With all that is going on in the world with the current COVID-19 outbreak, we would firstly like to urge all our readers and customers to stay safe during this time and follow government recommendations and guidelines. We know it is a stressful time for everyone, but it is well documented that gardening is an excellent stress reliever, so get out there fetch the trowel and enjoy yourselves!
Whether you are an experienced gardener, or a novice with unexpected more free time, this weeks blog post should offer some guidance and advice for everyone starting their Springtime planting. This week's blog focuses on flower arrangement and developing your garden flower beds, look back next week for a herb and vegetable planting blog!
Before beginning your planting, it is imperative to lay the appropriate foundations.
If you are creating a flower bed from scratch in an area currently covered with grass, you must first remove the sod. One effective technique is to use a standard pointed shovel to cut out the sod in chunks (about 4 inches deep x 10 inches wide x 10 inches long). Then, lay the shovel on its side, with the blade perpendicular to the ground, and pound the sod against the shovel's blade. This removes most of the soil from the sod so that it is not wasted.
Speaking of compost, it's time to add some to the soil now that the sod is out of the way. Compost increases the soil's fertility, and by working compost into the ground, you'll also be loosening the soil, making it more friable your soil type is clayey, add peat moss as an additional soil amendment. As you can see below in this wooden planter the soil is becoming more fragmented and lose, breeding excellent planting conditions.
When building and designing a new flower bed for your plants and flowers, the most important step to planting a new flower bed is to visualize the future. While your bed might not look like much when it's first planted, in a few months it will be much fuller, taller, and more colourful. The key is anticipating the heights, colours, textures, and mass of all the various plants. The strategy here is to create a backdrop of tall plants in the back of the flower bed, which creates a "canvas" for the rest of the arrangement. This is a technique known as "layering." In the context of planting flower beds, "layering" means you put the tallest flower bed plants in the back, the shortest in the front row, and the remaining plants in between. A nicely layered flower bed provides maximum visual appeal when all the plants mature. and ensuring all plants have access to the required sunlight for photosynthesis during their growth and blossom. You can also create a focal point in your garden bed to work around, such as a statue or birdbath creating a unique centrepiece among your plants.
As you can see in this beautiful arrangement of Perennials, there is an incremental increase in height, creating a striking visual appearance but also maintaining the appropriate conditions for plant health and growth.
It is essential once your bed is beginning to bloom to water your plants it is essential to provide the right amount of your water during the critical growth period. Most gardens grown in average soil prefer 1 inch of rain a week, as this typically moistens the soil to a depth of 6 inches where the roots can access it easily. When natural rainfall is insufficient, supplemental watering is needed to provide flowers with the moisture they require. Placing an empty can, with the 1 inch level marked, in the garden while you water the flowers allows you to assess the amount of water you apply. It is imperative to check both stone and wooden
planters,
vases and
troughs are supplied with the appropriate drainage holes
Check this space for next weeks blog, and stay safe everyone!
