13 Ways to Maintain a Healthy Flower Garden

18.01.2021 FOOD & GARDENING 0.0 0

maintain a healthy garden

Has having a beautiful flower garden always been your dream? Now is the right time to make that dream come true. Having gorgeous flowers in your garden requires some maintenance. However, proper maintenance for a healthy garden should rely on gardening knowledge.

But what if you don’t know many things about flowers and plants? All you should know is that flowers need proper nourishment to grow and stay lush. How can you achieve that? Here are 13 ways that can help you maintain a healthy flower garden.

1. Prepare your garden

Before you decide to plant anything in your garden, you need to prepare it for the flowers. Choose a spot in your yard that gets enough sunlight. Make sure that it’s not too close to the street and that it can’t be ruined by by-passers and their pets.

Once you’ve chosen an adequate place, it’s time to prepare your garden. Rake the soil and make sure to remove the stones and leftover roots. In addition to that, weed out your garden completely to enable free growth to your flowers. After that, choose a quality soil to add to your garden to make sure that your flowers will get all the necessary nutrients they need.

2. Use quality soil

Did you know that there are good and bad types of soil for growing flowers? Even though it seems like nature will find its way to grow even through the hardest terrains, you have to keep in mind that garden plants are more sensitive. If you want your flowers to bloom and grow, you need to use the quality soil.

Before you purchase any soil and flowers, make sure to ask the professionals what kind of soil will be adequate for your garden and for the flowers you're about to buy. In addition to that, you will need to replace the soil from time to time. If you don't want your flowers to be deprived of vital nutrients, quality soil is essential for their growth.

3. Make sure to choose adequate flowers

Do you know what kinds of flowers do you want in your garden? Many people choose their flowers by colour. And even though the technology has advanced and we can grow tropical plants in not so warm climates, you still need to know what kind of environment is suitable for each flower. What must you consider?

The first thing you need to have in mind is the climate. Is your place overly sunny, rainy or cold? Choose your flowers according to that. Some flowers thrive in rainy environments, while too much rain can be dreadful for others. Therefore, choosing the right type of flowers sets you on the right path towards a healthy and easily maintained garden.

4. Space is vital when planting

When you purchase grown flowers, they usually come in pots. Before you decide to cram them all together on a small portion of land, think about their size in a month or two. Many plants and flowers continually grow, not only in size but their roots expand as well. That's why you need to think about the space when planting your flower garden.

Even though planting flowers really close together may look prettier at first, soon they will suffocate each other, and all your efforts would go to waste. Therefore, if you want to maintain a healthy garden, space is vital when planting.

5. Provide enough sunlight

You probably know that sunlight is the main source of energy for plants. That’s why you need to make sure that your flowers get the needed amount of sunlight each day. However, not all plants need an equal amount of sunlight daily.

For instance, indoor plants need around 1 hour of sunlight. On the other hand, flowers in your garden might require a lot more sunlight to survive. Therefore, you need to provide enough sunlight for your flowers. How can you do so? One of the main ways to ensure enough sunlight is planting your garden on a sunny side away from the tall trees and buildings. By removing and avoiding blockages, your plants can grow healthily.

6. Apply fertilizers

Besides sunlight, your flowers and plants get necessary nutrients from the soil. Over time, the soil can deteriorate in quality and lose the needed nutrients which keep your flowers healthy and blooming. Once you notice that your flowers don’t look as lush as before, it’s time to apply fertilizers.

When applying fertilizers to the soil, make sure you use high-quality, liquid ones. They are usually organic and GMO-free which will keep your flowers growing naturally. Make sure to follow the users' manual before applying. Too much fertilizer can wither your plants causing further problems.

7. Pest control

Pests are usually a very common reason why many flowers and plants die. Even though you can't control nature, you can look out for some of the most frequent pests in gardens, such as bugs, whiteflies, mites and gnats. The prevention methods could include installing barriers and traps and regularly weeding your garden.

However, no matter how hard you try to keep the pests away from your garden, you might notice that they did attack your flowers. In cases like these, it’s crucial to use the right kind of pesticide to get rid of the pests and save your flowers from withering and dying.

8. Disease prevention

Just like any living creature, plants are prone to diseases as well. Besides pets, fungi, viruses and bacteria are some of the most common reasons why plants in gardens die or wither. To have a healthy garden, you need to prevent possible diseases from occurring. How can you do so?

Sadly, plant diseases are quite common in gardens. To prevent the fungi from spreading to your flowers, manage the watering system. Too much water can cause damp soil, ideal for fungi development. If the diseases do happen, make sure to use the correct virucide, bactericide or fungicide, depending on the cause of the disease.

9. Deadhead them

Do you know what the deadheading is and why is it essential? It’s the process of removing the dead flower heads from your plants. This encourages growth and blooming. Just like you need to have your split and dry ends cut often, your plants need to be deadheaded. Besides encouraging the growth, this process keeps your flower garden looking neat and tidy.

How can you deadhead your plants? You don't need to be an expert to perform this procedure. Simply use your fingers and pull the deadheads. In case there are many deadheads, speed up the process by using a shearing tool.

10. Weed your flowers often

Have you noticed a large amount of weed in your garden? Even though you may think that it’s not a big deal, weed can seriously jeopardize the health of your plants. Weeds “steal” resources that keep your plants healthy and alive, and use them to grow further, completely taking over your garden. Would you want that to happen?

So, don’t be lazy to weed your garden frequently. Besides saving your plants from withering and dying, it can help your flowerbeds look tidier and nicer. If your flowers are planted in the ground without pots or vases, you can use a pick or a hoe to get rid of the weeds. Do this every week to maintain a healthy garden.

11. Use clean tools

Even though using the right kind of tools is essential, making sure that the gardening tools you use are clean is even more important. Why? Well, believe it or not, dirty gardening tools can make your flowers wither and dry. How is that possible? Through the transmission of various bacteria and diseases that affect your plants.

What can you do? Before you weed and tend your garden, make sure to properly clean your gardening tools. You’d need to remove the rust, leftover debris and disinfect the tools to be able to maintain the healthy flowers. For easier and more convenient tool cleaning, use larger containers filled with chemicals. That will ease the process and minimise your physical effort.

12. Water regularly

Naturally, besides sunlight, every plant needs water to survive. However, unlike green plants in your garden or home, flowers should have special watering schedule set. Some flowers need to be watered more than once during the day, while other types of flowers don’t require as much water. You should keep that in mind while choosing flowers for your garden.

If you only want what’s best for your flowers, you also need to choose a high-quality hose for watering. Only the best hose reel will provide you with easy flower watering without complications and tangles. Just mount your hose to the wall and access the entire garden by pulling the desired length. After watering, simply pull the hose back to its place.

13. Pet-proof the garden

Last, but not least, one of the most important things you need to do to maintain a healthy flower garden is pet-proof it. Your little fur babies might enjoy digging through the soft soil and bringing back the flowers as gifts without realising they are doing harm to your garden. How can you pet-proof your garden?

You can’t constantly watch over your four-legged friends while they are outside. However, you can design a dog-friendly garden and keep your flowers safe and healthy. One of the best things you can do is separate the areas designed for flowers and the one meant for your pets. Teach your pets from the beginning what the no-no areas are. That’s how you’ll manage to keep your flowers blooming and healthy.

Conclusion

Maintaining a healthy flower garden can be tricky if you don’t know where to begin. Hopefully, these 13 tips and ways to maintain a lovely garden will help you get on the right track. Keep in mind the characteristics of the flowers you’re about to plant and follow your florist’s advice on how to take care of them properly. A healthy garden is a beautiful garden.

Written by Patrick Adams

About the Author

Patrick Adams is a freelance writer and rock-blues fan. When he is not writing about home improvement, he loves to play chess, watch basketball, and play his guitar. More than anything, he loves to spend his time in his garage, repairing appliances and creating stuff from wood.

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