Planting for Spring Flowers
Spring is that time of the year when nature awakes and the garden comes to life after a long dreary winter. The beautiful sight of the first spring flowers is a sight to the beholder and it tells us that winter is coming to an end. Spring and gardening are synonymous. It is time to loosen the mulch around the plants, shape up the soil, and prune the blooming shrubs.
Planting perennials will save you work in your garden, hence keep them high on your list. It is best and wise to choose those flower varieties that do not need frequent division and a lot of staking.
Flower bulbs add a splash of colour to any garden. Plant some crocuses, daffodils and tulips between the flower beds. They are essential to a spring flower garden. Spring flowering bulbs need time to develop a solid root system before the cold winter sets in. Bulbs should be planted when soil temperatures are below 60deg. F. This means waiting until mid September or October. By choosing a variety of flower bulbs, you can enjoy spring from late winter right through till mid summer. If you are a lover of flowers and gardening, then for an early glimpse of spring, you should plant crocuses and snowdrops. Daffodils bloom next, followed by tulips, grape hyacinth and squill.
Spring flowers and bulbs require good drainage of water and also need at least six hours of sunlight a day. In order to prepare the planting beds, dig up six to eight inches of soil, add peat moss or organic matter and mix in fertilizer which contains phosphorus or special bulb fertilizer. Rodents can be prevented by placing a fine wire mesh over the bulb bed. For a beautiful display of colour, plant bulbs in groups or clumps and among perennials or in front of evergreen shrubs. Bulbs should be planted in an upright manner with the pointed end up.
Springtime means flowers and beautiful flowers. Choosing the best flowers from a wide variety of flowers and bulbs can be very confusing and difficult. Spring Snowflake (Leucojum vernum) are drooping bell shaped flowers that grow to a height of about 6 to 12 inches and are white in colour with tiny green spots at the ends of the petals. Blooms can be expected in late February to early March. In order to get the best results, they should preferably be planted in clumps and are best planted in the fall. However, potted bulbs can also be planted in mid to late winter.
Netted Iris (Iris reticulate) are most commonly purple in colour although they exist in light blue and white. These flowers are also wonderfully scented. Irises are early blooming spring flowers and give you a beautiful display of flowers in March. The flower plants tend to reproduce rapidly and hence the bulbs have to be separated or thinned after a few growing seasons in order to avoid stunting the growth of the plant due to over crowding.