I enjoy the look of Hosta plants. They are easy to care for and work well in those shady areas that you’re not really sure what to with. And with Hostas you have a wide variety of color variations and sizes in the plants.

photo credit: teresatrimm

They look wonderful alone or as accents for other perennials and annuals. The Hosta is a perennial that can be divided to create more plants or started from seed.

Hosta seeds are actually very easy to start from seed and an advantage to this is that you can harvest a variety of seeds from many locations. If you see a Hosta plant you like in the fall and it has the long seed stem ask the property owner if it’s ok if you collect some seeds.

To collect seeds wait until the seedpod is turning brown or quite brown. Pick the seed pods and place them on paper towels to dry. Once dry split the pod and collect the seed.

Perennial seeds benefit from a cooling spell. It’s the seeds way of knowing its time to sprout. In nature this occurs with the seasons. If you collect seeds you need to give them a cold treatment in the refrigerator of freezer to create this seasonal change.

When I collect seeds I mark the variety or description of the seeds and place in envelopes once they are dry. Then I place in the refrigerator until I am ready to plant.

Planting Hosta seeds.

I use plastic trays and fill with a potting soil. Place the seeds on top of the soil. If you cover the seeds, just dust the top of the seeds lightly. (I often use peat moss for this.) A Hosta seed does not seem to need to be covered to germinate.

Lightly moisten the soil, place in a semi dark area with moderate heat and ignore. I usually see seedling in a week. Then the seedling start to sprout I move the tray to sunlight. You water these by lightly misting the tray.

In about one month I will transplant the seedling into small peat pots that will dissolve when planted into the ground.

Often times when a plant is this small I will place the plant in a holding bed for a year until it has more size and will not be taken over by small plants and weeds. (A holding bed is a raised bed that is made to hold small or weak plants so that they are protected from animals, weeds, plants, and the lawnmower.)

When your plants are bigger, its time to select their new garden location and get them planted. Or if you have a lot of plants you may want to trade them with friends for other plant varieties.

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One of the biggest time savers for care of your shrubs, trees and perennials is to save their information.
photo credit: chrysti harrison

Just because you know the shrub is a Barberry “Rose Glow” does not mean your family does. If you have someone help you in your yard or sell the house later, all the information you know about this shrub may not be known by who ever is tending your plants and the plant may suffer or die from improper care.

Its wise and only takes a few minutes at the time you buy the plant to save a plant tag or research the plant to know its growing zone and other care its will need to grow and thrive.

Information you will need:

• Climate needs
• Watering
• Shade or sun requirements
• Soil needs
• How much fertilizer
• Insect problem
• Disease problems
• Height and width
• Pruning needs
• Is it invasive?Is it poisonous?
  

When I buy a plant I check all these areas and make notes. If I know someone locally who has the shrub or tree I ask if they have any problems.
photo credit: shioshvili

I have just bought 28 shrubs and want to move 4 shrubs that I already have. I would also like to pick up a few more varieties of shrubs and replace some fruit trees that died this year. (My summer was very hard of shrubs and trees.)

I have researched the new varieties I have bought and will go out and get any nutrients I need and mulch for the new plants.

I also have perennials to divide and peonies to divide and move.  So it will be a busy fall. But I will make sure I have all the information on the new plants for future reference.

The following sites have been beneficial for me to identify shrubs, trees and perennials.

Shrubs for your home

Tree Guide

Trees

Perennials

Technorati Tags: caring for your yard, perennials, plant care, shrubs, trees

With a few simple techniques your flower garden will be healthy and beautiful. And with all gardens keeping your garden as simple as possible so that you will enjoy its beauty is the most important step to take.
photo credit: kabils

Steps for a successful flower garden

Your flower garden area must have an adequate fertile soil, sunlight, and water. If you lack any of these three important elements, your garden will not thrive. So when planning your garden select an area for the garden or containers that receive eight hours of sunlight and add fertilizer to your soil when planting. I also set up my garden near a water source or add a rain barrel near the garden are for easy watering.

Mix and Match your Flower Garden

Perennial flowers and annual flowers compliment each other. Perennials add the lush background to emphasis bright annual flowers and take less work. But annuals add vibrant color all summer long and fill in any holes in a garden area.

I also like to add a few vegetables to my flower garden area. It adds color and interest with vegetables maturing alongside the flowers. And many vegetables have stunning color and textures.

Deadhead your flowers

Deadheading is such a strange name for removing the old wilting flower head. But this simple step makes a flower produce more flowers plus it tidies up the garden area, which will cut down on insects. Just snip the old flower head off. Sometimes I use scissors to remove the old blossom.
photo credit: kabils

The last step in deadheading to remove the old flower from the garden area and dispose of in a compost bin or the garbage.

All insects are not evil

Butterflies, beetles and bees are pollinators. 80% of flowering plants rely on insects for pollination and survival. If you are not sure which insects are good or bad you can check online or get an insect book.

If you need an insect control for bad bugs, try natural insect control. It will not harm good bugs.

Insects like dragonflies and lacewings are natural predators of those insects that do the real damage, like aphids.

Birds will also control insects in your flower garden.

And last but not least, prune any dead stems and branches off your flower plants. Sickly branches do not add to the beauty of any garden and they will also harbor bad insects and plant disease.

A flower garden will add color and relaxation to a backyard or patio area and doesn’t require much room if planned properly. So add a flower garden and enjoy the color and fresh bouquets that you can collect for your home.

Technorati Tags: Backyard Flower Garden, container garden, flower garden, flowers, patio garden, perennials