Flower Gardening

Flower gardening 

 

Floriculture deals with planting, harvesting, and marketing of flower plants. It also deals with doing landscaping and maintains gardens so that areas filled with flowers will brighten up and should look aesthetically pleasing.

 

Why we plant flowers?

 

1. The main reason for planting flowers is due to its aesthetic value of flowers. Any building, office, hospital, rehabilitation center, without planting flowers and it always looks like a dead place without any beauty. Flowers give us peace, happiness, and a feeling of purity. Once you plant Flowers it makes any place beautiful and lively.

2. Flower plants have the ability to remove pollutants from the air.

3. As you aware flower leaves make food with the process of photosynthesis and during photosynthesis, plants absorb carbon dioxide and release oxygen to the environment.

3. Flower plants also reduce soil erosion and flooding.

Commercial use of Flowers

1.    There is a big demand for cut flowers and other different floricultural products in international markets and the opportunity to earn a good amount of foreign exchange.

2.    It generates employment opportunities.

 

These are some flowers plant for which there is a big demand in international markets.

These are

1. Rose

2. Carnation

3. Chrysanthemum

 

4. Orchid

5. Gerbera

 6. Lilium

 7. Anthurium

 8. Gladiolus

 

 

 9. Narcissus

10. Bird of paradise

11. Heliconia

12. Anemone

 13. Ranunculus

 14. Tulip

 15. Calla lily

 

 

Choosing Flowers

 

Selecting of flower plants depend on your requirement and liking for some specific plants. Flower plants may be selected according to their size of plants, the color of flower, fragrance, etc,

 

There are two types of flowers:

 

Perennials

These plants are perennials in nature means once you planted it, it can keep come back year after year till they matured. They do not require to be planted every year. Although these are perennial plants these plants lose their vigor after 3 to 4 years and need to plant again to exploit full advantage of these plants.

1. BALLOON FLOWER

 

2. BLACK-EYED SUSAN

 

3. BLAZING STAR

 

4. BUGLEWEED

 

5. CLEMATIS

 

 Annuals

 

Annual plants live for only one growing season, and then die off.

1. Balsam

 

2. Marigold

 

 

 

3. Cosmos

 

4. Sunflower

 

5. Zinnia

 

6. Cleome

 

7. Salvia

 

8. Portulaca

 

9. Ageratum

 

 

10. Cockscomb

 

How to plant it

 

There is two way to plant

 

1.    ON LAND

2.    IN POTS

 

ON LAND PLANTING

 

Selection of soil for on land planting

 

Any soil having a good quantity of organic matter is ok to grow flower plants. You should use compost manure while planting flower plants. Land should be free from large stones and any harmful contaminants. Land should be water retentive, having nutrients needed for farming of flowers and easy to work with.

 

Although there is no difficulty for growing plant in full sun, if the area is shaded than go for these plants:

 

1. Primroses

 

 

2. Hosta

3. Viola

4. Pansies

 5. Begonias

 6. Coleus

 7. Fuchsia.

 

If you want to have pretty flowers and also as herbs, you may consider the following:

 

1. Catnip

2. Thyme

3. Chamomile

4. Mint

5. Rosemary

 

 

6. Parsley

 

7. Dill

8. Fennel

 

Preparing the Soil

You have to dig the soil with a sharp spade and make it fine. Dig land at least up to 1 ft, level soils. There is a need to remove surface stones, weeds, and roots.

At the time of land preparation, you should mix compost in it. Organic chicken manure fertilizer is good manure for a balanced supply of fertilizers to plants.

Dig a hole

Dig the hole of sufficient size which should be at least double the size of the root ball. The plant should be lifted by the stem, not the top. Put the plant gently to the hole. Put soil back to the hole, tamp it lightly, and do watering.

 

CONTAINER GARDENING: HOW TO GROW FLOWERS IN POTS

 

There are many kinds of flower pots are available in the markets. You can use the size which you can handle comfortably. There should be holes in the bottom of pots so that any excess water will be drained out.

•     Planting mixture should be lightweight and high in nutrients.

•     You can use coco peat for making mixture light.

Buying Plants

You require enough plants to fill in the pots.  You will get plants in different sizes, you can choose any size.

How to Plant Containers

1.    First of all cover drainage hole and fill the pot about 70 % with Potting mixture.

2.    The soil surface should be below 2 inches of pot rim so that water not spill out and stay in the pot.

3.    Carefully take out plants from store-bought pots with no disturbing plant roots.

4.    Put the plants in the container as per any arrangement.

5.    Fill soil in the container and firm it with your fingers.

6.    Do watering in pots

7.    Move the container for the chosen location.

Caring for Containers

 You have to do watering as per the water requirement. In summer you may need to do it every day. There are all-purpose foods are available in the market, you may use it if you wish.

 

Pay attention to planting times for seeds.

Please always buy flower seeds from reputed seed growers and well-established companies. You have to read the details mentioned on seed packages to know how to grow this plant.

 

Mulch your new plantings

Mulching is very important to protect the moisture in the soil as well as improving soil fertility and structure in the long run.

 

Garden Maintenance

1.    Keep checking weed growth in the flowering area.

2.    Good watering encourages plants to develop deep roots.

3.    Foliar application of nutrients should be done for 8-10 times.

4.    Better to do watering in the morning to prevent fungal diseases.

5.    Please keep in mind that an overdose of fertilizers can burn flowers.

6.    Low fertilizers can make the plant weak.

Insect Control

How to Control Insects in Flower Gardens

 

All garden-loving people remember that planting, watering, and fertilizing is important but pest control equally important.

Although some insects are useful some are destructive and get out of control.

 

How to manage it

1.    Plant only healthy and vigorous plants and keep them hydrated.

2.    Plant flower which attracts beneficial insects. These plants are  Eschscholzia californica,  Lagerstroemia indica,  Mimulus aurantiacus,  Salvia greggii etc

3.    As I always against recommending using hard and harmful chemicals, it is better to control pests by biological methods so that no beneficial past killed or harmed. Impact of Pesticides and their impact on human health.

4.    Try to handpicking pests from flowers.

5.    There are some predatory insects like lady beetles that can naturally control the pest.

6.    You can prune stems or leaves showing signs of pest infestation.

7.    If everything failed to control pest as above mentioned you can use insecticides as last resort. Make sure to use it with full protection and in a limited way.

Basic gardening tools for happy and efficient home

Gardening at home is an act of cultivating and growing plants as a part of horticulture. We grow them for foliage, flowers, and fruits. Some may grow them just for medicinal interests.

 

Whatever maybe the type of intention behind developing a garden at your home, a true  gardener would never disagree with the fact that gardening requires active and regular participation, patience, care, love and it is sometimes indeed a labor-intensive job.

 

In spite of this, watching them grow is a satisfactory feeling in itself.

There is a list of flower gardening tools which every garden must have –

 

1.    Shovel

A shovel is a tool that is used for handling the litter in a garden.

 

 

2.    Trowel

 The trowel is used for digging out smaller areas of soil.

 

 

 3. Pruning Shears

Pruning shears is a manually operated garden hand tool for pruning and trimming of plants.

4.    Rake

The rake is used for leveling the soil. It can be used to loosen the soil near the flower plant base.

 

 

 

5.    Pruning Secateurs

Pruning Secateurs are used to remove infected branches etc.

 

 

 

6.    Dibber

Dibber, come in a different style and shapes and used to make a hole in the ground so that seeds, seedlings can be planted.

7.    Hoe

A hoe is an agricultural tool used to shape soil, remove weeds, and clean soil around the base of the flower plants.

 

8.    Spray bottle

. It can be used to water the plants and also to spray liquid fertilizers.

 

9.    Khurpi

This is one of the very important tools which is used to digging and leveling.

 

10.  Watering can

This the watering can is used to water the plants in such a way the flow of water slowly and even and in no way damage plants.

It is very important that you buy only high-quality tools and clean these tools frequently to avoid rusting.

 

PLEASE KEEP THESE TOOLS IN A SAFE AND SECURE PLACE SO THAT NO ONE GETS HARMED. 

 

 You will definitely be going to be happy and admire on seeing first bud or beautiful flower right at your home.

 

The author is an Agricultural professional and very much interested to promote and encourage organic farming, flower gardening, and vegetable gardening. 

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