Planting the Perfect Flower Mix

Beautiful flowers can add just the right touch to your garden. They can set the right mood or impress friends and family. They may even inspire widespread envy throughout the neighborhood. Your possibilities are endless, but the trick is to know enough about the flowers to experience the benefits. Choosing flowers can be fun, but there are a few things to keep in mind.

Know the Seasons: Traditionally, spring is the best time to lay those seeds. Be careful to wait at least a month after the last frost before you begin. Summer planting may be fine for cooler regions where temperatures never rise above eighty degrees, but this is usually not a good time for planting in most areas. Many people consider planting in the fall, so they will have a head start come spring. Some flowers can and should be planted in the fall, but not all.

Keep Everything Under the Sun: Sunlight is important. You will find some flowers that do well in the shade, but most thrive in partial or full sun. Find the sunny side and start digging. Try to plant the seeds as close to a water source as possible. Most flowers will be fine with natural rain water, but a well-placed hose will come in handy for the occasional dry spell.

Weed Out the Bad Stuff: A clean flower bed, is a happy flower bed. Remove weeds and excess grass from the area before you plant. If you have a small area, a rake or hoe should work fine. If there’s a lot of ground to cover splurge on a rototiller. Keep things tidy with the occasional weed pulling session.

Use The Right Soil:  Choose a good flower mix soil and either spread it on top of your flower beds or till it into the existing soil. 

Time to Plant: Mix the seeds for your soon to be flowers with a bit of sand and scatter them directly on top of the soil. Lightly compress into the soil, but don’t bury them. If the area is small you can walk on them to pack them down. You can use a seed roller for those more expansive areas. Water until just moistened. After that, they should do well with rain water.

Posted on behalf of:
Green Brothers Earth Works
680 Franklin Rd, SE
Marietta, GA 30067
(770) 590-8220

 

Purchasing Soil For Spring Planting

Spring is in the air, making thoughts turn to planting your flower pots and vegetable gardens. The basic component of any successful planting endeavor is the correct soil for the job. The soil used to grow a tasty tomato in a garden compared to the soil in a potted plant can be very different. Before getting out your gardening gloves, you need to head to your local landscaping supply store to do some dirt shopping! 

Potted Plant Soil

If you are buying soil for potted plants, there are three main choices you will encounter: all-purpose, premium and seed-starting. For most house plants, an all-purpose soil will work fine, although certain types of plants like cactus and violets have blends which are specifically designed for them. Premium potting soil has fertilizer added, and can be used for most types of indoor and outdoor potted plants. For plants starting from seed, a seed-starting soil is recommended. 

Outdoor Garden Soils

The type of soil you need for building a raised garden bed or to add to your existing garden will depend on what you are growing. Typical gardening top soil is similar to the dirt that would be found in the ground, with a mix of different soils to create a balanced base for your garden. Depending on whether you are growing flowers or vegetables, you may need different levels of pH in the soil you purchase. 

When it comes to planting, starting with the right soil can make all the difference in the end result. Talk to the experts at your landscape supply store for advice on choosing the right soil for what you plan to grow, along with what fertilizer and other soil additives that you may need.

Posted on behalf of Green Bros. Earthworks