Perennial Flower Seeds

Madeleine Giddens asked:




Every keen cook or budding gourmet knows that the right combination of herbs can make or break a meal. Most herbs are at their best when they’re ultra-fresh. Growing your own can give you a year-round supply of the tastiest herbs at a fraction of the cost of buying them at the grocery store, but how do you keep your herb plants at peak performance?

For many perennial herbs, the key to getting the best flavour lies in choosing the right variety. Once you’ve done that then it’s a case of planting it in the best possible position, and scheduling in regular maintenance. Gourmet herb gardening is not for the lazy – treat your plants well and you’ll reap the benefits in improved harvests and flavour.

Thyme

Thyme is one of the key perennial herbs to plant in a gourmet herb garden. Fresh leaves are great used in all meat and cheese dishes, and can even be added to salads. Choose a variety with grey leaves – they have the best flavor – and give it a sunny, well-drained spot with lime-rich soil. Thymes are low growing and make a great edging for paths and borders. Keep your thyme on the dry side – don’t feed or water it once it has established, if it’s planted in the soil.

Cut thyme plants back just before they flower to encourage a new flush of fragrant leaves; you can dry the trimmings for use through the winter. Aim to replace your plants every few years – they can be divided in spring to rejuvenate them. Although you’ll get the best flavour from thyme planted in the ground, it can also be grown in pots.

Chives

Chives bring to life egg and cheese dishes, and can also be snipped into salads. You can grow your chives from seed or divide mature plants in spring. Chive plants love rich, moist soil in a sunny position. Their big purple flowers are a magnet for bees – but letting your plants flower will shorten your harvest season, so have more than one plant and cut some back before they flower, and some afterwards, for a continuous supply of fresh leaves.

Young chive plants grow larger, more succulent leaves, so take the time to divide your plants every 2 or 3 years in spring. Regular trims are also in order. Chives can be dried for winter use, but a better option is to grow some in pots – they respond well to being forced indoors during the colder months.

Marjoram and oregano

Marjoram and oregano are essential herbs for Italian food aficionados. Different varieties have different hardiness levels. The hardy marjoram can be divided in spring, but the tastiest oregano varieties are much more tender and best grown as annuals, from seed.

These Mediterranean herbs love open positions, lime-rich and well-drained soil and plenty of sun. They grow well in pots, and in fact the most tender oreganos are best grown in pots so that they can be moved under cover when necessary – but they must always be kept in the best light available. For the best flavor, don’t over feed or water these plants – they’re used to tough conditions.

Mints

There’s a huge range of mint varieties available, each with a unique flavor. They’re all invasive and best kept strictly under control or grown in containers. Don’t plant mint in among your other herbs – its rampant roots will quickly force them out. Mints prefer different conditions to most other herbs anyway – they love moist soil and are shade tolerant.

Although mint flowers are great for wildlife, flowering changes the flavor of the leaves. For a gourmet experience, cut the plants back before they flower. And don’t plant different varieties too close together – their flavors will mingle. For the tastiest leaves, don’t be too generous with either water or feed. Mint leaves are best used fresh, but this is another herb that responds well to being potted up and brought inside over winter.

Rosemary

Rosemary adds a touch of heaven to meat dishes, particularly roast lamb, and barbecues. Although there are several varieties to choose from the flavour is the same and so, for once, you can choose your plant for its aesthetic qualities! A well-grown plant in a warm position will keep you in fresh leaves year-round.

Well-drained soil is essential; lime-rich soil is preferable. If your rosemary bush is growing in the soil then there is no need to water or feed it once it has established. Pot-grown plants will need occasional feeding and watering, but be sparing. The only other maintenance required is a light trim after flowering. For a real gourmet treat, try adding a few young leaves and flowers to salads.

There are many more herbs worthy of a place in a gourmet herb garden. Whichever ones you choose, remember to pick a variety regarded for its flavor, give it the best spot possible and regular care. Then simply sit back and savor your harvest!

Michael Floren asked:




With the future threatened by global warming looming in the air, there is no time better than the present for growing thyme. Gardeners replenish valuable nutrients back into the earth to help save the planet. Gardening has been, ‘going green’ long before it was cool!

Thyme, Thymus vulgaris, is a hardy aromatic herb of the Mint Family. These herbs have been cultivated since time began. (Pardon the pun.) The plants bloom small fragrant flowers to add a decorative border to gardens. Thyme has tiny sweet leaves bursting with a combination of lemon and mint flavors that are used for seasoning.

Growing thyme

Sow the seed indoors in a sunny location in early spring. Growing thyme is as easy as child’s play. In fact, you could include your children in gardening activities. This will start another generation on the right path to protecting our environment. After the root-ball is established, it is time to take it outside, for the real fun to begin!

This herb grown outdoors prefers full sunlight. Thyme is not too picky about soil requirements (I told you it was going to be easy!) and a light, sandy well-draining bed will do fine. Growing thyme in dry, lean soil produces more fragrance and flavor in the herb.

It is not healthy for you or the plants to use harmful garden chemicals. Plants have an immune system that naturally resists pests and diseases. Make your own natural compost from kitchen waste or buy organic mixtures.

You can use cornmeal as an insecticide. Mulch with straw to take care of the weed population. Grass clippings and trimmings from trees and bushes can be recycled for mulching.

Thyme requires minimal plant food. Overfeeding is a danger when growing thyme. When fertilizers are washed away, it ends up polluting our important water system. Fertilizer runoff contaminates drinking water, and kills marine life.

Using low phosphate, earth-friendly fertilization when growing thyme, feeds the plants without harming the balance of nature.

Water on a regular schedule when growing thyme and avoid saturating the ground. The number one plant killer is over watering. By conserving water, you save gallons of water, time, and energy. Thyme is a ‘drink responsibly’ type of plant. Take advantage of its requirement for less water, and put down that hose!

Growing thyme invites birds, bees, and butterflies to your garden. These wildlife visitors are nature’s pest control.

For maximum yield throughout the season, do not let the growing thyme flower. Thyme harvest is mid-summer, just before flowering. Simply snip a few stems for harvesting. Allow a few months growth, when growing thyme from seed, before cutting. Thyme can be harvested well into the winter.

Thyme’s minty flavor is tasty in soups, stews, and meats. Saut?ed and baked vegetables have a naturally sweet taste when flavored with thyme. Bake fish with sprigs of thyme for a mouth-watering meal.

Use recycled landscape materials instead of purchasing new, when making plans for growing thyme in the garden. Gardening is a worthwhile project for the entire family. It provides us with fresh air, exercise, healthy food, and more ‘green’ in our wallets!

“There can be no other occupation like gardening in which, if you were to creep up behind someone at their work, you would find them smiling.” ~ Mirabel Osler

Terry Blackburn asked:




CHOOSING PLANTS AND FLOWERS

This part of lawn design can be lots of fun, unless you are allergic to flowers and plants. Assuming you are not, it is time to visit the gardening center to pick out your new plants, flowers, shrubs, and more. While you can do this at any time during the year, you should plant the majority of your lawn plants during the late winter and early spring months so that they will have time to grow a little and settle into their new home.

The first time around, you should talk to the experts at the gardening center. Armed with your soil analysis report, your own personal preferences, and money, you should be able to get some straight answers quickly without having to read the backs of all the plants.

When choosing your plants and flowers, you should be concerned with color, height, and durability. Common plant and flower types include:

Shade plants

Perennial and Annual flowers

Moss plants

Climbing plants

Fruit trees

Herbs

Mum plants

Be sure to find plants and flowers that will survive in your lawn’s soil. This is very important. If you do not want to spend hours trying to adjust the pH of your soil, buy plants that will adapt to it. This will also save you money. Many hearty plants such as mums and shade plants can survive in different soil types.

You should also consider the following:

Size of the lawn

Placement of plants

Region where you live

Other decorative ornaments
Time

Size of the Lawn

The size of your lawn can determine much. You do not want to overcrowd your lawn with stuff. This is unattractive and will suffocate everyone who visits your home, not to mention the plants and flowers.

Kathy Burns-Millyard asked:




Blue flowers are some of the most striking plants around and can add a rich splash of color to any garden. Plant them in a cluster of all blue or mix them in with other flowers for a rainbow of color.

When planting flowers, it is important to remember to follow the instructions on the tag for the plant. Always buy plants that will thrive in the conditions in which you intend to grow them. A plant that loves sun won’t do well in a shady area and you will only be disappointed with the results.

When planning your garden, be aware of the bloom time of the flowers. Planting perennials with different bloom times near each other will insure a garden that has blooms all season long. Remember also to plan for the height of the plants, putting the taller ones in the back.

Below is a list of favorite blue flowering plants that you might want to consider for your garden:

Polemonuim, Blue Pearl – A compact plant with deep sky blue flowers that grows to 10″. It blooms in late spring to early summer. Plant in partial shade and in well drained soil.

Blue Sea Holly – This dramatic plant has a lavender blue cone like flower with long spiked petals. It grows to 30″ and is a favorite for dried flower arrangements. Plant in full sun – blooms in mid to late summer.

Delphinium, Butterfly Blue – Bright blue delicate flowers adorn this plant that blooms in early to mid summer. It reaches 10″ tall and prefers a sunny location with rich moist soil.

Campanula, Blue Carpet – Bright blue to lilac colored flowers bloom for weeks in the middle of summer. This low growing perennial grows to 4″ and prefers full sun with well drained soil.

Penstemon, Blue Buckle – This plant has tubular shaped blooms in blue to purple and flowers in mid summer to early fall. It grows to 15″ and likes well drained soil with full or partial sun.

Hydrangea, Nikko Blue – Gigantic clumps of blue flowers adorn this shrub for most of the summer. In the fall, the flowers turn a golden color. This plant is a new variety that prefers rich soil but will grow in shade, partial sun or full sun.

Vinca – Medium blue flowers and glossy green leaves form a carpet that grows to about 6″ tall and blooms in mid spring. This plant will grow in most soil conditions, in the shade or sun.

Ajuga, Bronze Beauty – This short bushy plant has spikes of blue flowers that grows quickly. Great as a ground cover or in raised beds. It blooms in spring and prefers a shady area.

Scabiosa, Butterfly Blue – A bushy perennial with lavender blue flowers that bloom from June to October. This plant likes full sun and attracts butterflies and hummingbirds.

Verbena, Babylon Blue – Blue purple flowers petals adorn this plant that blooms in early spring. Great for window boxes and planters.

Cheryl Hanlon asked:




You will find that there are many different kinds of wild flowers; however, they do come in perennials, annuals, and biennials. You will want to consider what you can do with the wild flower and how you can use them to make your yard look fantastic. You will want to keep in mind that these perennials are planted by seed and they tend to not bloom the first year. You may get a flower bud here and there, but you are not going to get the full garden that you are looking for. They will then grow after their first winter.

The reason why the plants will not bloom is because they are saving all they got to survive the first winter. Then the plants will continue to grow and grow and grow. Some times the growth will become uncontrollable. Every year they will continue to spread and you’ll find yourself with a yard full of these flowers. There are some plants that will die after three or five years.

These types of flowers are ground covers and also they are great to have in the yard because they don’t require a lot of attention or need. These flowers are sweet alyssums, primroses, conflowers, Forget-Me-Nots, certain poppies, and certain daisies. You’ll want to keep in mind that there are many more different types of flowers to plant. You’ll love the fact that they come in all sizes and also they come in all colors. This way you’ll be able to build a wonderful garden.

When it comes to planting these flowers, you’ll start at seedlings. You will want to pick an area of your yard that needs some color and life. There are many ways that you can use the flowers to enhance your landscape. Keep in mind that they look nice up against the house. They also look good off to the side of your landscape plans. Sweet Williams and other ground covers make an ugly hillside wonderful. You’ll want to consider the flower and how you would like to use without feeling that you need to place them in a traditional garden. Ground covers are greatly used to enhance land.

You’ll want to not only plant wildflowers that are perennials, but you will also want to consider the many different types of wildflowers, even if they are annual. The best part of perennial flowers is that you don’t have to worry about the garden coming back to life the next year, because they will come back naturally. You’ll want to have wildflowers in your garden and in your yard because of all the wonderful, natural beauty they will bring to your front or backyard.