain rules when planting your flowers, especially if you are not an expert in this field. Most people underestimate the fall, but it’s the perfect time to plant many wildflowers, long-lived flowers and flowers’ seeds. The following tips are aimed at helping you to plant the flowers you want during the fall so they will delight you with their beautiful blooms and scent next season.

The first step is to define whether your flowers are annual or perennial as the two types of flowers require different types of maintenance. For example annual flowers such as forget-me-not and violets can grow only from seeds while perennial flowers can grow either from planting seeds, bulbs or cuttings from the stable, the roots and even from the leaves of another, already grown flower of the same kind. And flowers that cannot form seeds for some reason can be planted only in a vegetative way.  

Purple Crocus
Planting bulbs
Plant your bulbs early enough (late September-October) or before the first frost. Don’t forget that the winter is coming and your bulbs need time to grow roots before the temperature falls. When planting your bulbs it is better to use a garden spade as the bulbs look their best when planted in groups. Lesser the space-bigger the effect!  Bulbs grow best in a well-drained organic soil and the best depth for planting is two and a half times the bulb’s height. While planting, mix some fertilizer (bone meal or super phosphate) in the soil around and under the bulbs and water. Maintain light watering to keep the soil moist but do not over water. Daffodils, crocus, hyacinths, allium and tulips are good examples of fall-planted bulbs.

Coreopsis
Wildflowers
Autumn is the time when Mother Nature plants, so it’s the best period to sow your seeds. Take your time and choose a sunny spot. You need to ensure that the growing season is over so plant your wildflowers around the same time you would plant bulbs. Any type of soil is suitable for planting (except a completely sterile one) and it helps to plant your wildflower garden near a water resource. Clean the chosen area from roots, grass and other plants. You need to choose the right wildflowers for your garden. Pay attention to the fact that most of them are annuals and “self-sowing”; for example: cornflowers, poppies and cosmos. If you want perennial wildflowers, you will have plants that will come back every year and can last for decades. Daisies, coreopsis and purple coneflowers are good examples of perennial wildflowers.

How to sow your seeds?
The seeds should be spread on bare soil. To achieve a more natural look, you can leave a little grass. The best way to plant wildflowers is to mix the seeds with clean white sand (the type that is used in children's sandboxes) and distribute evenly onto the soil. You should remember not to cover the seeds. You only need to press them into the bare soil, which can be achieved by walking on it or using a roller for larger spaces. Once your seed is “squashed” into the ground, your work is finished. Birds may arrive and start eating the seeds but don’t worry. They won’t ruin your project.

And do not forget – if you are hesitant about about a certain kind of flower you can always visit the local flower shop or simply search online.

Bio: Christine is a professional blogger who is engaged in organizing her household and raising her 2 kids. She has extensive experience in writing about different matters related to home maintenance. Currently she is sharing useful garden care and maintenance tips.



12 comments:

  1. We are going to buy all of ours this weekend.
    So excited!
    Wishing you a wonderful weekend!

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    1. Have fun. It's such fun to plant now in the fall and wait in anticipation for spring to arrive and see the results or forget about them and be surprised! I just came in from planting my bulbs today...got some giant allium and crocus. Enjoy!

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  2. tis' the season!! the hubs plants all the bulbsin the fall. then in spring, i get new "presents" and surprises every day!!!

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    1. The surprises are fun, especially after the inactivity of winter then color!

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  3. Very timely article! Yes, it's the time! Just bought more alliums.

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    1. Me too! I ordered the Globemasters and just planted some Mont Blanc. I know it will be a long winter waiting but I am looking forward to seeing them bloom in the spring.

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  4. We don't have many bulbs in the garden so I thought I'd make up for it this year...so I've bought lots to plant... narcissus/daffodil, crocus, snowdrops, tulips and alliums... I think I'm going to be busy :o)

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    1. I increased my numbers of bulbs this year for more spring delight. I enjoy my crocus so much that I just planted some more plus am trying the alliums. Enjoy!

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  5. I notoriously plant my bulbs later than I should. This year I have resolved to hold off buying more until what I have already is planted. Hopefully this will motivate me to do better.
    Many people don't think of sowing seeds in fall, but it is the time mother nature often prefers. I plan to sow poppies and echinacea among other things.

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    1. Hi Jennifer. You still have time to get out there and plant! I will look forward to seeing photos of your bulbs coming up in the spring. I an very excited to see how my alliums do and hopefully will be able to show some pictures in posts. Happy planting! :)

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  6. So beautiful flowers and thanks for info also!
    Thanks for your kind comments :)

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Thank you for visiting. I love reading your comments and knowing you have been here, and will try to reciprocate on your blog. If you have any questions I will try my very best to answer them. As always...HAPPY GARDENING!