Flower Gardening BasicsGardening with flowers is a rewarding hobby that helps keep the body and mind active. It's also a wonderful opportunity to share your love of nature and to connect with the outdoors with family and close friends.Prepare the soil before you begin planting by removing weeds and loosening it. Then, you can apply a layer mulch to control weeds and to keep soil moist.DesignA well-designed flower garden can be a focal point of the landscape and also a source of enjoyment for the owners. It could also be a social project, fostering interactions among neighbors and family members while they tend to the flowers. The garden's design can be a perfect match to the style of a home's architecture or create a complementary environment to its surroundings and location.The garden should be an "delicate addition to the house" and, if it is possible, placed on windows that face southeast or south. It should be carefully and judiciously laid out for neatness is the prevailing characteristic of this sort of garden .According to treatise writers of the period, a flower garden should not be crowded, and it should offer variety of form and color. It is best to set it around the base of an existing structure or tree. This will provide nourishment and protect the plants as well as creating a pleasing visual impact.If you want a more beautiful appearance, the figures could be oblong, circular or even shaped into the shape of a square. Alleys must be at least two feet wide. A rectangular or square arrangement with figures surrounded by boxes can also look very nice.World-renowned Dutch garden designer Piet Oudolf advises that the most important thing to consider when designing flower gardens is to use repetition. Planting flowers in odd-numbered groupslike three or five of the same type of flower -- will help to avoid a haphazard appearance and will create more intriguing color and form combinations. The flowers you repeat are great perennials that have a long-lasting season and the possibility of a succession of flowers.SoilThe soil on which you plant your flower is an important source of air, nutrients, and water. The soil you choose to plant your flowers in can determine the success or failure of your garden.Most flowering plants require a soil which is rich and drains well. This kind of soil is called loam. The ideal loam mixture is a mix of silt and sand, along with clay. It is also beneficial to include plenty of organic matter in the soil, including organic compost and shreds of leaves. This improves the structure of the soil, making it more loose and bouncy. Organic matter helps keep the soil's nutrient-rich water in the soil.When selecting a soil, look for one that is free of rocks and other debris. If raised garden beds buying soil, ask the seller to show you a sample of the actual material they are offering you. They should be able to supply you with screened dirt that has been tested for chemical contamination. If they aren't, look for another source.Before you start digging, make sure to check if there are any buried utility lines in your yard. The local government should have a number to call that will inform you the location of these lines. You don't want damage to the lines when adding soil or altering it.EarthGro Organic Garden Soil is a fantastic product to use for soil for your flower beds. It is a soil that has the OMRI seal for organic gardening and contains no synthetic fertilizers or chemicals. It is a multi-purpose soil that is good for native garden beds, and can be used to grow flowers, vegetables and fruits. It is made up of a mix of forest products that have been processed, peat, sphagnum peat moss, compost and worm castings, as well as an organic slow-release fertilizer that contains 0.09% nitrogen and an agent for wetting. It is available in 1.5 cubic foot bags.WaterIt is essential to bring the right amount of water in your flower beds. When liquid evaporates, it transforms into a gas known as water vapor. It then journeys back up towards the sky, where it will eventually turn into rain (via SF Gate). Ideally, your flowering plants should be receiving an inch of moisture a week. The way you do this will depend on the soil type. Water soils that drain quickly twice a week. Loamy or sandy kind of soil should be regularly watered every 10 days.The number of plants in your garden will also determine how often you'll have to water it. It's best to let the first few inches of soil dry between waterings, however the root zone must be kept moist at all times. Over-watering isn't a good idea for plants, and saturating the ground can lead to fungal problems.After the flowers have been planted, it's important to keep an eye on the surroundings of your garden for possible diseases or pests. It is possible to cover the soil with compost or shredded leaf to stop the growth of new weeds or make it easier to remove existing weeds. This will also help to keep the soil's nutrients.Flower gardening is a wonderful activity for families to do together. It offers a chance to have a social experience, teaches kids about science and nature and encourages bonding between family members. Gardening can also be a beneficial exercise, stretching the body and improving mental health. It also helps to encourage conversations between generations, since older gardeners can learn from watching children work with plants. It's also an excellent opportunity to teach children to take charge of the care of an outdoor space, and also to learn from their mistakes.FertilizationJust like humans, flowers require certain nutrients to grow properly and bloom. These are known as macronutrients. They include nitrogen, potassium, phosphorous, and nitrogen. Without these, your flowers may not look as healthy, and likely to have less petals and an unbalanced stem. Regular fertilization will ensure that your flowers get all of the nutrition they need to thrive. This can be done in the garden or in planters, but it's important to follow the instructions on the product you're using.There are many options available when it comes to flower fertilizers. You can choose from the granular formulas, spikes or liquids you can add to your watering bottle. A lot of these are also available in organic versions that are a great option if this is what you prefer. If you're planning to choose an organic option though ensure that it's certified as organic by the Organic Materials Review Institute before buying.If you are using any type fertilizer for your flowers, be sure that you water your plants thoroughly before. This will allow the plants to absorb the nutrients and not let them go through their leaves or roots. Don't fertilize a flower that is stressed or dry. This could cause the plant to burn. These kinds of fertilizers should be applied in spring or when you are planting, and then repeated times during the summer.PruningMany flower garden plants grow stronger and produce more flowers when they are cut back at specific times of the year. This includes removing dead stems and branches as well as suckers, water sprouts, and vigorous upright growth on side branches. Pruning should always be done to enhance the appearance of the garden, however care should also be taken not to remove too much. Some plants, such as crape myrtles and roses prefer to be left to form naturally and may be pruned to shape or control size only after flowering.When pruning flowers, gardeners should be aware that many spring-flowering plants, such as forsythia, lilac and rhododendron flower on wood that has been that was formed in the previous year. They should only be cut after they have finished blooming, which typically occurs in the latter part of spring or early summer. This will prevent any disruption to their spring flowers. This will encourage vigorous summertime growth and ensure that there will be plenty of flowers to bloom the following year.Pruning can be a great way to control diseases and pests in a garden. When pruning roses, as an example it is essential to make use of sharp shears. Avoid cutting too close to a bush's base, which can expose it to infections. It is also recommended to spray the new growth with copper-based fertilizers, like lime sulfur or Fungus Fighter, to control sap-sucking aphids and other pests that could quickly ruin the garden.The effort and work required to maintain the flower beds is a rewarding activity which allows you to spend time with family and friends. It is a favourite hobby for many gardeners, and writers such as Fessenden have urged gardening to be an exercise that is healthy.