Wednesday, December 16, 2009
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Letters | Opinion | Editorial | Weekend Report |
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Planning your flower garden for the new year As the old year comes to a close, it's time to start planning how your garden will look in the new year. With a number of factors to think about, don't wait until the last minute to make decisions that will result in a colorful garden or patio by using flowering plants. Site selection: When choosing the place to put flowering plants in your garden, you must choose a site where you will enjoy them most. Since flowering plants enjoy sunshine all or more than half of the day, they will not enjoy being under trees. There are different kinds of flowering plants from which you can select from to decorate your garden, porch or patio. Using annuals: These are fast-growing plants that can complete their life cycle from a seed to flower to seed again, in a single year. Examples are aster, balsam, begonias, calendula, candyturf, celosia, cornflower, larkspur, marigold, nasturtium, petunia, phlox, pansy, salvia, snapdragon, verbena and zinnia. Using perennials: These plants have a life cycle of more that two years. These plants have soft stems which die down to soil level in fall and reappear in spring each year. Examples are daylilies, delphinium, iris, bearded iris, peony, oriental, poppy, phlox and primrose. Using biennials: These plants have a life cycle which extends over two years. The first year, they develop their foliage and produce flowers. In the second year, they produce seeds and then die. Examples are foxglove, Canterbury bells and hollyhock. Using bulbs: These plants grow from thick, fleshy underground food storage buds such as tulips, gladiolus, tuberous begonias, narcissus, caladium, cannas, crocus, hyacinth, pansy, daffodils, dahlia and lilies. Purchasing seeds and seedlings: You should visit your local nursery and see what seeds, bulbs and seedlings are available for you to purchase. You should examine the seedling to see that there are no insects on them. Decorating your porch or patio: To establish a flowering garden on your porch or patio, you should use flower pots, redwood tubs or constructed boxes, and place the flowering seeds or bulbs which you have purchased from the nursery. In these containers, you should use a potting soil mixture that includes moisture-retaining peat moss and vermiculite. Wooden containers should be painted on the inside so as to make them waterproof. Herbs for flavor and scent: You should put these plants where they are handy to pick and sniff. They are easy to grow in full sunshine with good and not highly fertilized soil. You will enjoy the scent of parsley, sweet basil, sweet marjoram, chives, dill, mint, savory and tarragon. Remember that the flavor of herbs is in the oil contained in tiny glands in their leaves. Since the oil content is highest as plants begin to bloom, it is the best time to harvest.
Planting guide for November Flowers: Alyssum, African daisy, aster, calendula, baby's breath, candy turf, carnation, celosia, dianthus, gaillardia, hollyhock, lupin, marigold, nasturtium, pansy, periwinkle, petunia, phlox, painted daisy, Queen Anne's lace, shasta daisy, sunflower, snapdragon, stocks, Sweet William, sweet peas and verbena. Vegetables: Beans, beets, broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, celery, collard, cucumber, garlic, leek, lettuce, okra, onion seed, onion set, parsley, peas, radish, spinach, squash and tomato. Grasses: Bahia, Bermuda.
For help with your garden problems, write to: Garden Korner, P.O. Box N-3011, Nassau.
Tuesday, November 17, 2009 |
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