Your Flower Garden:  Stopping to Smell the Roses

Planting flowers and shrubbery can form a beautiful landscape around your home that will create a welcoming and warm environment in your outdoor living area. Designing and creating a landscape plan can also encourage a healthier and more active lifestyle for you and your family. By tending to the garden together you can enjoy time outside and break a sweat.

What to plant?

Deciding what you’re going to plant will depend on how you want to use the flowers.

If you simply enjoy the landscape and design of your yard with new plants you may want to use large colorful plants like hibiscus and Echinacea. These plants bloom large, bold flowers that will build levels in your yard that will draw the eye to your home.

Using your flowers in crafts may also help you bring the beautiful colors into your home. Planning what sort of plants you may want to use in crafts like potpourri, wreaths, or simply a bouquet can make it easier to design your garden.

Keeping up appearances

Unlike herb or vegetables, flowers require a bit more attention in weeding, watering, and pruning.

You should weed your plants as often as possible or at least four times a week to give them enough space to grow. Weeds do not necessarily grow faster or in larger numbers in flower beds but can find easy hiding spaces underneath or around your flowers.

Watering your flowers can help them stay vibrant and healthy. Giving each plant a bit of water everyday is important but you should avoid over watering flowering plants. These may be more susceptible to mold or root rot.

To avoid mold and possible damage to your plants you should also make sure your soil drains well. Poor drainage can be incredibly detrimental for any plant. By aerating your soil and only water when necessary your plants will be able to thrive.

Enjoy!

Once you’ve created a lovely flowerbed in your yard you can explore different ways to enjoy it.

There is nothing like sitting outside on a Sunday morning with your first coffee soaking in all the beautiful colors. Or inviting your friends over to enjoy lunch or dinner surrounded by the stunning pigments and enticing aromas. But if you would like to bring the beauty into your home there are a few ways to do so.

Picking a bouquet from your own garden can brighten any room in your home and create a fresh and alluring smell. Afterward you can dry the flowers to save for a winter craft.

Potpourri can bring the colorful flowers inside even in the middle of winter. By properly drying your plants you can mix a beautiful potpourri that will make your home smell and look more inviting.

A fall or winter wreath made with your own floral arrangement can make any home more vibrant and welcoming. There are many tutorials and even classes to help you perfect your own wreath and invite nature into your home.

So start collecting seed catalogs, buy a new pair of gardening gloves, and try to think spring. Before you know it it’ll be time to start digging!