Growing a garden with brilliantly colored, fragrant flowers is a point of pride for many homeowners. As you look down the street and see everyone’s nice handiwork, it doesn’t take long before you begin to desire a garden of your own. How do they stay so beautiful all year long? How much work is involved? How do you know which flowers to choose and whether your soil is healthy or not? There are many points to consider, but don’t feel overwhelmed. There are many sources of gardening advice available on the web.

Before you begin growing a garden, you’ll need to learn about the growing zone you reside in. A great place to begin is the National Gardening Association’s site, which will inform you which hardiness zone you reside in, in addition to which plants are most appropriate for your particular weather conditions. In the bottom left-hand corner, you’ll notice an area for “Local Guides,” where it is possible to pick your state and your city to find out which vegetables and flowers you are able grow, about tending to your garden and cooking from your garden. These tips can make it easier to begin considering what types of flowers you want to grow.

Those with not much gardening know-how will sometimes prefer to transplant annuals that have previously been grown in a nursery. You might also try container gardening from seed as an experiment. Many people garden almost entirely with containers and place all of them next to each other, with the effect being a complete garden and not just the individual containers. Ensure you learn which annuals will endure in hot or cold conditions, thrive in poor soil, have a brief bloom period, can be planted in the autumn and are ideal for your soil type.

If you’re up for growing a garden that is a bit more challenging, then you can try perennial flower gardening. Perennials will last up to five blooming seasons, although their blooms are generally more short-lived than annuals. It’s important, then, to plant a variety of different flowers and select flowers that bloom in different seasons. In the spring, try pasque flower, crocus, daffodils, Virginia bluebells, creeping phlox, iris reticulata and lungwort. For late spring/early summer blooms, try peonies, bleeding hearts, columbine, Siberian iris, German iris, dianthus, lamium, baptisia, coreopsis, coral bells and salvia. For summer, try yarrow, purple coneflower, black eyed Susan, daylilies, Indian blanket flower, tall border phlox, penstemon, bee balm, boltonia and hosta. For the fall, try toadlily, windflower, Japanese anemone, assorted sedums and assorted asters.

A gardening expert will tell you that soil preparation is the most important part of growing a garden successfully. Without the proper nutrients, aeration and soil composition, your flowers will surely flop. Each flower has different soil requirements, whether it is acidic or alkaline, so it’s best to test your soil before you begin so you know what you’re dealing with. For instance, marigolds, verbenas and calliopsis will tolerate acidic soils, whereas impatiens, zinnias, nasturtiums and candytufts prefer a more neutral, alkaline soil. To ensure that your soil drains well, you will need to assess whether your soil is composed of clay, sand or loam. You’ll need to add a mixture of compost and manure to your soil, working it down about 4 inches to create a healthy ecosystem for your plants and their beneficial microorganism pals.

Your house may be beautiful, but if the surrounding property isn’t well maintained, it ruins the whole effect. What you need is some landscaping gardening ideas that will help you create the perfect setting for your home. Visit the Landscaping Ideas site to learn more.