Spring Is Around The Corner - How is your Garden?

Spring is in my opinion the most wonderful time of year for the gardener. You can shake of that winter weariness and get ready for a new gardening season.

The most difficult part of spring gardening is trying to manage your impatience. Don't start digging around too early. The soil must be dry enough to have it fall apart when you pick it up. When it still sticks together like glue that's definitely not the case.

Early spring is the best time of year to change (parts of) your garden design. You can transplant existing shrubs and perennial plants before they begin to leaf out. This also is the time to prune your trees and shrubs. Cut back the remaining dead foliage from last season and remove dead, damaged or diseased branches of trees and shrubs.

And then flowers! That's really what spring is about isn't it! There are many that are suitable for cool spring weather. Think of sweet alyssum, some snapdragons, stock and sweat peas. You can also start some perennials like hostas and daylilies.

Start some Violets, Marigolds, Carnations, Geraniums and Impatiens inside to transplant to your flower beds in early spring. Or if you have some space left in your garden you can set up a "Cold Frame". Ready-made cold frames are available in different sizes. A cold frame "captures" the spring sunlight and warms the soil it surrounds. That way it is ideal to "harden off" houseplants and transplants for your summer garden. You can use the cold frame for direct seeding as well.

If you have unplanted areas in your garden a great spring project is to lay out landscape cloth on that unplanted area. Landscape cloth is an excellent weed barrier. It comes in different weights, heights and fabric choices. This cloth can then also serve as a great map to precisely plant your transplants.

Weeds start to grow very early but still have shallow roots in spring so get them out when you spot them. Getting on top of the weeds now means a lot less work in summer, and I'm sure that digging out weeds in the burning sun in not your favorite pastime.

These two measures will definitely intimidate your perennial weeds to the extent that they will prefer your neighbor's garden over yours.

And most of all enjoy your spring garden, watch it grow and blossom into summer!

About The Author
Anita Johnston is an enthusiast gardener and one of the authors of http://www.gardening-guides.com and http://www.lawnmower-guide.com/.

Spring Flower Gardening

Spring is the time when nature and your garden awakes and comes alive after the long winter. That first spring flower or that first green leave is the sign that winter in coming to an end and that a new growing season has arrived.

Spring and Flower gardening is almost synonymous. Spring is the time to interplant perennials, shrubs, roses and plant or transplant your annuals.

It's time to shape up your soil, loosen the mulch around your plants and prune your early blooming shrubs. Rake and remove leaves and debris from your garden. Without a good planting medium your flower garden will never be at its best.

Perennials will save you a lot of work in your flower garden. So keep perennials high on your list. These hardworking beauties eliminate yearly replanting and will still give you that spring and summer color that you are longing for. It's best to choose varieties that don't need a lot of staking or frequent division. Notorious sun lovers are daylilies, sedium, and speedwell. Plants like hosta, fern, sweet woodruff and columbine feel more at easy in the shadow.

Flower Bulbs add a splash of color to your spring garden. "Sprinkle" some crocuses, daffodils, and of course tulips between your flower beds. Flower bulbs are almost essential in a spring flower garden. If you haven't planted them last spring make sure you do so coming fall.

An important part of spring gardening is getting on top of the weeds. Most weeds are fairly easy to control when you start taking them out from early spring on. At that time they still have a shallow root system and because they haven't bloomed yet they haven't reproduced either. Taking care of them in spring will pay off big in summer.

Spring, its really the growing season, and for a gardener its perhaps the most beautiful and promising time of the year.

About The Author
Linda Jenkinson is the leading author of http://www.gardening-guides.com/ and http://www.lanwmower-guide.com/.

Springtime and Your Orchids

Cattleyas

With warmer temperatures and the sunlight increasing spring cannot be far away. This is when many cattleyas bloom. And as you know, cattleyas are the known for their fragrance.

On some of the plants you may see a yellow sheath which is protecting some of the buds. This sheath can be removed to allow the orchid to bloom. Be careful when it is removed so the bud isn't damaged. You will be rewarded with a wonderful flowering orchid.

Light in the spring will play tricks on us. It is nothing to have bright days following a day of rain. With the bright days comes a chance for the plant to become "sun-burned" and damage the looks of the orchid. It is advantageous for the cattleya to have some partial shading so this can be prevented.

With the days getting longer this means the plants will require perhaps more watering and also will need more fertilizing. It should be done every week with a weak solution of fertilizer. What is meant by weak? Instead of following the directions for full strength, cut the fertilizer used in half. This gives you a half-strength solution which can be used weekly.

Once the season has past for the winter bloomers you should re-pot if it necessary. For orchids re-potting need only be done every 2-3 years. To see some examples of these orchids go to: http://orchid-store.orchids-plus-more.com/Cattleya-Orchids.html

Phalenopsis

This is the month you will see your phals be at their peak for blooming. There are wonderful displays of wide arching phal and the blooming can go on for over a month with the flowers staying for 2-3 months. Now is when you will need to do some careful staking of the spikes. It will not only help the plant but will display it so the flowing arches looking fantastic.

Remember again, more water and fertilizer are needed during the blooming season. The plants metabolism really revs up during this budding time.

Diseases are another potential during the blooming season. Especially, mealy bugs and scales. This may be spotted by the slimy exudates they leave on the branches. Treat these early so they don't destroy the flowers or the treatment doesn't harm the flowers.

Paphs / Lady Slippers

For our paphs, especially those that are summer bloomers, it is a good time to see if they need to be re-potted. Also, check for disease on these orchids. Mealy bugs are the most frequent visitors. It is great time to treat the plants. Most plant lovers set up a time, usually weekly or monthly to thoroughly look at the orchids for any sign of disease. If you do this on a regular basis your plants will certainly be able to treated early and easily.

The longer light of the day gives more energy to paphs. You will see the spikes develop and the buds start with the help of longer days. It's great to see how these wonderful orchids grow in front of your eyes.

About The Author
Robert Roy
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