GARDENING TIPS

Choosing your annuals
If you plan to buy your flowers from a nursery or a home store, choose your plants carefully. Looking for deep green healthy plants. Trying to fine plants not to tall & spindly or to compact. Annuals tend to do better if not blooming when planted. Keep your plants in a shady spot & watered until you can plant them.

When to plant
Your young annuals shouldn’t be planted until after the danger of frost and the ground temp has warmed from the winter months. Hardier plants may be planted in early spring as soon as the ground can be worked up.
 
How to plant your annuals
Before Planting keep your plants watered. Remove plants from the pots gently trying not to disturb the root system. If the roots are compacted loosen them, but gently. Dig your plant hole approximately twice the size of the root ball itself. Carefully tamping the soil back around the plants, watering well until plants have established themselves.

Fertilizing
Annuals bloom better when fertilized. In general you should fertilize once every 3-4 weeks during the growing season, using a liquid plant fertilizer. But over fertilizing could cause a build up of salts in the soil and result in damage to your plants.

Watering
Watering approximately 1 inch per week should be sufficient. Hanging basket plants will need more water sometimes once a day during hot summer days. Watering deeply into the root system is the key. Short shallow waterings again promote shallow root grow.

Sun or shade
Most annuals like 6 hours of sun a day. Most like a partial shade of a filtered sun setting.

Mulching
Mulching 3 to 4 inches deep will reduce weeds, keeping soil moisture in the ground and making your landscaping more attractive. Mulch will however deteriorate over the year. New mulch will need to be added each year, usually in the spring to keep your landscaping more attractive.

Pruning
Most annuals perform better and are healthier when the faded flowers are pinched back and removed- this is called Deadheading. This will keep your plants more attractive and actually promotes new growth.

Planning for fall
Cut back your Perennials & Annuals when they begin to loose their fullness. Old blooms can pinched off and yellowing or browning leaves trimmed back.

Bulbs
Plan now for where you want to plant them. Most bulbs arrive in late August to September in stores to be planted in the fall. 

Landscaping
Fall is a great time to plant trees, shrubs, or to split up your overgrown perennials or to plant new.

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