Starting a flower garden has several advantages. In this article, I’ve outlined five important reasons you should begin a flower garden today, so let’s get started!
1. Ideal for pollinators (bees and butterflies)
Bees and butterflies love the flower garden. These beautiful insects are an important source of nectar used as food. In obtaining nectar, they unknowingly collect pollen from the plant’s stamen (male reproductive organ). Then, when they moved on to another flower of the same type, they deposits the pollen on the pistil, which contains the female reproductive organs (called the ovaries). This pollination process is essential for agriculture and food production, allowing plants to bear fruit and produce seeds. Without pollination, we couldn’t grow crops, and the world would be in trouble. So be kind to the bees!
2. It’s cheap
A flower garden at Thistle Downs
One of the nicest things about planting a flower garden is how inexpensive it is. One of those pastimes where you can spend money on ostentatious tools and artificial flowers is gardening, but you don’t have to. Being a bit thrifty may help you save money.
Use the tools and equipment you have in your workshop or garage. Your equipment has a small impact on the outcome of your garden. When you’re just starting, an old mouthpiece will work just as well as a fancy new one with a molded handle you saw in a magazine.
Also, be creative with your pots. I prefer repurposed items for planting rather than plastic garden center varieties. I love how the flowers look when planted in an old tractor tire or barrel. It adds a wonderful character to the farm.
Finally, save money by spending time. Seeds are much cheaper than starter plants. You’ll haved to put in a little more effort to get started and transplant them, but if you’re willing to put in the work before it’s time to plant outside, you can save a lot of money and grow exactly what you want!have
3. Limit the appeal
Birdbaths are a beautiful centerpiece in our flower garden.
That’s easy. A well-tended flower garden is a great way to beautify your home and create a warmer, more welcoming atmosphere. This lets people know that you are proud of your home and community.
4. Environment friendly
The Thistle Downs Farm has a flower garden.
Planting a flower garden is very advantageous for the environment for a number of reasons. The first reason is that flowers create chlorophyll when they undergo photosynthesis. The first explanation is that when flowers engage in photosynthesis, chlorophyll is produced. During photosynthesis, plants absorbed carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and release oxygen. By doing this, CO2 emissions are decreased, and clean, oxygen-rich air is produced (however small the effect).
Flowers also contribute to the ecology of the garden by stabilizing the soil with their roots. As a result of the roots acting as a scaffold to give a subterranean framework, soil erosion is decreased. For environmental sustainability and land preservation, this is a serious issue.
5. Health benefits
Planting a flower garden also has several health benefits. First, gardening is an excellent exercise, especially for middle-aged and elderly people. Parkas help with parkour strength and flexibility due to the required bending, lifting, and stretching. Digging, weeding, watering, and edging is great exercise!
Next, gardening may strengthen your immune system. You are exposed to common bacteria and microorganisms while working with or near dirt. As a result, your body might produce antibodies to strengthen its immune system. So don’t be reluctant to dirty your hands!
Finally, gardening is fantastic for your mental and emotional well-being. The vibrant hues and alluring aromas of a flower garden may uplift your spirits and induce relaxation.
Therapeutic effects of gardening. Gardening can act as therapy for traumatized people. People may work through concerns associated with traumatic occurrences and enhance their mental health by cultivating something.
For those who have had physical or mental trauma, gardening may be therapeutic. Taking care of a plant may provide victims with an opportunity to work through their issued and heal their wounds, whether they are little or severe. Their mental health is improved by gardening, which also helps them get ready for recuperation more effectively. Gardening is a therapeutic activity that may be used to improve rehabilitation patients’ psychological well-being and assist them in overcoming obstacles. psychological issues that might be preventing you from recovering.
Plan your garden and choose the plants
As a budding gardener, you can choose a variety of color schemes or garden styles. Your first priority should be to have a healthy collection of plants that give you lots of colors and make you happy.
Start by listing the plants you already have or are sure you want to buy. While it’s tempting to include dozens of different types of plants, limiting yourself to just a few will make your garden look cleaner and more organized. Include plants with heights (short, medium, and tall) and flowering times (early, medium, and late).
Perennial gardens often include several annuals for color in all seasons. Many perennials have a specific flowering time (peonies in late spring, mums in late summer), and many annuals (zinnias, impatiens, cosmos, cleome) bloom continuously from summer to fall.
Bulbs play an important role in any flower garden. Autumn-planted bulbs (tulips, daffodils, garlic flowers) bloom in spring, long before other plants begin to bloom. Spring-planted bulbs (dahlias, cannas) begin flowering in mid-summer and peak in late summer and fall when most other flowering plants begin to wither.
Easy perennials for beginners: rudbeckia, echinacea, daylilies, sedum, peonies, astilbe, hosta, sheep’s ears
Easy Annuals for Beginners: Zinnias, Petunias, Alyssums, Cosmos, Coleus, Marigolds, Nasturtiums, Sunflowers
Easy bulbs for beginners: daffodils, tulips, muscari, alliums, dahlias, cannas, Liatris
Once you have your list of plants, create a simple planting map, placing the tallest plants in the back and the shortest in the front.
Plant your garden
Transplanting is stressful for plants, especially if it’s sunny, windy, or hot. For best results, plant your garden on an overcast or rainy day when the wind is calm. After transplanting, it takes 3 to 4 weeks for the plants to establish new “feeder” roots that allow them to absorb water and nutrients. During this time, they are prone to sunburn and dryness. You can ease the transition by covering the new plants with garden fabric to protect them from sunlight and dry winds.
Assuming the soil is already well prepared (see above), take your planting map out into the garden and place your plants on the soil surface where they are located. Try to stay out of the garden to avoid soil compaction. Once the plants are in place, dig a generous hole for each plant, about twice the size of the root ball. If you are planting bare roots or bulbs, follow package directions for planting depth.
Gently loosen the potted plant from its pots and place it in the center of the planting hole. If necessary, mound the soil so that the plant is in the garden at the same level as it was in the pot. Fill the hole so that there are no large air pockets, and lightly tamp the soil around the roots. After you’re done planting, water slowly and deeply so that moisture flows into the root zone.
What to expect from your new flower garden
During the first growing season, keep your plants healthy and learn about their habits.
Many perennials only flower once each summer, specifically during the growing season. Lupines and peonies, for example, bloom only in early summer. Asters and ornamental grasses bloom only in late summer. That is why it is advisable to choose perennials with different flowering times.
Expect newly planted perennials to take at least a full year to become established. Some peonies and clematis can take 2 to 3 years to mature. Bare-root perennials get off to a slower start than potted plants but usually make it to the end of their first growing season. Annuals grow quickly and fill your garden, while perennials take root. Most annuals start flowering in early summer and last until late summer as long as you keep them watered and fertilized and remove spent flowers.
Flower bulbs planted in the fall, such as tulips and daffodils, will bloom the following spring. Some will return as perennials year after year (daffodils, crocuses); others should be treated as annuals and replanted each fall (tulips).
Bulbs that bloom in summer and are planted in spring, such as dahlias, cannas, and gladioli, are generally considered annuals, while Liatris and cold-tolerant crocosmia often act as perennials.
Taking care of your flower garden
During the growing season, you’ll need to spend a lot of time getting to know your new plants. You will also need to water, weed, mulch, fertilize and cover.
Watering An established perennial garden rarely needs watering, especially if you choose plants that adapt well to your climate. But in the first growing season, care must be taken so that they do not dry out. Depending on the climate, it should be watered once or twice a week. Keeping the mulch on the soil surface minimizes moisture loss.
