Starting a new and first time flower garden, seeds vs. starter plants?

Ok, so I want to start a flower garden this year. This is my first time.


What is the best way to do that.





Should I start with seeds and one of those starter kits and then once they've started to grow plant them.





Or, should I just buy the flowers and plants that have already been started and put them in the ground.





What's the best way for long lasting healthy flowers?





How will I know when to plant them in the ground with either way I go?





If I decide to go with seeds, when should I start buying and starting them?





Any other good tips and facts would be much appreciated also!!!





I'm very excited about doing this cuz it'll give me something to do with my time, i'm just not sure where to begin! lol





Thanks in advance!

FlowersBirthday FlowersSympathy FlowersSome are easily started from seeds, such as zinnia.


Others like geranium take too long. Decide what you might like to grow, then decide how you want to start them.
Reply:Hey Lady,





Seeds are fun to watch germinate, but that is where it stops. They are a big mess and you don't get good results unless you are an experienced gardener (or very lucky). Starting with plants is the best for a beginner because you get results. If you have a good planting bed, good soil, quality plants to begin with, right sun conditions, follow watering instructions and fertilize lightly - you should have great results.





Try some seeds of easy plants if you have the sticktuitiveness. First time out, try something like marigolds - they are easy. And, you will see how the flower becomes the seeds for next year.
Reply:Actually the choice of seeds or plants is determined by what flowers you want to plant. Some flowers are best grown from the plants and others are just as good grown form seeds. I'm not sure what flowers you want to grow, so maybe that will help. For long lasting healthy flowers you want to prepare the ground by loosening the soil. Using a shovel turn the soil, chop it up and remove any weeds, trees, roots and or grasses. Its a good idea to add manure and some garden soil, mix them together really well, this will keep the soil from packing back down and becoming hard. Your flowers want the soil to be soft. I'm in the south east of the US, so now is the time for me to buy seeds and get them started, I'm not sure where you are. DON'T put either in the ground until the threat of freeze or frost is past. For lots of blooms, get some egg shells, wash them out, crush them up finely but not to a powder. Place them on a baking sheet, and bake them until they are a light brown and sprinkle them under you flowers. This is a good source of calcium which the plants use for flowering. Remember to feed them and keep them watered. I hope this will help you.
Reply:You could try both. I think you'll get more satisfaction if you buy plants already started since the seeds take quite a while to grow and some plants should have already been started. If you buy plants you'll see the results instantly! So, I'd say buy most of your plants now and maybe start just a few late blooming seeds. Look at the package directions and it will tell you when and how to plant them. And make sure you buy perinneals if you want them to come up next year. Annuals are only for one year. They make good fillers though for your perinneals until they fill in.makeup tips

Are there flowering plants that will grow in cactus gardens?

My boyfriend moved into a house with a cactus garden and it's so ugly. He likes it and will only let me remove some of it as it has grown like a vine. I don't know what kind of cactus but it's leaves are oval, about 5 inches long and 3 inches wide. It has 1cm spikes and little hairy prickly things that stick to your glove when you weed it. I'm hoping to at least plant some flowering perennials or annuals but want to make sure they'll survive. I live in Maryland (zone 7) and the area gets about 4-5 hours of sun a day.





Thanks for your help





Andrea

FlowersBirthday FlowersSympathy FlowersSoil, fertilization and watering requirements are usually pretty different between cacti and traditional flowering plants, so it's hard for them to co-exist.


Have you considered putting one or more decorative pots or planters around the garden area? Then you'd have your choice of hundreds of different full-sun annuals and perennials, and you could tailor the conditions in the pots just for them.


By the way, the cactus you describe sounds like it could be a variety of prickly pear - if you're interested, you can see pictures at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prickly_pea...books authors

Who started flowers?

I would like to know who found out about flowers. Or started planting flowers and got other people involved.But they are similar.

FlowersBirthday FlowersSympathy FlowersWell my friend what you speak of is Kept Gardens and they have been around since the dawn of civilization ever hear of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon? No? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanging_Gar...
Reply:Flowering plants go back 100 million years, I guess. Flowers make seeds and multiply all by themselves. They don't need our help at all. Flowers have been found in the graves of stone age people in Europe.
Reply:too add to the above responses..then once people began to understand the healing powers of plants, they began to gather them for medicines etc..then as people became nomadic they would transport plants, seeds etc and replant them where they settled..the begining of flower gardening..


I think they heyday of flower garden for purely asthetic reason was probably in the victoria era though.make up

I looooooooooove clamatis flowers...................?

My husband killed my clamatis vine. It was almost dead when we bought our house and I nursed it back to health and it was growing for several years. I want to get another one and I would like to know how to go about planting it as I have never planted flowers before. I would also want to know how to get my snow on the mountains back growing around my house. My HUSBAND again killed off half of these and I want them back to nice and thick again since he has agreed not to mow or spray around the house that is now my job to take care of it THANK GOD.......Someone have advise on both of them and what or how to do it???

FlowersBirthday FlowersSympathy FlowersMost of your local nurseries carry clematis, I love them too and have them all around my house. They are an amazingly hardy little vine, as long as they are well mulched. You would dig your hole twice as big as the clematis pot that it came in, water well, and keep moist for about a month. Mulch well with old hay or straw, keeping the roots moist and cool until it is established.


Your snow on the mountain should just reseed itself if there were any left alive, and by mid summer you should see them making a come back.
Reply:Your best bet is to google the flower and read about planting and growing them..It will vary from zone to zone, soil conditions and sunlight. They do not like full sun at all. My fav flower too.
Reply:i like the jackmans clematis. the flowers are HUGE and purpule. i would give it some miracle gro plant food, or some other type of plant food that works well. all plant food needs time to work about 2 weeks. also try putting it in a sunny location with good dranage and water daily, 2 x a day if it is REALLY HOT
Reply:Later on, you will need this important information:





http://www.echters.com/ClematisPruning.h...
Reply:Clematis love their heads in the sun, and feet in the shade. Which means you want to keep mulch around the base to retain moisture but plant in a sunny location and be sure to give it something to climb on! They are one of my favorites also and fortunately pretty hardy so you should not have a problem. I will be planting some this evening.





Happy gardening!make up

Low maintenance flowers?

I want to plant flowers around my backyard. I want them to be colorful, Like a mixture of flowers. I don't do roses or carnations.





I also need them to be low maintenance.

FlowersBirthday FlowersSympathy Flowersgoto your library and get a book on perrenials either perrenial gardens, gardening or flowers. Perrenial means it comes back every year - so you don't have to replant. I did the same thing in my front yard. love flowers/color but hate the work involved.





also, check out those online nurseries and they have "gardens" for sale, they include the planting layout/plan. you can select different "gardens" like "perrenial" or whatever, browse through. goto springhillnursery.com and check out their garden plans. I used the concept of one of their plans (I didn't order online - I tried ordering plants online once and they send you these little saplings or suckers and then when the plant flowered it was the WRONG ONE). I just looked at the plants and the plan and adjusted it to my liking.
Reply:Iris Really good and one of my favorites. Petunias, Scabiosa.





Actually all flowers can be 'low maintanace' if you design your garden correctly. Find the flowers that are native to your area. Often native plants have also been hybidized and some are tremendously lovely.


Like Gallardia. Or clarkia, Echinacea, blackeyed susan.





Its just too big a question with not enough info on your zone and soil and space, and... etc.
Reply:zinnias.





it's easy. you throw seeds, and they grow year after year after year after year.. and take care of themselves. quite colorful. and by that, I mean multiple colors and plants that can grow with variant colors and reproduce flowers over %26amp; over %26amp; over. Google "zinnias".
Reply:well, this is my very own one. last year i planted a spoon in my garden, and within two monthes, i had my very own SPOON TREE!
Reply:You need to know several things first. Sun or shade? Area of the country or USDA zone you live in? Annual or perennials?





Flowers are wonderful, but to get the best results, you need to do some research. I would suggest a visit to a local garden center. ( a local one, not a box store type). Ask questions about what will grow well in your area and yard. Look at colors you like, watering requirements, maintenance issues. Pick a variety of plants for blooms in all seasons.





Then, go wild and try things out. You will change you mind yearly, at least I do, and try new combinations and colors.
Reply:Try daylillies, but look for varieties that are evergreen and reblooming. All daylillies will come back, but evergreens will not die down during the winter. Rebloomers will give you more than one set of blooms rather than just an early, midseason, or late season bloom. They are extremely easy and virtually maintenance free. If you have plenty of sun, you can also try cosmos. They are taller and more airy and should reseed themselves. A favorite perennial of mine is four o'clocks. They will die down and come back each year. The flowers are very colorful and pretty, but they do not open until late in the evening.skin disease

What types of flowers like to grow in mostly shady areas?

I have a spot that gets morning sun and the rest of the day is shady. I want to plant flowers there. I have a couple hostas and some lillies that are doing well. What else can I plant here?

FlowersBirthday FlowersSympathy FlowersI have full shade on the back of my house. I have planted different hostas, ferns, heucheras, brunera, fern leaf bleeding heart and standard bleeding heart and for annuals i planted inpatiens.


All these plants do very well and look beautiful no matter what time of the growing season.





The fern leaf bleeding heart blooms all summer..pretty pink dangling flowers. The standard bleeding heart flowers for about 4 weeks, after that it just continues to grow...it does not die back.
Reply:I have a totally shaded area and have lots of sucess with impatiens and huecheras. I like planting the white impatiens in shade, the white really pops out. Lamium also does well in shade and spreads really nicely. Also try some ferns. Japanese painted ferns have really nice color in them and don't get too huge. Bleeding Hearts also like the shade, however they do die back in the summer so you are left with a hole to fill.
Reply:bleeding hearts


columbine


heuchera


tiarella


pulmonaria


hellebores


mint


rosemary


toad lily


tradestantia(spiderwort)


soapwort


moneywort


wild geranium


jacobs ladder


impatiens


balsam


trillium


brunnera


japanese forest grass(non-flowering but very cool)


liriope


begonias





for starters
Reply:hosta it spreads to if you need it or you can control it it takes timwe thaught and ferns and pansies
Reply:Impatiens, begonias, and ferns would do well
Reply:Columbines do well, and bleeding heart.
Reply:Impatiens do very well in the shade.
Reply:Impatiens and ferns do well in shade. Happy gardening!computer

Are there any type of colorful flowers can grow in 100% shade?

We just moved into a house and I want to plant flowers in the front in between the bushes... but it is facing away from the sun so the area is 100% shaded. If at all possible, I'd like to plant colorful flowers. Thanks for any and all advice!





Note: I'm not a fan of hostas...

FlowersBirthday FlowersSympathy FlowersBegonias, Phlox, Coleus, Impatiens, Dicentra, Fuchsia





http://www.whiteflowerfarm.com/07-annual...
Reply:Impatiens


Begonia


Fuchsia
Reply:hydrangeas
Reply:How about toad Lillie's or may apples? Toad Lillie's are purple, and may apples are white. And Jack-in-the-pulpit?
Reply:Please try hardy cyclamen. I planted them about two years ago, and it blooms in spring.
Reply:Most of the plants that grow in full canopied forests are adapted to light before the leaves break so will bloom before the canopy fills in. Some of these will do quite well on the north side of buildings where they get only indirect light all day if their other growing requirements are met. Most of them will need moisture by regular watering.


Some like ephemerals, plants that go dormant during the dry season like tulips or shooting star (Dodecatheon meadia), vary widely in their light requirements. Tulips are out, as are iris, as they need full sun but shooting stars might work. Look at bleeding heart, ferns, lily of the valley. Solomon's seal or any of the Polygonatum family might work well.


Sweet woodruff blooms white and is fragrant, Vinca (periwinkle), Oxalis, and Kenilworth ivy (this is a trailing plant Cymbalaria muralis with no relation to English ivy) are possible ground covers.


I grow Aegopodium podagraria 'Variegatum' or variegated gout weed with oxalis and sweet woodruff under my fir trees, in sandy soil, by adding lots of compost and watering. Mixed in are trilliums, ferns, hostas, clumps of cyclamen, Jack-in-the Pulpit and mouse tails (Arisarum proboscideum), and merrybells. I live in zone 7 so summer heat is not serious, my problem is the drought during July and August every year. So ephemerals like the shooting stars, trilliums, and merrybells are great then the ground covers help keep the soil moist and cool while the ephemerals go dormant. I mulch them at the end of every winter after the rains to replace whatever is leached out.





For very early color in an ephemeral I like Ranunculus ficaria but note this is considered invasive in parts of the country. I have 'Brazen Hussey' and another cultivar with cream flowers against green and silver figured leaves. Neither have colonized beyond the immediate area I put them. Then the gout weed is supposed to be invasive also but in the shade under the trees they just do nicely.


http://www.plant-identification.co.uk/sk...


http://www.paghat.com/ranunculusficaria....
Reply:That's quite alright not being a fan of hostas, seeing as how they don't flower......





Lily of the valley


Blue bells


Bunchberry


Forget-me-nots


Shooting star


Christmas rose


Wake robin


Pansy


Impatiens


Foxgloves


Daylily


Salvia


VincaWhite Teeth

What flowers grow good in Colorado?

I want to plant flowers and I was wondering if anyone knows any flowers that grow well in Colorado? A list would help. Thanks

FlowersBirthday FlowersSympathy FlowersI'm not the gardening type but I have several lavender plants in my front yard and they grow very well.affiliate reviews

Growing Grass and Flowers (High Altitude and Desert like conditions)?

I live in what we call a high desert. I am above 6,000 feet and it rarely rains. I haver some grass but most of it is brown and scarce. I am allowed by my city to water 3 times a week. What kind of seeds should I buy?





I have some bald spots right by the house and I want to put some flowers there. What are the best kind of flowers to put there? It would be sunny all day. I don't want anything really expensive or hard to keep up as this is my first time planting flowers. Thanks!

FlowersBirthday FlowersSympathy FlowersHere are some good suggestions


http://www.vvwater.org/guide/shrubs.htmSoles

What flowers grow well indoors @ during the winter?

Are there any flowers that grow well indoors? It's difficult to grow them outside during the winter season, so I would like to plant flowers I can start out by growing indoors then when the weather gets better it will grow outside.

FlowersBirthday FlowersSympathy Flowersi would definely reccomend amarillys,they are big bulbs,they have beautiful flowers,and you can gro them inside in the winter from october to the end of april,in fact i have one in my house wich i planted a week ago and is staring to came out,they take from 6 to10 weeks to bloom,this is more like an indoor plant
Reply:vines are good indoor plants.i have several vines,cactus's,african violets,and bamboo plants - ivy too. they all do well in doors.
Reply:most flowering plants need more light than you can get indoors without special grow lights. violets will but I find them picky about water, temp..ect. vines or foliage are a better bet for indoors
Reply:I keep my geraniums blooming all year round they are outside all summer and come in the house in the fall I allso have coleus but when they start blooming I take the buds off (when the plant starts blooming the plant thinks it is the end of it's season so after it starts blooming it will die) so I enjoy the plant for the great colors.www.poetry.com

Planting flowers on my sims for nintendo DS?

how do you find ashley on my sims to go to her flower shop. i found what looks like a flower shop, but when i try to go inside, it says, it looks like nobody is living here. what do i do now?


10 points for best answer!

FlowersBirthday FlowersSympathy FlowersWell okay... first you have to go to the Mayor... As you are talking to the mayor, out of nowhere, a redhead girl with a pink shirt pops out of no where( that's Ashley) and interuppts the conversation. then she'll say something about flowers and she'll run off. after that, that's when you go to her flower shop. I hope that helps! Have fun!hairstyles hair style

What am I doing wrong with my flowers?

Okay, every spring my daughters, my husband and I like to plant flowers.


This year, we have gotten Marigolds, Impatients, Pansies, and a couple of others.


We also planted sunflowers that are about the only things that are coming along nicely.


The Marigolds, I was told are very hard to kill, but they are dying, nonetheless. All of the half blooms are drying up and falling off, and we water everything daily. The soil is nice and moist and we have mixed flower food into the soil as well.


The pansies are a disaster. There are no longer any flowers left, but the stems are all nicely green and healthy. The Impatients are going the same road as the Pansies, and I am getting very frustrated.


I know I am not the best, and generally have a blue thumb as opposed to a green one, but I was assured all we picked out were very hard to kill and that all would be fine in direct sun as we have little shade here.


Any suggestions would be great.

FlowersBirthday FlowersSympathy FlowersPansies do not like hot weather. and if you are watering everything daily.. you might be watering to much... if you marigolds are drying out and dying.. are the leaves drying too? or just the blossoms? because some flowers you need to dead head before lots of blooms come back.


Petunias and dianthses work well in direct sunlight. good luck!
Reply:Try not to water so much. Pinch back the marigolds, and they will thrive. They won't grow as full unless you deadhead the spent blooms. Don't feel bad about pinching them back, you can dry out the seeds and use them to plant next year! :) Good luck!
Reply:Sounds like something is having a good meal. Spray with soap and water, Than throw a little Epsom salt in there. Water in well. You should see mine after I gave them Epsom salt,WOW! I'm going to have to trim them back!
Reply:mabey ask a gardener at a near-by staore. remeber to water them though but not to much or to littlle
Reply:You might be overwatering them. Daily could sometimes be too much, especially if they are planted directly into the ground. It usually retains its moisture much longer then pots. My container plants that are in direct sunlight for 8 good hours of the day, only need to be watered every other day.





Impatients are shade lovers from what I know. And Pansies I don't think like the heat, always seem to do better in the spring or the fall.genealogy mormon

flower

What flowers can grow well in a rock filled flower bed?

I want to make a rock filled garden but i wanted to plant flowers in it also. what flowers do well in rock gardens?

FlowersBirthday FlowersSympathy FlowersAdd moss rose to the list.
Reply:The plants that tolerate the reflected heat of rock or gravel mulch are generally known as Mediterranean plants. Many herbs are Mediterranean, like Rosemary, Thyme and Lavender. There are shrubs like Vitex and Cistus, and trees like Olive and Fig and that are considered Mediterranean as well. One warning, though: the soil needs to be well-drained, with sharp sand mixed in for the Mediterraneans to survive, especially if you live where rains can be plentiful, even if not that way every single year. In poorly-drained clay soils they will slowly, or quickly, decline and finally die.
Reply:I would say, first plant the flowers and then arrange the rocks after the flowers are big enough. Or, if yr. not willing to wait this long, i would choose more large, sturdy flowers perhaps some grown from bulbs, like tulips or lilies. Rose bushes would definitely do as theyre already above the ground surface, but then all the foliage might cover up your rock display. maybe you should just get some of the flowers that are already grown that come in the little six packs and plant them, then place your rocks around them.
Reply:Succulents like sedum and stonecrop, they do well in stony dry soil.genealogy mormon