Monday, April 20, 2009

I love flower gardens but I don't have a green thumb. I really don't have any know how on where to even begin

I have managed to plant 3 miniture rose bushes but I am amazed that they are still living because I haven%26#039;t taken good care of them. I have two nice areas to plant flowers but there are a lot of small rocks in there. That I think is what is really stopping me. I have a lot of health issues and it is hard for me to get down and pick all those rocks out. I just love petunias, tulips and lilies but until I can tackle this I will never have a garden. I know it is too late this year, can anyone tell me where I begin and how to do it? I want you to know I appreciate your answers in advance.

I love flower gardens but I don%26#039;t have a green thumb. I really don%26#039;t have any know how on where to even begin
Can you pay someone to clear a wide line or circles ?





Do you have a volunteer group in your area or a CASA group that has volunteers to go over for a few hours and do things like this?





I would leave a good bit of the rocks in unless they are overwhelmingly in the dirt so things can%26#039;t grow. They will prevent weeds.





Instead, plan where you want clusters of flowers, plant ground climbing flowers or ivy. Just don%26#039;t let the ivy get out of control. Shamrocks are pretty, too.





Add 1 or 2 large boulders to create more of a rock garden, garden stepping stones, a garden reflection ball, bird feeders, or add birdbath, a garden flag, or other concrete figure.





A St. Francis of Assisi statue, Bonsaie trees, a water pond with koi fish and water lillies and small waterfall, are other considerations. A water fountain coming from the middle of the pond is pretty, too.





If you have a large enough area, a wooden tier with dirt can produce quite a few strawberries. A domesticated blackberry bush, a blueberry bush, a hydrangea bush, are nice.





For now, I would wait for the mums to come in and set out a bale of hay (or small one), fake Fall leaves, and preplanted mums in pots. For the upcoming holidays, buy flags for the garden flag pole/holder, or lighted garlands for the pole holding the birdfeeder.





Pound short %26quot;rebars%26quot; {the metal rods put in concrete for support} or camping spikes into the ground to support the potted mums or other things. I have also driven a straightened coat hanger wire through the pot into the ground IF I was lucky enough that the ground was not hard.





If you get someone to help, think about this idea, too. Put a short, hollow pipe into the ground several feet. The pipe needs to be large enough to set a painted metal %26quot;tree%26quot; with only limbs on it. So look for the tree first. I%26#039;ve seen them in hobby shops and discount stores . It should look like a natural, unevenly branched tree. White, brown, or green is a good color to spray paint it. Set the tree up to hang red and pink hearts on for Valentine%26#039;s Day, plastic Easter eggs on, patriotic things for Memorial %26amp; Labor Day and 4th of July, attach a scarecrow to it for Halloween and Fall (along with your hay bale %26amp; mums), pumpkins %26amp; bunched corn stalks for Thanksgiving, lights for Christmas, - oops sorry, any Jewish holiday items if this is your denomination. You can take the %26quot;tree%26quot; out of the hole and put it up.





Flip through magazines or get on the computer to scan for landscape gardening or landscape flowers for ideas. I love walking through greenhouses and places like Home Depot or Lowe%26#039;s for ideas to pop in my head. I bet you will, too!





I hope this helps, because I would love for you to have fun decorating and watching nature grow !





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If appropriate, I like arbors or a bench of iron %26amp; wood or concete/stone/marble.
Reply:First of all, let me clear something up. Flowers are colorblind (LOL) they do not know if your thumb is green or purple!!!


Do not fret! You can still have plants this year, but instead of putting them into the ground, how about planting them in pots or unusual containers, in the area you want to see flowers? Many places still have flowers you can use to create a wonderful watercolor of color!! Maintenance is a snap. You can water AND fertilize at the same time by using Miracle Gro...





For next year, consider a raised bed garden concept. It would be beneficial to frame it in this fall. You can go to Home Depot and ask them to cut pressure-treated railroad tie wood to size for a frame. It is heavy, but once in place will hardly move. For extra security, you can buy wooden stakes and pound them into the ground on the outside walls of your garden to hold the wood in place. You can also use steel rebar. (Again, Home Depot sells it and MAY be able to cut it into 2 foot sections for manageability). Then, again in the fall, lay about 7 layers of newspaper inside your frame. Water it till soaking wet. Add leaves, grass clippings and a couple of bags of hamster bedding that is 100% pine shavings. Cover with a couple of bags of compost/manure and lastly, lay black plastic garbage bags over the area. You can anchor these with wire hanger pieces that you cut. This will allow all these wonderful organics to %26quot;cook%26quot; over the winter. Invest in a GREAT gardening tool called a %26quot;Garden Claw%26quot; that you can get from Home Depot. In the Spring, remove the black plastic. Using the Garden Claw, till the soil amendments well add more topsoil and compost until the garden is the depth you want and you are ready to plant!!
Reply:It sounds like with your rocky soil that you might be in a dry area? My first thought is for you to look for low maintenance plants, ie: flowers that don%26#039;t need dead-heading, pruning or any other special needs. The types of plants suited for you will strongly depend on your planting zone......or where you live in North America. Your local garden center would be very helpful to talk to, or even a local library to look for helpful books. The winter months are a great time to read about different varieties suited for you soil type and climate!
Reply:Without knowing where you live, it is hard to recommend specific plants. My best suggestion would be to stop by a local greenhouse, and talk with them. Tell them the same thing you said here. They will be more than happy to help you and encourage you. If they aren%26#039;t helpful, you don%26#039;t want to buy from them anyway!





Good luck! I have black thumbs myself. LOL
Reply:lWillow had some good ideas. I have a few more. Contact your county extension agent%26#039;s office. They should be able to put in touch with someone who can give you advice. If you can afford it, you might try to hire a young person to give you a hand. Rocks aren%26#039;t always a determining factor in growing flowers. I%26#039;d start small first. Those dwarf roses may be a good start. Another kind of rose to look for is %26quot;Earthkind%26quot;. There are several varieties and colors of Earthkind roses available. Knock Out is the most popular. These are roses that require almost no care if care is taken planting them. Maybe you could plant a few petunias in pots to enjoy. They would be easier to take care of that way. Even tulips can be grown in pots and some lillys.





I don%26#039;t know your whole situation but maybe some of these suggestions will help.



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