Archive for the ‘Essential Gardening Tips’ Category

What Flowers Complement Blue Flowers

Monday, November 2nd, 2009

Color and texture: these are the two things that you should consider when landscaping your garden.

Mixing the right colors, of course, is important so you can achieve a proper, balanced look for your garden. For example, if you are growing red roses, would you grow it with purple flowers? Probably not—they will clash since they do not complement each other. A garden with red and purple roses would seem redundant, too dark for anyone’s taste.

Minding a garden’s texture is just as essential. You wouldn’t want a garden that is too thick and shrubby; the garden will look like a miniature forest, something unmaintained. On the other hand, a garden that lacks foliage will appear sick and weak.

Needless to say, these two elements can make or break your garden.

So with this in mind, what flowers or plants will complement the blue flowers in a garden?

Because not all flowers are made equal, there is no exact answer for this. In general, however, blue flowers work well with white flowers, since white complements the color blue wonderfully. Flowers that seem to have a light blue shade go well with pink (carnations, for instance), yellow (sunflowers), or cream. Darker shades of blue should look amazing with red (red roses) and green, although it works well with pink too.

Of course, when the discussion turns to specifics, the answer may become more definite.

For instance, hydrangeas. This bloomer has big green leaves and can grow up to seven feet tall. However, individually, the flower of a hydrangea isn’t too big or prominent, so it definitely needs other flowers in order to stand out. And what could be better flower to pair with blue hydrangeas than another shade of the same flower? The Annabelle hydrangea, which is basically just a white hydrangea, goes great with the blue hydrangea, although the oakleaf hydrangea should work well too. This color combination is simply amazing—it would seem as if your garden is filled with clouds.

Another blue flower is the geranium, a perennial plant that many horticulturists consider as top class. This perennials can produce several blue flowers, but it isn’t very all (it can only grow up to two feet). Therefore, it is best to pair it with a flower that is taller than the geranium. White daffodils can be your best bet, since the geranium can pretty much complement the daffodil’s size. However, you can also compensate for your lack of height by creating a zone with overwhelmingly thick ground foliage. Here, spring-blossoming bulbs, which is just as small as the geranium (if not smaller), will do the trick.

Another blue flower that is best planted with daffodils? The brunnera. The brunnera has heart-shaped leaves and sky blue flowers—a great plant for spring. And because it blooms during spring, it is best paired with daffodils, which blooms around the same time too.

As with most gardening tips, what you pair with your blue flowers is entirely your choice. However, if you want to make your garden as good looking and attractive as possible, it is best to consider color and texture or size.

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How to Beautify Your Miniature Paradise: General Gardening Tips

Monday, November 2nd, 2009

Many people say that gardens are simply waste of space, and maintaining them a waste of time. However, for those who have tried maintaining a garden and successfully turning their small patch of land into a piece of paradise, gardening is a worthwhile activity.

Indeed, gardening benefits not only the body (because maintaining a garden, no matter how small, can be a lot of work) but also for the mind. Gardening involves strenuous physical activities, from digging and planting to weeding and watering—and everything in between. But more than that, gardening is a labor of love, one that helps the people involve relieve their stress and anxiety. In essence, gardening is a healthy, beneficial way of breaking away from the usual motions of life. Of course, this doesn’t include the fact that having a garden in one’s backyard adds beauty to any household.

But what makes gardening great is the fact that anyone who maintains a garden does not even think about these benefits when they do it. It’s merely a bonus.

So in any case, how does one go about gardening? What are the general tips they can follow if they want to create a beautifully crafted garden?

One of the key components of creating a great looking garden is proper planning. Simply put: you cannot merely plant flowers and shrubs randomly without putting any thought into it at all. You need to choose your flowers carefully. Pick shrubs and flowers that will complement each other in terms of size, texture and color. Getting a professional landscaper is not necessary; all you need to do is layer areas of your garden by considering the plants you will use. For instance, if you will plant blue hydrangeas in one area of the garden, you no longer have to plant any other flowers in that area. Hydrangeas can pretty much care themselves on their own in garden, given the right thickness.

Considering the type of flowers or shrubs you will plant is also a great way to properly maintain your garden. For instance, annuals needs for sunlight than perennials, so you can afford to place the perennials in parts of the garden that are shaded or does not get that much sunlight. Of course, drainage is a non-negotiable; you have to make sure your garden drainage works properly, in order not to drone your plants.

The soil you use, surprisingly, is also of great importance. Different plants and flowers actually require different soil types. Annuals thrive best in rich soil; perennials can pretty much regardless of the soul type. Also, some plants prefer dry soil, so this should be taken into consideration when watering plants.

Do not rely on online stores as much as possible when buying plants for your garden. There’s nothing wrong with online stores—except for the fact that it would be difficult to gauge the quality of the plant you will be getting. Needless to say, it is best if you actually see the plant you will be using.

In the end, as long as you exert ample amounts of efforts and show your love and care for your plants, your garden will become as stunning as a piece of paradise on Earth could. But of course, following proper gardening procedures and tips could do wonders too.

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When to Plant Specific Types of Blue Flowers

Monday, November 2nd, 2009

What should any gardening enthusiast consider when planting a flower?

Unknown to many gardening neophytes, one of the more important things they have to consider is when to plant specific flowers. This is due to a couple of reasons. For one, not all flowers can withstand certain seasons. Some flowers may blossom more spectacularly when planted during spring or fall, while other flowers, unlike some, can withstand the ruthless cold of the winter. And then, one should also consider what type of plant the flower is, as this will definitely affect the growth of the plant.

Flowers can be classified as either annuals or perennials. Annuals, as the term already implies, are plants and flowers which has a life cycle of only one year. For example, the superb Bachelor Buttons (also known as the Centaurea cyanus) blooms during the spring up until summer, but they die right after. Perennials, on the other hand, pretty much lives and blooms for the whole year, and they often live longer than two years.

So obviously, you will need to know whether the blue flower you are planting is a perennial or an annual, since this will determine when you should plant it.

And how do you determine when to plant a specific type of blue flower? Simple: by determining if the blue flower is a perennial or an annual.

Perennials should be planted at least a month before the first spring frost, around May or June. This way, the flower will blue by spring or summer. Hardy blue flowers (or any other hardy blue flowers) should especially be planted around this time to achieve the best results. This type of flower is usually more suitable planted in pots, although they also work well as corners and borders of gardens. This is because many perennial plants are small, not big enough to actually be the main plant itself. Therefore, when planning blue perennial flowers, one should mix them with other more dominant flowers, preferably those with a white or yellow shade (blue flowers, after all, will look their best complimenting flowers with lighter colors).

Annuals, meanwhile, are a bit more high maintenance than perennials. While perennials do not need that much water or sunlight (therefore making them great potted plants, since they can easily adopted in the environment inside your house, for instance), annuals require as much of both of these as possible. In any case, annuals can be planted at any point of the year—as long as it is warm enough. Until perennials, annuals cannot withstand cold weather as well, especially when the plant is still young, so it is best to let it grow during the spring or summer.

There might be special cases wherein one will have to plant a specific blue flower during specific periods of the year. Usually, the perfect planting time for plants coincides with what they need in order to grow properly. For instance, the lily of the nile needs ample sunlight; therefore, it is best to plant them during seasons where it can get just that.

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Where to buy Blue Flower Seeds

Monday, November 2nd, 2009

Blue flowers are perhaps the most attractive flowers to have in your garden. Of course, this is not to disregard any other flowers in existence; they all have a certain beauty and quality that simply makes them just as attractive. However, blue flowers are special because blue is not exactly a color you would associate with flowers. In fact, until now, many people think that there is no such thing is a real blue flower, something one can easily trace from facts regarding flowers. For one, many associate blue flowers with just blue roses. And as everyone knows, there is no such thing as a blue rose. Also, many blue flowers merely have a purple shade.

However, there are actual blue flowers in existence. They may not be the elusive blue roses everyone seems to be looking for, but these blue flowers work as well as any non-existent rose. Anyone can actually plant and grow blue flowers in his or her own garden.

So where can one buy blue flower seeds?

The first option may be the most obvious: the internet. Today, anyone can easily buy blue flower seeds—and any other type of seed, for that matter—from an online seed company. They usually offer diverse seed catalogs on their websites, and one can simply order these seeds. With the convenience of online shopping, it will be a snap finding the blue flower one is looking for, regardless if they want a blue Hydrangea or a blue Violet, or other types of flowers.

Online seed stores are great for amateur gardeners who are still trying to survey the field, so to speak, since the wide range of flower seeds above from these sites allow beginners to see what seeds are available in the market.

Of course, for more experienced gardeners, actual nurseries may be more sufficient. Plant nurseries offer a wide variety of seeds and plants in various forms and various sizes. Here, you actually get to see the plant and seeds you will purchase up close, with the bonus of an expert who can answer all your queries regarding planting these blue flower seeds. A plant nursery is your choice, however, only if you have a clear idea of the seed you want to purchase.

Seed catalogs, then, can be the best alternative between seed nurseries and online seed companies. Also, catalogs seem to work best for gardeners who are looking for a specific niche or flower type; nurseries and online stores are still the best options for anyone who want to buy a whole range of flowers (although there are a lot of online seed companies that try to fulfill a specific niche; blue flowers, for one, is a popular niche).

Lastly, there are gardening societies. These are groups where members meet with other enthusiasts to exchange plant seeds, among others. Needless to say, this isn’t exactly what you can consider as a prime source of blue flower seeds. However, connection among other planting enthusiasts can prove to be beneficial later on.

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