Gardening Services Guide

Archive for the ‘General Gardening Tips’ Category

It’s a good idea to get yourself on a few catalog mailing lists, or subscribe regularly to a few of the most important flower gardening catalogs; there are a number of catalogs on the Internet, so you can also surf the web and bookmark those catalogs that you particularly like.

Though many catalogs do give general information about flower species and their needs, if you’re new at flower gardening, you really should check out a gardening encyclopedia or a general book or website before you do any ordering; don’t depend on the flower gardening catalogs to give you all the details and explain gardening terminology (which could make understanding the catalog near impossible).

Before you dive into catalog ordering frenzy, make sure you’re aware of a particular flower’s sun, soil, and water needs, its height and width at maturity, and when it should be planted. If you want to try your hand at starting a garden from seed, you should know if the seeds you need to order should be directly sown or started indoors; if you’re ordering a plant that has already started growing, you should know if it will arrive bare-root or potted.

Make sure you understand the symbols that flower gardening catalogs use. Symbols are a shorthand way of describing what a particular plant requires, but they vary from catalog to catalog. It’s obviously important to know what it is you’re reading.

If you’re a beginning catalog gardener, don’t go overboard your first time ordering products. Start small and easy, see how that goes and gradually progress to more complex flowers and maybe larger quantities (obviously, if you have the space).

Things are slightly different if you’re a gardener that has already dabbled in the world of flower catalog gardening. If this is the case, take advantage of the variety found in flower gardening catalogs and try to order new things as often as possible to try them out. That said, though, don’t buy something just because it is new and different; no matter whether you’re a new or veteran gardener, you should always pause and think about how a new order will fit into your garden, if at all.

If you choose to order plants, make sure you go with a company that’s been in the business for a while. Seedlings need to be very well taken care of during shipping or they will arrive on their last legs and have a good chance of not surviving; companies that have been around for some time usually know just what to do to ensure that your new friend arrives as healthy as possible. If the company is experienced at selling and shipping seedlings, you’ll most likely get smaller plants that will arrive at the perfect stage for planting and will have quite a long life ahead of them.

Also, find out if the company grows its own stock or resells someone else’s stock. Definitely go for the company that grows its own products; you can call the company to find out this information. If the catalog doesn’t have a phone number for the company, maybe it’s best if you don’t’ order from it. Before ordering anything from any catalog, make sure you shop around both for prices of products and for reviews on the companies from which you’re planning to buy.

Keep a list of everything you order from flower gardening catalogs; before placing next year’s order, go over your list and see what worked and what didn’t. Don’t make the same mistake. To help in this task, take pictures of your garden at regular intervals; this will help you analyze what grows well and it will also remind you what you need to order more of.

You have decided to take up home gardening, even though you have never done it before. You’ve seen some of the beautiful gardens your neighbours have grown, and you feel that if they can do it, so can you. Well, you’re absolutely right. Successful gardening isn’t magic, and there is no such thing as a “green thumb” that naturally makes one person a better gardener than another. But here is the best home gardening tip you can get: before you start, talk to those neighbours who have beautiful gardens. Those gardens didn’t get there by magic, but they didn’t happen by accident either. No doubt every gardening neighbour will have a good home gardening tip or two for you.

Successful gardening isn’t rocket science, but it does require a certain amount of knowledge and planning. You can’t plant just anything and expect it to grow and thrive. You have to know what will grow well in your climate and in the type of soil you have. If you are a beginner, you will also want to know which plants are the easiest to grow successfully. Once you have had some experience, you can graduate to more challenging species.

You can find a home gardening tip for just about every gardening problem in books. You don’t have to spend s lot of money on gardening books. Your local library probably has a very good selection of first rate gardening books. They provide all the information you need on selecting plants, preparing your garden and purchasing gardening tools and supplies. They will explain all about soil nutrients, chemical and natural fertilizers, and how to control diseases and pests. They will tell you about mulches, compost and irrigation. Do you want your garden to be child-friendly? Do you want to keep animals out of it? Do you want your garden to attract birds and butterflies? You can find the answers in books. There are also magazines available at the library, through subscription and on the Internet, that can answer many of your questions.

The next place to go if you need a good home gardening tip is to your local nursery or gardening centre. The staff there know their business from the ground up and the roots down. They are the same people who have been supplying and advising your neighbours with the “green thumbs”. They can advise you on seeds, bulbs, planting, pruning, lawn care, and every other aspect of gardening. They will also have all of the extra accessories that give gardens character: statues, water features, sundials, and other ornaments. And you can always ask for the latest home gardening tip.