Author: Muna wa Wanjiru

Flowers are a breathtaking way to decorate your table’s centerpiece with, or place in a vase so that the heady fragrance can fill with room. They are also wonderful to add some color to your garden and there are some types of flowers that are compatible with vegetable gardens.

To make the most of these flowers you can choose ones that are known to look good in the various seasons. This way you can have a garden or even a flower decoration that is filled with the various flowers from spring, summer, fall and even winter blooming flowers.

The best way to choose the right types of flowers for a flower garden will be to look at the various annuals. These flowers are divided into 3 varieties like tender annuals, hardy annuals and half hardy annuals. You can also plant biennials and some exotic flowers n your garden.

The hardy annuals are great plants to have for winter seasonal types of flowers. In this variety you can find flowers like Viola, pansy, foxglove, alyssum and others. The tender annuals are good when you want a riot of colors during the summer months. These flowers include morning glory, petunias, impatiens, begonias and globe amaranth.

You can mix a few exotic types of flowers with your usual garden flowers also. Lobster Claws and parrots beak flowers will look good when they are mixed in with Gladioli and delphiniums. These flower mixes are great to place in corners where you want to have a burst of color. To enhance the effect of these types of flowers you can select a vase that will bring out the bright coloring of these flowers.

We all love how roses look and smell. These beautiful flowers are known to look great with other types of flowers too. For instance you can have baby’s breath, carnations, tulips, and daffodils mixed in with red and white roses. You can even plant low growing rose bush and surround them with a carpet of pansies.

As you see the many different types of flowers that we see in our gardens look beautiful because their many shades seem to run into each other complementing and bringing out the vivid coloring. These are not the only types of flowers that we can have in our homes. Today you will see many different types of flowers that can be used.

These types of flowers can be real flowers that have been dried and arranged in different landscape pictures. Silk flowers that have been impregnated with flower scents so that they look and smell like the real flowers are also used.

With all of these types of flowers both real and man made you may be at a loss for choice. There is no need to worry as all of these flower choices are excellent to have in your homes.

About the Author:

Muna wa Wanjiru is a web administrator and has been researching and reporting on internet marketing for years. For more information on types of flowers, visit his site at TYPES OF FLOWERS

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/gardening-articles/the-types-of-flowers-that-will-fill-a-heady-fragrance-in-your-room-300592.html

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Author: J. Brian Keith

So what are bulbs really all about? The following report includes some fascinating information about popular bulbs, info you can use, not just the old stuff they used to tell you.

Now that we’ve covered those aspects of popular bulbs, let’s turn to some of the other factors that need to be considered.

Flowering bulbs are among the most popular of all ornamental plants, and they have enjoyed striking popularity for many years. Bulbs are renowned for their hardiness, color and variety, and there are enough types of bulbs to please even the most discriminating gardener.

With so many bulbs to choose from, it can be difficult to choose the right ones, so we present here a quick rundown of some of the most popular varieties of bulbs for the garden.

Crocus bulbs typically bloom in early spring or in late winter, and they feature tubular shaped flowers ranging in size from 1½” to 3″ long. Crocuses come in a rainbow of colors, and they are a staple of many gardens. Other types of crocus, such as the saffron crocus, bloom instead in the fall, and the flowers can rise from the bare ground weeks, or even only days, after the bulbs are planted. It is important for crocus bulbs to be planted as soon as they become available in the fall. The best way to plant crocus bulbs is two to three inches deep, with a spacing of three or four inches between bulbs. Crocus bulbs should be planted in good quality soil with good drainage, and they should be provided with full sun or partial shade and watered regularly during their growing and blooming seasons.

Dahlias bloom from summer through fall, and they also come in a wide variety of colors, shapes and sizes. The size of dahlia flowers can range from two to twelve inches, and the height of the plants themselves can vary from just under a foot to more than seven feet for certain stake varieties. It is best to plant dahlias after the last frost of the spring, and the roots should be set between four and six inches deep. Tall dahlia varieties should be spaced four or five feet apart, while shorter ones can be spaced from one to one and a half feet apart.

Dahlias should have access to full sun, but in areas where the summers are very hot they may benefit from partial shade as well. It is important to observe a regular watering schedule during the bloom and growth cycles of the dahlia.

Dahlia bulbs can be left in the ground if the winter temperatures do not go below 20 degrees Fahrenheit, but most gardeners prefer instead to dig the dahlia bulbs up at the end of each growing season. To do this, you should wait until the foliage has yellowed, then cut the stalks back to approximately four inches. The clumps of the roots should be permitted to dry in the sun a few hours, then placed in boxes in a single layer and covered up with either sawdust or dry sand. The bulbs should be stored in a cool dry place over the winter and replanted the following spring.

Galanthus Nivalis
The galanthus is more commonly known as the snowdrop, and it is one of the first plants to bloom at the end of the winter. These plants are typically six to eight inches in height, and they feature one bell shaped flower on each side of the stalk. Snowdrops are best suited for colder climates, and the bulbs are best planted in the autumn of the year. The bulbs should be planted from three to four inches deep and about three inches apart. Snowdrops typically do best in full sun or partial shade, and they like regular watering during their blooming and growing cycles.

Those who only know one or two facts about popular bulbs can be confused by misleading information. The best way to help those who are misled is to gently correct them with the truths you're learning here.

About the Author:

B. Keith Johnson is a contributing author for
Garden Supply. Visit his other sites for
Product Reviews, Free Website Content and
Free Photo Sharing

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/gardening-articles/popular-flower-bulbs-35673.html

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Author: Liz Norman

Next to the rose, orchids are the flowers most in demand in both the private and commercial marketplace. No plant family has as many different flowers as the orchid family. Orchids are known to grow in most every part of the world with the exception of Antarctica and the deserts.

Most African orchids are white, while Asian orchids are generally multicolored. Some orchids grow only one flower on each stem, while others can have more than a hundred blooms on a single spike.

When not in bloom, orchids very much resemble wild grasses and or palms. They can be grouped according to the way they retrieve their nutrients. The majority of the species are found in tropical, moist broad leaf forests or mountains. These orchids anchor themselves onto other plants, mostly trees. However, they are not considered to be a parasite.

Then there are a few species that grow naturally on rocks or on very rocky soil. Both of these species gets their nutrients from the atmosphere. Such as rain water, litter, humus, and even from their own dead tissue. Orchids are also one of the most adaptable plant groups on earth. Some Australian orchids grow entirely underground.

Those orchids we plant in our gardens are known as terrestrial plants and are planted in the soil just like most any other flower. If your area isn’t conducive to growing orchids, you can still grow them in a hothouse. Be patient, however. The seeds of an orchid are extremely tiny. Under natural circumstances, the seeds can only germinate with the use of a special fungi. It takes anywhere from one to ten years for an orchid seedling to mature.

The ideal place in the home for growing orchids is a bright window, free from drafts, where your plants receive indirect sunlight both morning and afternoon. (A south window is best.) In winter, give orchids all the light possible. the equivalent to a bright south-facing window. With extra large windows or especially intense sunlight, the light may be adjusted downward by moving plants 18 to 36 inches from the window. Plants in the home require a greater light intensity because they receive light from only one direction, while in a greenhouse they receive light from many sides.

One orchid genre is commercially important other than for the value of the flowers. The vanilla orchid is used as a flavoring, and indeed is the source of vanilla. The underground tubers of terrestrial orchids are ground to a powder and used for cooking. Interestingly enough, the Coca-Cola Company is the world’s largest user of vanilla. Because vanilla is such a labor intensive crop due to having to hand-pollinate the flowers, it is most suited to small family farms.

The scent of orchids is frequently used by perfumists. With these exceptions, orchids have virtually no commercial value other than for the enjoyment of the flowers.

Both tropical and subtropical orchids are available at nurseries and through orchid clubs across the world. There are also quite a few orchids which grow in colder climates, although these may be more difficult to find. The National Orchid Garden in Singapore is considered by some to be among the finest collections of orchids in cultivation open to the public.

Orchids have now become a major market throughout the world. Buyers bid hundreds of dollars on new or improved hybrids. As mentioned earlier, they are now one of the most popular cut-flowers on the market. Though orchid hybridization has been happening for many years, only recently has new technology made it into what it is today. Thailand is presently the leading country in the orchid-buying world, with one of the few pure white orchids.

About the Author:

Liz Norman is an avid gardener and freelance writer. Click here for more orchid resources.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/advice-articles/the-orchidmore-than-just-an-exotic-flower-42181.html

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Author: Michael Hehn

Have you ever wondered if what you know about roses is accurate? Consider the following paragraphs and compare what you know to the latest info on roses.

When spring comes and the ground is thawed, it is time to start planting your rose garden. Roses have been a cherished aphrodisiac since biblical times. They have been around for over 3000 years, yet they still hold a particular mystery and fascination, not to mention the fact that they just look and smell good!

One of the most important rules of growing roses is to plant the rose bush in an area that receives around 4 to 6 hours of sunlight every day.

It is preferable not to plant too many trees or other plants around the rose bush because most of these are likely to either mix with the rose or stifle it’s growth. If you are replacing an old rose bush, approximately 1 1/2 cubic feet of old soil should be removed, and fresh soil added to replace it. When positioning your rose in the garden or landscape, consider the growth habit of the rose.

For example, place climbers and ramblers along fences, trellises, or next to arches or pergolas. This location offers them free range of growth, and optimal potential for the showiest blooms.

Roses also look beautiful in island beds interplanted with perennials. Miniature roses make great edging plants in front of their taller cousins. Planted singly, shrub roses make excellent specimen plants or they can be clustered to make a flowering hedge. You can also use them to camouflage unsightly garden objects.

Dig a hole large enough for the root mass and loosen the bottom of the hole. You should add bone meal, which is a slow acting source of phosphorus that leads to healthy root growth in the rose plant.

Now that we’ve covered those aspects of roses, let’s turn to some of the other factors that need to be considered.

Then the plant should be placed in the hole carefully and the hole refilled with soil, covering the roots properly. Before making the final covering, water the rose plant and let it absorb the water. After this, water the plant more and mound the soil about 6 inches high. The dome will keep the stems from drying out until the plant is rooted. Gradually remove the excess soil as the leaves open.

Special care should be taken with the planting depth. It varies according to the climate you live in.

If you live in a colder area, plant a bit deeper and consult with the people growing roses in your area. If you are buying potted roses, you should plant them about 1 inch deeper than their potted level.

The best time to plant roses varies depending on the winter temperature. Where temperatures don’t drop below -10 degrees F; either fall or spring planting is satisfactory. If you live in an area where winter temperatures go below -10 degrees F, spring planting is preferred. Plants should be planted in a dormant condition if purchased bare root, but container grown plants may be planted throughout the growing season.

Spacing of the rose plant is highly influenced by the temperature. In regions where winters are severe, the rose plant does not grow as large as in mild climates. Taking this into consideration, hybrid tea roses should be spaced 1 1/2 to 3 feet apart. Large vigorous growers, such as hybrid perpetuals need 3 to 5 feet of space, and the climbers need from 8 to 10 feet of space.

If the winter temperature is below 10 degrees F, roses can grow healthy if proper care is taken. The gardener must prepare for that cold, wet reality as he revels in the summer air conditioning.

In zones 7 and colder, the roses enjoy their last fertilization of the season by August 15th to limit the emergence of new rose canes, which will almost certainly not survive the winter.

Now that wasn’t hard at all, was it? And you’ve earned a wealth of knowledge, just from taking some time to study an expert’s word on roses.

About the Author:

Michael Hehn writes articles about various topics.
Find out what he has to say about roses at Roses

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/gardening-articles/when-is-the-best-time-to-plant-roses-87771.html

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Author: Louanne Baelde

by Louanne Baelde

Landscaping with wildflowers is becoming increasingly popular. These wonderful displays of beauty are incredibly self-sufficient. Wildflowers dazzle your gardens with sprays of color with a powerful endurance not often noted in domesticated garden flowers. No need to worry about soils of low fertility; wildflowers adapt wonderfully in these types of soil.

Meadow gardening is becoming quite popular with its native wildflowers and non-competitive grass. Combine these two to create a panoramic garden of beautiful colors and shapes. Natural habitat will love it too! Can you think of a better way to relax than to stroll amongst paths of endless color and natural beauty?

Wildflowers are low in cost as they reseed themselves and bloom again the following year. They are also easy to maintain as they basically need no fertilizing or trimming, and require little water.

How To Plant Wildflowers

Site Selection

For best results, choose a location where there is full sunlight.

Soil Preparation

To prepare small areas for your wildflowers, start first by removing the weeds already in your garden. This should be followed with raking or roto-tilling the soil.

For large areas, mow the plants or foliage as short as you can and then follow this step by using a flail mower or harrow. This will allow you to break up the top two inches of the soil.

Make sure to water these areas several times during the first two or three weeks. This will encourage the weed seeds to germinate. After a few more weeks, spray the weeds with Clear-It and remove all of the dead plants. Wait at least one to two weeks before you plant the wildflower seeds.

It’s actually better not to fertilize the soil for your wildflowers, as they do best in low-fertility soil. High nitrogen soils increase the number of weeds in your wildflower garden and diminish the view of your flowers.

Planting Time

The time to sow is in the Spring. You can plant your wildflowers in the summer if there is a lot of water available, but your planting will not continue the following year, unless it is planted about 8-10 weeks before the predicted frost.

It is alright to plant later in the fall; wildflower seeds will begin to grow in the spring. The disadvantage of planting at this time is that the warmer weather conditions and rain could cause the seed to germinate and then may die during the winter from the freezing. There is also the possibility of the seeds being eaten by birds when they are sitting on the ground for longer periods of time.

Planting Methods

Because of the huge difference in sizes of the seeds, blending fine sand and vermiculite (2:1 sand to seed) is recommended for wildflowers. This will allow more even distribution.

Hand-scattering the seeds in small areas, works very well. Cover up the seed by raking it in to about a depth of 1/8-1/4 of an inch. Do not cover the seeds too deeply, or it will fail and your work will be all for nothing.

Post Planting Care

You must keep the soil, where the seeds are planted, moist for at least 4-6 weeks and water if necessary to encourage germination. As the plants gradually begin to grow, you can water less. Many wildflowers need little water to coexist, but they still need a fairly adequate amount in order to germinate.

Seedling should start to appear in 2-3 weeks and you should see your first flowers in about 6-10 weeks.

Around the middle of October, when most of the flowers have finished blooming, you can mow the area to a height of about 4-6 inches. This will help to disperse the matured seeds for the following year.

Add new seed the following spring, to discourage weed growth and to establish the planting.

For more great gardening tips: http://www.ez-gardening-tips.com

About the Author:

Louanne Baelde freelances as a writer/editor. She is passionate about gardening and welcomes you to find great easy gardening tips at http://www.ez-gardening-tips.com

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/gardening-articles/how-to-grow-amazing-wildflowers-52169.html

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Author: Vikram kuamr

We should eat green leafy veggies to stay healthy, which is not a problem. Where to get fresh vegetables is what concerns us. We can buy them in the market but for some people it would be fun to grow them in their garden. That is if you have a garden. The alternative would be to use window boxes near the kitchen. With the vegetables within reach, you can save a bucketful of money.

Kitchen gardening is a lot of fun. Most people would tell you that kitchen gardening will bring out your creativity. Remember that you will be merely using window boxes so this is not going to be a really big garden. You will probably grow herbs and some vegetables.

Growing your own greens in a kitchen garden can provide salad greens anytime.  With the red tomatoes, the green scallions, freshly picked cucumber, and crispy lettuce straight from your window boxes, your dinner table will be very colorful and alluring. You do not have to worry about chemicals used by commercial farming. You should stay away from those harmful fertilizers.

It is easy to make a kitchen garden especially when you are using window boxes. Most houses already have window flower boxes. If you want to, you can use the existing window flower boxes and turn them into a small kitchen garden. Instead of flowers, you can use some herbs and other vegetables. Here is a brief guideline for your window flower boxes kitchen garden.

Find an adequate space for your garden and throw in a few good seeds, put organic fertilizer and maybe some kitchen waste, and water.  That’s it. It’s as simple as that. Now that you have your own kitchen garden, you need to maintain it. You need to take good care of your plants. You do want to eat fresh vegetables, right? You also need to closely watch your window boxes, especially if you are using wood. But there is no need to worry if you are using the PVC window boxes.

There are actually some more things to think about when you start your kitchen garden aside from the seeds and fertilizer. You also need soil, window flower boxes, handy tools, and supports.  You need to pick seeds for the kind of vegetables everybody in the family would love to eat.  Otherwise, it will be such a waste of time and effort. It might not cost much but the long hours you have spent and the bending you have done will go unrewarded. 

You might encounter some difficulties when you are gardening for the first time.  Who would not?  But making a kitchen garden using window boxes is one of the easiest forms of gardening. Besides who ever said that there are no such things as growing pains?  You will learn a lot along the way and later on you will be able to make some improvements.  You might even become an authority on kitchen gardening.  Take this opportunity as a learning experience.  You will learn patience, responsibility, about the insects, soil conditions, selecting the right plants, how the weather affects your garden, and a lot more.  Just keep going just as you do with your window flower boxes.  Now they are a beauty to behold.  Just be diligent and your rewards will be bountiful.

About the Author:

For your window flower boxes needs, you can check out Flower Windows Boxes. They have various window boxes to match your house.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/remodeling-articles/window-boxes-or-window-flower-boxes-for-your-kitchen-garden-449435.html

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Author: tracy

The ancient Muslim poet, jurist, and theologian, Jalal ad-Din Muhammad Rumi, may not have stumbled madly upon the very first rose back in 13th century Persia but he certainly immortalized it poignantly in his writing.

Roses are believed to have originated in ancient Persia but their cultivation quickly spread across the Northern Hemisphere, first from China to Europe and finally to North America. Rose enthusiasts throughout time and geography have helped to spread the cultivation and the adoration of this arrestingly lovely flowers to the point that, today, there are more than 20,000 varieties available.

Roses run the gamut of the color spectrum. They come in every color, including the elusive blue and black ones that have dogged rose breeders for ages. Every shade of every color is represented, too, with many rose blossoms sporting multiple colors or shades.

These enchanting plants have been bred to grow straight and tall or trail over slopes and fences. Some roses grow close to the ground while others become bushy. Many rosebushes bloom once in the spring or summer, others bloom again in the fall, and others still bloom from early spring until winter.

Diversity aside, a few rose gardening tips might improve your rose-growing success.

Planting is the first step to consider when compiling a list of rose gardening tips. Folklore tells us to plant flowering plants when the moon is in a waxing phase. Indeed all plants that produce their most desirable growth above ground are said to be best planted during the time the moon is growing into its biggest, most visible, phase.

(In turn, plant carrots, potatoes, and other plants where underground action is most desirable when the moon is waning, or becoming less visible.)

Trim your hair, visit your barber, or comb your dog the day before planting your roses. This, another of folklore rose gardening tips, ensures you have a bit of hair to mix in with the soil in which you plant your roses. Decomposing hair is said to provide excellent fertilizer for thriving roses.

Sunshine is one of the most important rose gardening tips. Make sure to plant your roses, always during their dormant phase, in a spot where they can get at lease six hours of full sun every day.

Rose gardening tips include trees, too. Keep your roses away from tree roots, especially deciduous trees, or they will divert the nutrients of the soil from your hungry roses

About the Author:

Tracy Ballisager is stays at home mum, who loves gardening . To read more about gardening tips and idea go to http://www.gardening-tips-idea.com

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/landscaping-articles/rose-gardening-tips-on-how-to-grow-roses-in-your-garden-321794.html

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