Posts Tagged ‘Bell Shaped Flowers’

Spring Flowers :: Top 10 Picks

Spring flowers have begun to bloom now that winter is almost over and the days are getting longer…finally! Do you look forward to the awakening garden with the first colors of spring like I do?

light yellow tulips white bleeding heart crocuses and snowdrops white spring flower

After a long winter, brightly colored blooms begin to push their way up through the moist soil.

They becoming beacons of color that are soon followed by robins hunting for worms, leaves sprouting on trees, and rich shades of green that blanket the earth.

Wait, wait, wait! It isn’t spring, it is only mid-August. If you dream of having beautiful spring flowers in the spring, then now is the time for action!

August – September: Shopping and planning

Late September – Early November: Planting

Spring: The Fruits of your labor…a beautiful burst of color and fragrance!

Many of the “early birds” of spring( spring flowers ) are grown from bulbs. If you are new to planting bulbs, than you are will be pleasantly surprised because this is one of easiest ways to bring color to your garden and yard. Flower bulbs that bloom during the spring need to be planted in the fall.

You should be done about 6 weeks before the ground freezes or when the ground temperature falls below 60 degrees Fahrenheit.

Bulbs need to be planted in soil that drains well. Dig a hole and place the bulb with the pointed end facing up. Cover the bulb with soil and water well. If you live in an extremely cold climate, mulch can be placed over the flower bulbs to keep them protected during the harsh winter.

Do nothing else…wait for spring…..and enjoy the blooming color!

Spring Flowers – - Top 10 List

Flower Picture Pick of the Day

Gardening Tips:
Soil Preparation: Hardy bulbs and perennials are generally long-lived and many can remain in the same location for many years. It’s important to take a little extra time to prepare the soil before planting to ensure years of beautiful, productive plants.

Before planting, loosen the soil in your planting area to a depth of about 12 inches and incorporate some compost or other organic matter into the backfill soil. Adding compost and organic matter improves drainage in heavy and compacted soil, as well as water retention in sandy soil.

Compost also contains essential nutrients that improve the health of your plants and the beauty of your flowers. The better you prepare the soil before planting, the better your plants will grow and bloom.

1. Snowdrop/Galanthus nivalis: The snowdrop has the distinction of being one of the earliest bulbs to bloom, sometimes while snow is still on the ground! The small delicate bell-shaped flowers are white and tipped with green. They grow 8-12 inches tall and look beautiful when grown in clumps around the base of a tree or mailbox, or scattered throughout the lawn.

Since they are small, plant many of them to create a pleasing effect. The bulb will naturalize easily and prefers cool moist soil and a semi-shady or full sun location. They are a sure cure for the winter blues! Hardiness Zones: 4-8

2. Spring Snowflake: This flower is very similar to Snowdrops as it blooms in early spring and naturalizes easily in colder climates. The plant grows 6-10 inches tall and bears fragrant white bell shaped blooms.

It prefers a damp location, sandy/humus rich soil, and will thrive in full sun or light shade. It can be grown in containers, rock gardens, and of course under trees and shrubs. This easy care plant will guarantee that spring is on the way! Hardiness Zones: 4-8

3. Winter Crocus/Crocus tommasinianus: The Winter Crocus as its name implies, bloom very early in the spring. It grows 3-5 inches tall and comes in a variety of colors to include: white, yellow, purple, mauve, and bronze. The small cup shaped spring flower has 6 petals with a three spiked orange stamen. Winter Crocus prefer a cold, sun-dappled environment (needs more sun exposure in extremely cold areas) and will naturalize easily in lawns and rock gardens. These little “gems” will brighten your yard!
Hardiness Zones: 5-9

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4. Dutch Crocus/Crocus vernus: The extremely popular Dutch Crocus blooms in early spring, about 2 weeks after the Winter Crocus appear. Dutch Crocuses are available in a rainbow of colors to include: purple, white, blue, mauve, yellow, and several striped varieties are also available.

Semi-shade is appropriate in most areas but the flower does need a sunny location to promote blooming in extremely cold climates. Plant in large drifts in well-drained soil for a bold splash of color, or plant a handful under trees, in planters, or in rock gardens. Dutch crocuses naturalize very easily and require very little care. A must-have for your spring garden!
Hardiness Zones: 3-9

5. Daffodil/Narcissus: The word Daffodil is almost synonymous with the word spring. This gorgeous flower blooms early to mid-spring depending on the variety. They come in creamy white, bi-color, and all imaginable shades of yellow and gold. Daffodils grow up to 18 inches tall, are easy to maintain, naturalize easily, and can be grown indoors and out. Plant in full sun or light shade. They truly are a gardener’s best friend!
Hardiness Zones: 5-9

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Spring Flowers schedule

Plan….Buy…..Plant….Enjoy!

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5 Perennials For Shade Gardens

We all know that flowers love sunshine, but did you realize that there are perennials that love the shade?

You can create a beautiful garden in the shade that can act as a cooling retreat on those hot summer days. By using perennials, your flowers will come up year after year for a lifetime of enjoyment.

Shade gardens offer much more than gardens that sit in the blazing sun all day. You can actually sit in them and enjoy them. Pull up a nice lounge chair or have a beautiful granite bench installed. Sit and read on a hot day, or just sip a drink and enjoy the birds and butterflies.

Like any other garden the best shade gardens will have taller plants in the back against the house or woods, medium growing plants in the middle and the shorter or ground cover plants on the inner edge. Since most perennials bloom for a short time, you ‘ll want to plant them so that you always have color in the garden. Stage the planting so that each area has a blooming plant at all times of the season.

Here’s a list of some perennials that thrive in the shade:

Astibe – This plant comes in 3 “sizes” which grow to 20″, 30″ and 40″ in a variety of colors. You can make a whole garden just with this 1 flower! It looks best planted in groups and has clumps of fluffy flower spikes.

Foxglove – This is a great plant for the back row of the flower garden as it can grow to 5 feet tall. It comes in a variety of colors and has large spikes filled with bell shaped flowers. This beautiful flower is highly toxic if ingested so be careful with it around animals and small children.

Lily of the valley – This wonderfully fragrant plant has dainty white bell shaped flowers. It is great for a ground cover or the front of the garden as it grows to only about 6″ tall.

Lousiana Iris – This beautiful velvety purple black flower produces 4″ blooms that last well into June. Plant in groups for best effect. Grows about 2 feet tall.

Virginia Blue Bells – This medium sized plant has lavender bell shaped clusters. It grows to about 2 feet in height and is very hardy and easy to grow despite it’s fragile appearance.


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About the Author:  Lee Dobbins is a contributing writer for Backyard Garden And Patio.com where you can find out more about building your dream garden and growing garden flowers

Here is another interesting article about shade gardening:

When making a shade garden, it’s important to match your plant choice to the type of shade. Budding shade gardeners should bear in mind that you get different kinds of shade, namely: dry shade, moist shade, and wet shade.

When you begin planning your shade garden, you should take into consideration the type of shade you’ll be working with. Remember, the amount of moisture present will have a significant impact on what type of plants and flowers you’ll be able to grow. Essentially, unless you want to be bitterly disappointed, you should make a point of matching your plants to the type of shade you’re dealing with.

Dry shade is perhaps the most challenging condition of all when it comes to shade gardens. However, don’t for a minute believe people who try to convince you that you cannot grow anything under trees such as pine, fir, cedar or spruce. Some gardeners will tell you that this is because the needles which drop to the ground end up turning the soil acidic, but the truth is that there are several types of plants which actually thrive in these conditions.

If you have a garden in the shade of coniferous evergreen trees, then you need to compensate by adding organic matter to the soil, and by watering thoroughly at least once a week. You should also use a few inches of mulch on the soil in order to help retain moisture.

Those who are dealing with dry shade under large trees should seriously consider using a drought tolerant ground cover such as sweet woodruff, ajuga, lily of the valley, periwinkle or pachysandra. You could also use Bishop’s weed but I have found it to be quite invasive. Likewise, providing you have eight to ten inches of good soil, you can also grow hosta, hardy geranium, bergenia, and hellebore.

On the other hand, if you’re dealing with a wet shade garden then you may want to try sedges and rushes. This is because most of these actually enjoy having wet feet and plenty of shade. Astilbe, primrose, perennial lobelia, witchhazel, spicebush, jack-in-the-pulpit, Indian pipe, rue, spiderwort, bleeding heart, and Japanese iris are some others which also tend to do well in wet shade. If you’re wondering what type of shrubs you can plant in wet shade, then I would suggest ones such as oakleaf hydrangea, red twig dogwoods, and forsythia.

If you’re really lucky then you’ll have a shade garden which is neither wet nor dry, and if so, you’ll be able to plant any plants mentioned in this article. However, you’ll also have the advantage of being able to plant ferns, forget-me-not, Scotch moss, campanula, epimedium, leopard’s bane, foxglove, and pulmonaria.

Want to find out more about Shade Gardens? Visit my website for photos and recommendations on how to choose the best shade plants for your needs.

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