Proper watering is a crucial element of growing and maintaining perennials, or for any garden variety for that matter. But when is the best time to water them and how often should you do it?

For the majority of perennials, watering is only required when the top of the soil dries out. However, do not wait until they are dry as a bone before giving them water.

Watering is required before any visible signs of drought stress appears. If you are growing perennials in an arid environment, it is ideal to prolong the time between watering. On the other hand, if your plants are located in a wet habitat, it is best to not let them dry out completely.

Watering Problems Can Be A Disaster…

Getting too much or too little water on the soil for long periods of time causes several problems for your perennials. However, determining whether your plants are getting too much or too little can be a bit tricky since both conditions show the same symptoms. When perennials are under-watered or over-watered, their leaves turn yellowish with brown edges. They look dull, droopy, limp, and their growth is suppressed. Their leaves and flowers also begin to wither and drop off, and the plant eventually dies.

It’s Best To Test The Soil…

It’s hard to tell if you are watering too much or not watering enough by simply looking at these symptoms. So before reaching for the watering can, you must first check the soil to see if it’s too dry or too wet. When you check the soil, don’t just look at the surface to see if it’s wet or dry, because the top of the soil will be different once you go several inches underneath. When you start to see symptoms of stress from your plants, dig a tiny hole a few inches deep and touch the soil. If it feels wet, reduce the amount of water. If it’s dry, you need to water more often.

If you have clay soil, it’s a little more complicated to figure out if you’re watering too little or too much. This is because clay has tiny particles that hold in the moisture and restrict the water from getting to the plants. Therefore, the soil may feel moist but the plants are still not getting enough needed water. To solve this problem, the clay soil should be amended with organic matter.

In addition to manually checking the soil, you can also purchase an electronic moisture monitor that indicates when it’s time to water. Another simple alternative is to use a long screwdriver and probe the soil. You know that your plants are getting enough water if you are able to penetrate the soil with the screwdriver.

Tags: watering perennials, gardening, growing plants, growing flowers, flower gardening

In order to properly care and maintain the bulbs that you want to plant in your garden, you need to keep track of exactly what you have in stock. Many bulbs are extremely tolerant and can be kept well enough alone if accidentally ignored for several months. On the other hand, there are other bulbs that must be replanted as early as possible to prevent them from drying out. The key to all this is of course knowing how to identify your bulbs in stock.

One trick that most gardeners use is to take notice of the type of packing material the bulbs are in. Doing so will provide the best clue. For example, if you find bulbs that were sold to you loose and dry, then it is typically safe to store them up to four or five weeks until you can get around to planting them. Bulbs that are packed in extremely moist peat moss should be planted in the ground as soon as possible.

Other Tips…

Hold off on moving or dividing an evergreen bulb until it hits the non-flowering stage. Do not transplant your other bulbs until they are dormant and the leaves have turned brown. Dig up the entire clump and carefully pull the bulbs apart. Then replant each one separately. By repeating this process every couple of years, you can enjoy the beauty of hundreds of new plants that stemmed from only a dozen or so bulbs that you originally started with.

Another tip is to always snip off the bloom as soon as it has dried out. This will prevent the bulb from wasting its energy and nutrients by trying to turn the dead blossom into seeds. Now instead of wasting its energy, the bulb will have more energy to work on creating its new bloom.

And lastly, it can be a bit of a chore to keep your bulbs maintained so that you can enjoy them for years to come. For example, many tulips are incredibly intolerant of soil that is very wet, which is especially true when in dormancy. Therefore, in areas that has high rainfall levels during the summertime, you have to dig up your tulips once the leaves have turned brown and then store them in a dry location to prevent them from rotting.

Tags: how to care for bulbs, evergreen bulb, gardening, garden planting, tulips, personal gardening

Some gardens and landscape areas just do not have the appropriate type of soil to grow beautiful perennials. Because of this challenge that you may face in your desire to raise these lovely flowers, you may want to consider planting them in raised beds.

What is a raised bed?

A raised bed is simply a boxed area where you are growing your plants in soil that are a few inches above your ground soil (or higher). The planter box may be tightly sealed in a small wooden frame or you could have soil that slopes over the sides. There are different types of raised beds that you can choose depending on the look you want.

Using a raised bed to plant perennials is extremely beneficial when you want to have 100% control the soil you are using, and without the battle of removing the salts out of the ground soil. Going to the trouble of clearing up poor conditioned ground soil is typically frustrating and unsuccessful, and can be very time-consuming as well.

What are the advantages of planting perennials in raised beds?

1. Raised beds offer a somewhat “directional” look to your garden. You can use these beds to form traffic patterns and walkways. Your garden design can look proportional with the setup of raised beds and it presents a clear walk-through path for people to avoid damaging your flowers. Using raised beds also creates a structured look and is very decorative, especially around the edges of driveways or other areas like patios and yard decks.

2. Planting your perennials and other flowers in raised beds can make it easy to garden if you or other members of your household are bound to a wheelchair. Raised beds can be built as high as you need them and what better way for the disabled gardener to enjoy their favorite hobby than by using raised beds to plant and grow their garden?

3. Raised beds also offer your perennials and other plants protection from damage and uprooting that often result from small pets and children running around. Even raised just a few inches off the ground, these beds can deter most damage from even the innocent person who is simply walking through your garden.

4. Last but not least, your perennials may enjoy a longer growing season as a benefit of being grown inside of a raised bed. If they are constructed from brick or stone, the soil stays warm longer than it would if it were in the ground.

Tags: grow beautiful perennials, Flowering Perennials, raised bed perennials, perennial flower beds, perennial plants

The better way to grow orchids is also simple when you know how.

One of the best ways to get great orchid bulbs or just ready to use flowers is to get in touch with a grower in your community. They will likely have better prices and better information on these wonderful flowers than will your local home improvement store or even gardening center, but how do you find an orchid grower in your community? There are a couple of good ways to locate a local orchid grower.

One option just simply goes with the times. The Internet is a great way to find a grower in your community. Log on to your computer, go to your favorite search site, and look for “orchid grower” along with the name of your community. You should be able to find someone, but if not there are certainly other options.

Another option is to check out community boards in your local home stores and garden centers. Often growers will post their information on these boards in hopes of not just getting business, but also in hopes of finding other people who love orchids. Either way, you are still getting in touch with a wealth of information on orchids that can help you.

Finally, if all else fails, you can get in touch with an orchid grower that is not in your community. Bulbs actually ship well and you can get a great deal of information through the phone and email. You will be able to build a relationship and possibly save yourself some money along the way.

If you want to plant orchids or simply learn more about them, an orchid grower is a much more personal and often more affordable way of going about that. They can provide you with bulbs, information, and even a camaraderie that you will likely not find in your local home store or gardening center.

Like all delicate flower orchids should be looked after with extreme care. The best place to place them is in a non-draughty window box or sill where they should get sunlight through the morning and into the afternoon. Note they should not be placed in direct line of the sun.

Orchids should be repotted every two years. The soil should be moist and able to retain this moisture. Water your orchids at least once per week, more in warmer weather and especially if you notice that the plant is drying out. This is common sense, really.

Finding an orchid grower is one of the smarter ways to learn about this great little plant. Why not learn from someone who has been there and done it.

For All Our Orchids Secrets Check Out:
Caring for Orchids

Tags: Caring for orchids, growing orchids, blue orchids, care for orchids, care of orchids, carmela orchids, kew gardens orchids, orchids online

(NAPSI)-Good design not only makes the inside of your home more lovely, it can also take bloom in your garden. And, since plants cost a fraction of the price of new furniture, outdoor decorating can be a lot easier on the wallet. Here are some ideas you may want to cultivate.

Both interior decorators and landscapers consider size, color and texture. A good place to start is by looking at the size of the space. Dwarf plants are very useful in tight spaces, but can get lost in a lush perennial border. Curb appeal and backyard views also demand something bigger. Every garden needs at least one impressive specimen plant to anchor the landscape.

Think about color. Many people focus on flowers and forget about the months that a plant is not in bloom. Plant breeders have responded to this by producing varieties with colorful foliage for season-long appeal.

Texture is another important design element. Large leaves have big impact, while narrow or cutleaf foliage adds delicate interest to gardens. Fine or cutleaf foliage sways with the wind, a lovely effect.

For example, the new Black Lace sambucus has everything the homeowner needs for stylish outdoor spaces. Dark purple leaves provide interesting color all season long, and are a fantastic combination with popular perennials such as black-eyed susans. Like Japanese maple, its finely cut foliage makes it a choice specimen for entryways and other high-impact areas.

Black Lace offers more than color and texture. Its huge pink spring flowers will produce fall berries for jam or wine, or may be left on the plant for wildlife to enjoy. Like all well-designed products, Black Lace offers both form and function.

Best of all, this new plant is adaptable and easy to grow. It’s tolerant of most soils, even soggy ones, and will grow in sun or some shade. Six feet tall at maturity, Black Lace doesn’t require pruning, although homeowners can cut it back after blooming if desired. A full-sized mature Black Lace is an impressive specimen for either formal gardens or casual backyard scenes. It can also be grown in a decorative container for the patio or deck.

Plant breeders work hard to develop useful new varieties like Black Lace. The Proven Winners brand carefully selects the most beautiful and easy-to-grow varieties so successful gardening is easy. After all, why should fashionable landscapes be reserved for expert gardeners? The rest of us deserve good design, too. Cold hardy and adaptable, Black Lace will thrive for years. It’s an easy way to add durable style to your garden.

So are you ready to bring good design into your garden? It’s worth the effort. After all, your yard is the biggest room in your house.

Black Lace is just one of over 50 colorful, easy-to-grow Proven Winners ColorChoice varieties. They’re easy to find at your garden center-look for the plants in the white pots. To learn more, visit www.colorchoiceplants.com.

Black Lace has huge pink flowers that will produce fall berries for jam or wine. Six feet tall at maturity, it is an impressive addition for either formal gardens or casual backyard scenes.

African Violets are a beautiful species of flower. With their smaller sunburst patters of pinks and purples, they can subtly brighten a room. However, African Violets take a great deal of care to grow properly. These are not for the hobby gardener who sometimes forgets to care for his plants for a week or two (or three). African Violets need to be cared for and nurtured like a fragile china doll.

As with any plant, a gardener should start with the proper soil. African Violets do not like the cheap potting soil that almost every other household plant likes. African Violets are the soil snobs of the plant kingdom. They even have a specialized potting soil – this is what you should use when growing your own African Violet. It allows for extra soil drainage – crucial to the African Violet.

They also require extra attention to the stem. This is where African Violet growers have to be mean. Small baby plants tend to grow on the stems, causing the stem to warp and deform. These small plants are called, “suckers” and need to be removed immediately to let the main plant grow strong and healthy.

African Violets are picky about their sunlight too. They don’t like direct sunlight, nor do they like being kept in the dark for extended periods of time. They like indirect sunlight and will grow just fine on a shelf that receives a little morning sunlight. If you want to know if the light is too much or too little, just watch the plant. It will adjust its leaves to tell you if it’s getting too much sun. Watch it’s growth as well, it will not be symmetrical if its not receiving the proper amount of sunlight.

The last thing to worry about is the water. Most African Violets grow best in the cheap four inch pots. Using these and a small pan or tray, you can get a good feel for how much water is right. Place the pot in the tray, water the plant liberally, and allow it to dry. After a short while, empty the tray and enjoy your healthy plant. One warning about watering – make sure that you do not water the leaves. It leaves them strongly susceptible to rot and mildew – and will quickly kill the plants.

It seems like a great deal of hassle for a flower, doesn’t it? What kind of reward do you get for all of this nurturing? Well, for nine months, your African Violet will spread its flowers and brighten up the room with those brilliant pink and purple colors.

Growing an African Violet is not for the faint-of-heart. If you aren’t serious about gardening, you should seek other heartier plants. But if you are the loving, nurturing, Mother Nature with a green thumb type, then try your thumb on the African Violet and enjoy cultivating the beauty it brings.

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