To have a thriving flower garden, the work doesn’t stop once you’re done planting. All plants, but especially flowering plants, need ongoing attention and maintenance to get the most bountiful blooms and healthy plants. There are several things you can do to care for your flower garden to make sure it looks beautiful all year round.
Here are some tips for caring for your flower garden:
It’s very easy to over-water your flowers. Too much water can make plants unhealthy and lead to other problems like fungus and brown spots. While every plant has different needs, it’s good to let the soil dry between waterings to avoid drowning your flowers. It’s also best to water directly onto the soil rather than get water on the leaves or blooms. While there’s nothing wrong with a healthy shower now and then, too much water on leaves and flowers can cause wilting and mold growth.
Weeds use up the resources your flower garden needs to thrive. They can also cause crowding in the soil and suffocate plant roots. It’s important to keep up with and remove weeds that grow in your garden so they don’t have a chance to spread. Always pull weeds from the roots so you don’t leave any of the plant behind. You can also use various chemical solutions to prevent or kill weeds, but be careful that what you choose is safe for pets, humans and the local water supply.
The success of every plant begins in the soil, which is why it’s crucial to take good care of it. Beyond making sure you’re using the right soil for your choice of plants, you can maintain a healthy growing environment by adding mulch and fertilizer. Mulch helps retain moisture, supplies extra organic material and can help create a barrier against weeds. Fertilizer adds additional nutrients to the soil plants need and depending on the plant, can even help trigger fresh growth or bigger flowers.
While it might seem counterintuitive to cut off parts of your plants to help them grow, both pruning and dead-heading are essential to the health of your plants. Dead-heading is removing “spent” flowers that have turned brown or wilted. Use clean, sharp pruners to cut off the entire bloom at the stem for a fresh start. This will usually encourage the plant to branch out, which might result in more flowers where you only had one.
Pruning is more about creating space and maintaining ideal size and shape. If you notice plants get “leggy” or long, cutting off the longer stems or leaves will signal the plant to grow denser rather than spread out. Pruning also helps protect the plant from harsh seasonal changes and prepare for a brand new growing season.
This may seem like a long list of tasks, but you can do most of your flower garden maintenance in the same step. You may also have plants with varying needs and blooming schedules, so things like pruning and dead-heading won’t be an all-season chore. Regardless, giving your flowers consistent care and proper maintenance will help them thrive and provide you with vibrant, beautiful results.
