Flower transplants have gone up in price in the last few years and with the economy struggling you may want to cut back on flower garden prices.

photo credit: Jiaren Lau

There are several ways to cut costs but still have a beautiful flower garden. I have always had the thought that if you save money in one area in the garden, you can spend it in another . So saving money may actually get me more flowers in the long run!

Cost cutting tips for the flower garden

• Easy to grow annuals such as marigolds, zinnias and poppies are easy to start from seed and have many colors and varieties available. Often these seeds can be found in the low cost section of seeds for less than 40 cents. Start the entire package and trade flower with your neighbors. (One package usually will supply more plants than you need.)
• When the danger of frost is gone, direct sow your seeds into your garden bed. Just make sure you have all the weed roots out of the garden so that weeds will not get a head start over the flower seeds. (I often will start some of my seeds in pots early so that I can set out plants and have flowers faster.)
• Trade seeds with a neighbor to cut back on seed packet costs. Your neighbor may also have extra plants or perennial plants that they need to find a home for.
• Mix in vegetable with you flowers. Swiss Chard, cabbage, gourmet lettuce varieties are all pretty and will add interest to a garden area. So will pepper plants and tomatoes.
• Herbs are also easy to grow and have pretty foliage and flowers. You can add those to your flowerbeds too. Basil plants come in all sizes and colors and would add to any garden and to the kitchen later as spices.
• Sunflowers come in all sizes and colors. They are easy to grow and add color and brighten up any garden area. They also make great cut flowers.
• Buy plants towards the end of the season for discount prices. Just make sure they are still healthy.

Tip: Make sure to deadhead any flowers for a constant supply of new flowers.

You may also check out the seeds available at cheapseeds.com.

And toward the end of the planting season flower seeds will be on sale. If stored properly (in a cool dry place) they will be fine to plant the following year. I also store seeds in glass jars to protect them from moisture and mice)

You may want to collect seeds from you flowers from this year’s garden to plant next year.

And even though flower transplants have gone up in the last year one pack of flowers will bloom the entire summer so actually that’s not a bad price for a summer of color, flowers and enjoyment in your backyard.

Technorati Tags: flower gardening, flowers, frugal flower garden tips, frugal gardening, save money on flowers

This is the time of year when I think of starting poppy seeds. Many people will prepare the ground outdoors in the late fall, sprinkle seeds and wait for spring and watch for growth in their poppy patch. I tend to forget to get my poppies started in the fall and have to wait and hope for a break in weather to plant poppies.

photo credit: dijey bobo

Note: If You allow poppies to go to seed and don’t disturb the soil in that area your poppies should reseed themselves.

The Poppy is a form of wildflower in the Papaveraceae family with many well-known varieties. The California poppy has the bright orange while my area is best known for the red flowered poppy. Other colors include white, pink, yellow, red, or blue bowl-shaped flowers of 4 to 6 petals.

There is also a form of poppy, the opium poppy, that is illegal to grow in most areas.

Most poppy flowers grow one per stem, and they come from very tiny black seeds. Poppies exist in annual, biennial and perennial varieties, and they are usually considered relatively easy to grow.

As an experiment I am also going to grow a few poppies indoors this year. I also planted my poppy bed outdoors this week (March 11th). You can never have too many poppies or any flower for that matter.

Growing Poppies Indoors

There is some debate on whether poppies can be reliably grown indoors and even why you would want to. The perennial poppy tends to need a full cycle of dormancy that the seasons and regular days and nights provide. Indoors the cycle is much harder to recreate.

So if you are starting poppies indoors use small peat pots with a few seeds in each. This will give you a better chance of viability. It will also help to locate the pots in different areas of the home or greenhouse. Germination for poppy seeds usually takes 20 days.

Poppies are a hearty, drought-resistant plant that prefers full sun but cool temperatures. This can  be a challenge to recreate indoors. Regulating light and temperature for germination can be difficult indoors, so you might want to sprout the poppy seeds outdoors and bring them inside after have fresh growth and look more like a miniature plant. That would be 3 to 4 inches tall. I am going to try starting the poppies both ways and see which works the best.

photo credit: sleepyneko

Once the poppy plants have growth place them on a windowsill that receives a southern exposure. A southern exposure will help them get the natural sun they need to grow to their potential.

I plan to place the poppies in the sun room and use unique pots and possible driftwood behind the plants. I think it will emphasis the delicate look of the blossoms.

Caring for Poppies Indoors

Once established poppies will grow quickly given the right conditions. They should receive full to sun to partial shade, but not be exposed to sweltering heat.

Their soil should be slightly acidic and well drained. If growing indoors set the potted plants on a drainage tray with pebbles.  And general-purpose fertilizer should be applied once each month to accelerate growth and keep the plant healthy.

Note: I use a compost tea for most of my plants; I find it to work the best.

Depending on the variety, poppies will bloom 65 to 90 days from planting.

A with most flowering plants pinching off mature flowers helps promote new blooms.

If you plan to harvest seeds, allow the flowers to die and dry. Cut off the seedpods and let them to dry completely. The seeds will separate easier from the seedpod once thoroughly dry.

Note: if seeds are not totally dry they will mold and the germination capabilities of the seed will be ruined.

Technorati Tags: growing poppies, growing poppies indoors, indoor plants, poppy growing tips

Red corn poppies are one of the easiest annuals to grow from seed. And if you are a poppy fan the bright red flower is a must for your backyard flower garden. Theses brilliant red tissue paper flowers will bloom from spring until the first frost, if you remove the older blooms.

photo credit: athos[hun]

Red poppies will easily re-seed themselves giving them the illusion of being a perennial. Just make sure at the end of the growing season you let a few blossoms develop a seed head. Once the seed head dries crush the pod to help distribute the seeds.

How to plant red corn poppy seeds

Prepare the soil where you are going to plant your poppy seeds by removing all grass, weeds and other materials. Work the soil so it is loose and remove the larger stones. Note: Sandy soil is excellent for growing red corn poppies in. In my clay based soil I add a lot of compost and a little sand to create a soil the poppies like.

Surface sow the red corn poppy seeds in early spring or in the fall after a frost. Red poppy seeds need light to germinate, so do not cover the seeds.

Once you weather has improved in the spring keep your area you planted the poppy seeds in moist but not soggy. Your seeds should germinate in 10-15 days. Once the seedling have started to grow and reach 2 inches tall you will want to thin them. Thin the plants to 6 to 8 inches apart.

I move the small transplants to another area of the yard and replant them. They will do well but after being moved they will blossom slower than the ones that were not moved.

Keep your red poppies watered and they will grow 18 to 24 inches tall. De-head the poppies as the flowers die off to keep a constant supply of flowers.

Red poppies are beautiful in the gardens but being such a delicate flower they do not last once cut. They simply don’t work in floral arrangements for this reason.

If you like the look of the poppy and want to have them indoors you may want to grow a few as indoor plants. For more information read  how to grow poppies indoors.

Technorati Tags: annual flowers, annual poppy, Backyard Flower Garden, growing poppies from seed, growing the red corn poppy, red corn poppy