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Guide to Plant Your Own Summer Flowers

Are you fascinated with flowers that you can’t get enough of them just by looking and/or buying from flower shops? Well, I think it’s about time that you make and care for your own flower garden – that way you can sit all day and relax watching the blooming flowers in your garden. Summer flowers are and bedding plants are perfect in adding interesting look to your lawn.

Normally, summer flowers start to bloom in garden centers in the early spring, but make sure to plant only after the danger of freezing weather has passed. Summer flowers produce the best blossoms if you buy those that are ready to plant rather than those from seeds. You may find selecting the best summer flowers to be implanted in your garden a bit complicated, especially if you are just starting to make your flower garden for the first time. But with a little help from simple and effective tips, you can have the best garden in your neighborhood. Refer to the following suggestions to properly choose the right flowering plant for your flower bed.

If your garden is in direct sunlight for the most part of the day, might as well select the summer flowers that are heat resistant and hardy kinds of plants such as marigolds, zinnias, and petunias. Be aware in choosing for heat resistant plants as some of them are prone to diseases like marigolds. Always remember that if any of your plants have disease, pull them out the soonest possible time to avoid infecting the other plants.

If your garden is in partial or full shade, you might consider summer flowers such as begonias, impatiens, and vinca as they all come in an array of colors and grow well in shady areas. You should also know that in choosing for particular color affects your garden as well. For example, flowers with red colors will look larger and closer, blue brings the illusion of smallness and distance. Planting for only one color of flowers is enough to attract attention. But if you want variety of colors, which for me is cool, then make sure that the colors of the flowers compliment each other.

Now, the most important thing you have to do to make sure that your garden will yield lovely summer flowers is to prepare the area where you want to put all the flowering plants, which you have spent a lot of time to carefully select. The preparation does not only end with clearing and weeds and cultivating, but also it requires fertilization. Fertilize your plot before planting and all the way through the entire first month after planting. Have your plants drink water everyday in order for the roots to get proper nourishment. Try using mulch to cover your flowerbed for the purpose of moisture preservation. Also, don’t over fertilize your flowers. Just follow the direction on the package.

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Styling A Bonsai

The most crucial factor in growing a bonsai plant is the art of styling it. While styling a bonsai is a very subjective process, there are actually some principles and techniques to follow which will help you come up with the perfect “look” for your bonsai.

Styling a bonsai can be done in any of the five basic techniques: “chokkan” or formal upright; “moyogi” or informal upright; “shankkan” or slanting; “kengi” or cascade; and semi-cascade.

Before styling a bonsai, figure out which side is front and which one is back. Take a look at all the styling techniques, and figure out which one you would like your bonsai to have. Remove surface soil to know where the root starts and how large the trunk is before the first branch.

Get rid of dead leaves and wood using a pointed pair of scissors. Also, remove any leaf that may have grown at the lower end of the branches. Make sure that the side you consider as the bonsai’s front should have its first major branch standing around 1/3 towards the top of your tree, either to the right or left side. When styling a bonsai, it is important that you can see much of the trunk from the front. There should be no branches or roots that will come straight at you.

The branches are special elements in styling a bonsai. Thus, it is advisable that you choose which ones are best to use in your design. Most beginners tend to preserve more foliage than necessary. Since you are styling a tree, not a shrub, keep in mind that the gaps found in between the foliage serve as much importance as the foliage. Since the first major branch should be about 1/3 towards the top of the tree, the next one should be a little bit above the first, but on the other side. If possible, branches should not be in the same height and opposite each other, a characteristic known as bar branch and which is not considered ideal. The third branch should again be higher than the previous one and should be located at the back of the tree. This pattern should be followed as much as possible until you reach the top of the tree. Unwanted branches should be removed and your tree should achieve a somewhat triangular shape.

Styling a bonsai does not really let you conform to strict rules. After all, art does not mean adhering to standards.