Perfect Flowers for a Perfect Spring
P.S- my friend has wrote this. zoe is really into flowers (as you can see) hope you like it! P.s out(get it? almost sounds like peace out? get it get it? uh, never mind.
The kaleidoscope of color that Nature unveils each spring makes our winter-long wait worthwhile. With a little planning and the right combination of flowers, it's fun and easy to create a spectacular spring flower garden you'll enjoy all season.
Before finalizing your spring garden plans, check with a nursery in your area for advice on which spring flowers will thrive in your specific climate. A nursery professional also can suggest fertilizers that are right for your area's soil makeup.
Sun or Shade?
Identify a couple of spots you'd like to turn into a flower garden and observe them throughout the day. Note the amount of sun they receive. You might discover that one part of your garden plot is sunnier or shadier than another, so choose flowers appropriate for specific spots.
Sun or shade, choose a spot that has good drainage to prevent standing water.
Determine Your Soil Content
Dig up a sample of your plot's soil before planting your flowers to determine if there is hard clay in it that will prevent root growth. Remove any hard clay in the area and replace it with a mixture of two parts top soil, one part sand and one part peat moss.
A little sand will improve drainage, while ample peat moss will help prevent the soil from drying out too quickly. Remember that early flowers usually prefer the moist spring soil, so make sure your flowers get a steady supply of water.
Balance Color and Size
Show off your gardening skills by designing a dazzling display of spring flowers that balance color and size. For an early spring display, choose the traditional seasonal colors such as soft blue, pink, yellow and white. Many species now come in an array of hybrid colors, making it easy to find flowers to suit the season.
Strive to find a balance between low-profile, groundcover-type flowers and larger plants that showcase blooms atop stately stems. Use the smaller, spreading plants to form the front borders of your garden, and fill in the areas behind them with the taller flowers.
You also might want to incorporate a mix of perennials and annuals into your flower garden. The perennials will come up each spring so you won't have to completely re-plant your garden every year, while the annuals can fill in bare spots and give you the opportunity to make some design changes each spring.
A Sample Spring Garden These flowers are perfect for an early spring garden that has partial shade, such as an area surrounding a tree. They are hardy, early blooming plants that are widely available.
Low-profile, groundcover varieties
These great groundcovers will spread, so plant them at least 6" apart.
Sun or Shade?
Identify a couple of spots you'd like to turn into a flower garden and observe them throughout the day. Note the amount of sun they receive. You might discover that one part of your garden plot is sunnier or shadier than another, so choose flowers appropriate for specific spots.
Sun or shade, choose a spot that has good drainage to prevent standing water.
Determine Your Soil Content
Dig up a sample of your plot's soil before planting your flowers to determine if there is hard clay in it that will prevent root growth. Remove any hard clay in the area and replace it with a mixture of two parts top soil, one part sand and one part peat moss.
A little sand will improve drainage, while ample peat moss will help prevent the soil from drying out too quickly. Remember that early flowers usually prefer the moist spring soil, so make sure your flowers get a steady supply of water.
Balance Color and Size
Show off your gardening skills by designing a dazzling display of spring flowers that balance color and size. For an early spring display, choose the traditional seasonal colors such as soft blue, pink, yellow and white. Many species now come in an array of hybrid colors, making it easy to find flowers to suit the season.
Strive to find a balance between low-profile, groundcover-type flowers and larger plants that showcase blooms atop stately stems. Use the smaller, spreading plants to form the front borders of your garden, and fill in the areas behind them with the taller flowers.
You also might want to incorporate a mix of perennials and annuals into your flower garden. The perennials will come up each spring so you won't have to completely re-plant your garden every year, while the annuals can fill in bare spots and give you the opportunity to make some design changes each spring.
A Sample Spring Garden These flowers are perfect for an early spring garden that has partial shade, such as an area surrounding a tree. They are hardy, early blooming plants that are widely available.
Low-profile, groundcover varieties
These great groundcovers will spread, so plant them at least 6" apart.
- Primroses are perennials that come in more than 400 species and a rainbow of colors.
- Pansies are fast-growing annuals that offer numerous color choices, including many varieties with delicate markings or "faces" (blotch patterns).
- Lobelia is a petite annual that blooms continuously and produces hundreds of flowers, typically in tones of blue, white and lilac.
- Virginia Blue Bells are hardy perennials that produce early spring clusters of trumpet-like, soft blue blooms on stems 18-36" tall.
- Christmas Rose earns its name by producing rose-like blooms of white, pink or yellow in early spring, even with snow on the ground. These perennial blooms will be about 15" above the ground.
- Celandine Poppy is a perennial that blooms in early spring with showy, deep yellow blooms about 16" above the ground.
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