I AM A NOVICE AT THIS. I am about begin planting flowers in the flower beds, but I am new at this so any tips would be great. Plus I live in a southern state so I need flowers who can handle the hot humid weather, and are not delicate I am new at this, but pretty and reasonable priced.Any tips from are welcomed?Thank you colorful Preferably perenials
What kind of flowers you would recommend for outside flowerbeds in the south?starting flower beds any tips?
mexican tupils, most of all cos they survive in harsh environnment and then they have beautiful flowers and you can choose how you want them to grow, you can leave it grow like a tree or you can crop it, if you need a hedge the you make a hedge with lots of em, another option would be the bugambiglia. both come in many colors
Reply:Everbloom Hydrangeas are great and will bloom all summer, even the normal hydrangeas are gorgeous and probable my favorite. Lantana - butterflies love, I'm a northern transplant myself and find that roses any kind are so easy to grow in the south! My MIL has Knock out roses, more shrub like, can use a hedge trimmer on them, but they bloom their hearts out and provide great color! Iris for spring blooms, plant just below surface, no need to bring in over winter. Gladiolous, day lillies do great. Penta, Russian Sage, Mexican Petunias, Purple Cone flowers, dianthithus, Verbena, Vinca (reseeds itself), Marigolds (reseed), coreopsis, my neighbor lady has beautiful hollyhocks. I have'nt had great success with petunias or geraniums, maybe it's my soil?? Looking for great prices? I love to go to a big nursery's, even lowe's and other places reduced their prices by 50% on perennials by mid to late summer trying to move them out. Even if you plant them in the fall the root system gets a great start and will be bigger and better come spring since th ground doesn't freeze!
Reply:Daylilies are one of the best perennials in my opinion. They are virtually maintenance free, love the sun, and are continuously in bloom. You can plant them kind of sparsely, because they are very prolific, but they look great in mass plantings. Another perennial I like is white ginger. They are beautiful, smell awesome and again are maintenance free, other than cutting them back in the winter. They look terrible when they are dying off in the winter, but after cutting back, they come back without a hitch. If you hurry, you can plant seeds and have color in a few weeks. Things like Cosmos (they get very tall) or Zinnias are quick to bloom.
I live in Louisiana and look for things that are drought tolerant.
Reply:petunias, marigolds rose bushes. go to walmart and just look around and when you go check and see if the ones you think are pretty are wilted and if they are they arnt going to be able to stand the heat but some if you water them enough they will be ok. but just take a stroll around the garden section in walmart. or you can go to home depot and they can help you pick the right kind.
Reply:I love purple coneflowers and black eyed susans and they love the heat.
Reply:look for the flowers with (sow direct) on the packet and you cant go wrong
Reply:YUP
Saturday, May 2, 2009
How do I get rid of clovers in my flower beds?
My flower beds are infested with clovers. I weed and weed and weed but they keep coming back. What is a good way to get rid of them without killing my flowers?
How do I get rid of clovers in my flower beds?
Clover you will need to continue pulling for now. You can apply excess nitrogen around them to help kill them. Clover fixes nitrogen in nodes, too much will burn them up. Be very careful in doing this watch your other plants and make sure they are not suffering. The best way is to apply small amounts frequently focusing on the clover.
Are you sure the weeds are clover? Woodsorrel, or oxalis, is often mistaken for a type of clover. If they have yellow flowers and a seed pod that looks like an okra pod, they are oxalis. This is an annual weed that can be controlled by pre-emergent and a good mulch layer. Pre-emergent will not kill the existing plant, but should keep any more from establishing.
Reply:You have to keep pulling them out before they bloom and go to seed. Any herbicide will hurt your flowers, too.
The Muse
How do I get rid of clovers in my flower beds?
Clover you will need to continue pulling for now. You can apply excess nitrogen around them to help kill them. Clover fixes nitrogen in nodes, too much will burn them up. Be very careful in doing this watch your other plants and make sure they are not suffering. The best way is to apply small amounts frequently focusing on the clover.
Are you sure the weeds are clover? Woodsorrel, or oxalis, is often mistaken for a type of clover. If they have yellow flowers and a seed pod that looks like an okra pod, they are oxalis. This is an annual weed that can be controlled by pre-emergent and a good mulch layer. Pre-emergent will not kill the existing plant, but should keep any more from establishing.
Reply:You have to keep pulling them out before they bloom and go to seed. Any herbicide will hurt your flowers, too.
The Muse
How do you keep a dog out of your flower beds?
Our dog always lies in our flower beds, crumpling flowers, especially after it has been watered and the soil is moist and cool.
How do you keep a dog out of your flower beds?
Here is a link to a discussion with several suggested remedies%26gt; http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/load...
we just used several large rocks, which made in uncomfortable..Also, dogs don't like redwood bark..Its uncomfortable, too.
Reply:put a small fence arond it
Reply:You can get a garden repellent that is in spray and cyrstal form ad the dogs hate it! You should be able to get something from your local pet store!
Reply:you can implant sticks in the bed... space them out and out them throughout the bed... not pointy ones though, that sucks...t he idea is to prevent your dog from finding a space that's smooth and comfortable. If that's not an option... you can do what farmers do, and spread capiscum powder (the essence of foods that makes them spicy) on your bed.
also, motion activated water sprinklers
Reply:If you throw their waste back into the beds they tend to avoid sleeping anywhere near their own mess
Reply:A GUN
Reply:What kind is your dog? I had labs and sheps and the best way to keep em out is to spray something that smells bad in the area but that will ruin the essence of having a flower bed,right. But sad to say that was the only way to keep em out or leash em well.
They will always hang=out in damp areas where there is no sun keeps them refreshed and dirty :)
Reply:My two dogs decieded that the flower garder was the perfect place to dig until I got some chain link fencing about 24" (inches) high and also purchased some small T-posts. I pounded the T-posts in about every 18 inches and proceeded to tie the chain link to the T-posts.
They haven't gotten in there but a few times. When they were in the flower bed I would tell them "OUT" and then they would get out of the flower bed. Plus I usually fussed at them and said things like "Who did this? and my dogs would hang their head because they knew that they were doing something that I didn't like them to do.
Reply:Spank your dog with a sleeper or train him.Here in seychelles we do that.
Reply:Try an electric fence.
Reply:cut its nads off
choosing shoe horns
How do you keep a dog out of your flower beds?
Here is a link to a discussion with several suggested remedies%26gt; http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/load...
we just used several large rocks, which made in uncomfortable..Also, dogs don't like redwood bark..Its uncomfortable, too.
Reply:put a small fence arond it
Reply:You can get a garden repellent that is in spray and cyrstal form ad the dogs hate it! You should be able to get something from your local pet store!
Reply:you can implant sticks in the bed... space them out and out them throughout the bed... not pointy ones though, that sucks...t he idea is to prevent your dog from finding a space that's smooth and comfortable. If that's not an option... you can do what farmers do, and spread capiscum powder (the essence of foods that makes them spicy) on your bed.
also, motion activated water sprinklers
Reply:If you throw their waste back into the beds they tend to avoid sleeping anywhere near their own mess
Reply:A GUN
Reply:What kind is your dog? I had labs and sheps and the best way to keep em out is to spray something that smells bad in the area but that will ruin the essence of having a flower bed,right. But sad to say that was the only way to keep em out or leash em well.
They will always hang=out in damp areas where there is no sun keeps them refreshed and dirty :)
Reply:My two dogs decieded that the flower garder was the perfect place to dig until I got some chain link fencing about 24" (inches) high and also purchased some small T-posts. I pounded the T-posts in about every 18 inches and proceeded to tie the chain link to the T-posts.
They haven't gotten in there but a few times. When they were in the flower bed I would tell them "OUT" and then they would get out of the flower bed. Plus I usually fussed at them and said things like "Who did this? and my dogs would hang their head because they knew that they were doing something that I didn't like them to do.
Reply:Spank your dog with a sleeper or train him.Here in seychelles we do that.
Reply:Try an electric fence.
Reply:cut its nads off
choosing shoe horns
How do you keep your dogs out of flower beds?
We have three dogs and they all seem to love to cross thru my flower beds or snoop around in them!!!! They are smashing my flowers. Any ideas or kinds of plants that keep them away?
How do you keep your dogs out of flower beds?
This is a training issue. Your dogs should know the command: "leave it" or "out".
It is rather easy to teach. Simply grab them and pull them away or out of the forbidden place while saying the command. Eventually they will respond when you tell them to move out.
It keeps our dog out of the garden.
Another alternative is a small chicken wire fence surrounding the area.
Reply:Whenever any of them are in your flower beds give them a simple command like 'Out!' and once they leave the bed praise or reward them.
Try to praise/reward as soon as they leave the bed so they know that was what you wanted them to do. Soon they'll realize if they want a yummy treat or a good tummy rub they just stay out of your gardens. =]
Reply:Training is the key! Tell them NO and grab the collar to remove them. Give praise when they are not in the flower bed. May take awhile with 3 but they will learn.
Reply:An invisible electric fence will keep them out, and still allow you to have flowers without a wooden fence.
Reply:tack the flower off the bed
Reply:There is also a plant that repels dogs away. Check with your local flower nursery.
Reply:You can find some great articles at http://blazingdogs.blogspot.com/
Reply:hit him every time he goes near it
Reply:fencing it up maybe?
How do you keep your dogs out of flower beds?
This is a training issue. Your dogs should know the command: "leave it" or "out".
It is rather easy to teach. Simply grab them and pull them away or out of the forbidden place while saying the command. Eventually they will respond when you tell them to move out.
It keeps our dog out of the garden.
Another alternative is a small chicken wire fence surrounding the area.
Reply:Whenever any of them are in your flower beds give them a simple command like 'Out!' and once they leave the bed praise or reward them.
Try to praise/reward as soon as they leave the bed so they know that was what you wanted them to do. Soon they'll realize if they want a yummy treat or a good tummy rub they just stay out of your gardens. =]
Reply:Training is the key! Tell them NO and grab the collar to remove them. Give praise when they are not in the flower bed. May take awhile with 3 but they will learn.
Reply:An invisible electric fence will keep them out, and still allow you to have flowers without a wooden fence.
Reply:tack the flower off the bed
Reply:There is also a plant that repels dogs away. Check with your local flower nursery.
Reply:You can find some great articles at http://blazingdogs.blogspot.com/
Reply:hit him every time he goes near it
Reply:fencing it up maybe?
What can I use in my flower beds and containers to keep cats away from them?
My outdoor cats and indoor cats love to use the flower beds and containers as a litter box. What can I do to keep them out of my flowerbeds and containers.
What can I use in my flower beds and containers to keep cats away from them?
moth balls aniamal hate the smell and they will not harm your plants
Reply:Don't use mothballs which are poisonous (and flameable). Cats don't like the smell of citrus so use orange, grapefruit, lemon, limes (etc.) peels. You'll have to put out new peels as the old ones lose their scent but at least they aren't toxic to anyone.
Reply:I heard that spraying vinegar along the edges is a natural way to deter cats. They hate the smell.
Reply:Crushed moth balls or coffee grinds. It keeps away dogs and squirrels too.
Reply:moth balls
Reply:A small pan of ammonia. They hate the smell.
Reply:I wolud suggest you use fresh orange skin. Cats don't like strong smells and my cats hate the smell of fresh orange skin or even orange skin that has been peeled for a few days. I once used it to keep them off the kitchen table. I stopped after a while because they would'nt give up and kept getting upset but it did get results. If you don't want to have orange skin around your plants you could probably just rub fresh orange skin on and around them.
What can I use in my flower beds and containers to keep cats away from them?
moth balls aniamal hate the smell and they will not harm your plants
Reply:Don't use mothballs which are poisonous (and flameable). Cats don't like the smell of citrus so use orange, grapefruit, lemon, limes (etc.) peels. You'll have to put out new peels as the old ones lose their scent but at least they aren't toxic to anyone.
Reply:I heard that spraying vinegar along the edges is a natural way to deter cats. They hate the smell.
Reply:Crushed moth balls or coffee grinds. It keeps away dogs and squirrels too.
Reply:moth balls
Reply:A small pan of ammonia. They hate the smell.
Reply:I wolud suggest you use fresh orange skin. Cats don't like strong smells and my cats hate the smell of fresh orange skin or even orange skin that has been peeled for a few days. I once used it to keep them off the kitchen table. I stopped after a while because they would'nt give up and kept getting upset but it did get results. If you don't want to have orange skin around your plants you could probably just rub fresh orange skin on and around them.
How do I keep my dogs out of the flower beds?
I recently got flower beds in my backyard, before my backyard was just grass and they were free to roam wherever they wanted. Now they walk all in the flower beds. Sometimes they even poop and pee in them. How do i get them to stop doing this?
How do I keep my dogs out of the flower beds?
its called a fence! Get a taller fence that they cant get over or an invisible fence.
Reply:Go to the feed store and see if they have deer repellent. Spread it around your gardens, and it will help.
www.deerout.com.....to order
www.seefido.com for more tips
Reply:Put a fence or s/thing around it. Also go out there with the dogs for a few days (like when they are out there) and scold them (tell them no) when they get in the perimeter of the beds.
Reply:buy one of these !
http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/wcs/s...
Reply:they need to be trained or a fence. If you don't like teh site of a fence then an underground fence
Reply:barbed wire
Reply:Where I come from they call this three pika. It is a three that has these v-shaped thorns on the branches I just cut some branches of and but between my flowers they poke the dogs and after that they never touch my flowers again.
Reply:Can you put decorative fencing around the flower bed? This gives the concept of separation and might help. You might need to make it fairly high if the dogs are resistent.
Tractor Supply and I think also Home Depot and Lowe's carries some 3' or 4' plastic barrier mesh that's a good fencing to put around plants if lower decorative fencing doesn't work.
AND...
Get the cheapest hot pepper sauce you can find at the grocery and spray the plants with it. If the dogs nibble any plants, they will NOT like it and will leave the flower bed alone. It doesn't hurt the flowers and it gets rid of the dogs when they nibble plants.
Reply:you can either use an invisible fence or you can use a special spray they have it at walgreens and stuff.
Good Luck!!!
How do I keep my dogs out of the flower beds?
its called a fence! Get a taller fence that they cant get over or an invisible fence.
Reply:Go to the feed store and see if they have deer repellent. Spread it around your gardens, and it will help.
www.deerout.com.....to order
www.seefido.com for more tips
Reply:Put a fence or s/thing around it. Also go out there with the dogs for a few days (like when they are out there) and scold them (tell them no) when they get in the perimeter of the beds.
Reply:buy one of these !
http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/wcs/s...
Reply:they need to be trained or a fence. If you don't like teh site of a fence then an underground fence
Reply:barbed wire
Reply:Where I come from they call this three pika. It is a three that has these v-shaped thorns on the branches I just cut some branches of and but between my flowers they poke the dogs and after that they never touch my flowers again.
Reply:Can you put decorative fencing around the flower bed? This gives the concept of separation and might help. You might need to make it fairly high if the dogs are resistent.
Tractor Supply and I think also Home Depot and Lowe's carries some 3' or 4' plastic barrier mesh that's a good fencing to put around plants if lower decorative fencing doesn't work.
AND...
Get the cheapest hot pepper sauce you can find at the grocery and spray the plants with it. If the dogs nibble any plants, they will NOT like it and will leave the flower bed alone. It doesn't hurt the flowers and it gets rid of the dogs when they nibble plants.
Reply:you can either use an invisible fence or you can use a special spray they have it at walgreens and stuff.
Good Luck!!!
What can I use to kill the crab grass in my flower beds that wont harm the flowers?
I have crab grass and other nasty weeds growing throughout my lawn and in my flower beds, is there anything I can use to treat both the weeds and crab grass that wont harm the lawn or flowers?
Is there something specific to use in flower beds?
What can I use to kill the crab grass in my flower beds that wont harm the flowers?
I see you're getting a lot of advice about pulling up the crabgrass by hand. This might sound like about as much fun as a tour of Dante's vision of hell, but consider this:
The crabgrass is so-named because it has a sort of crab-like shape: a bunch of arms radiating out from a central spot. And that means if you pull out the central structure, you've got the whole thing. Here's what I do:
The day before your attack on the c/g, water the area where they've taken root heavily. Let the water soak in overnight. Next morning, tug at some of the c/g and see how easily they come up. If they pull right out, keep going -you'll be done faster than you think. Several may put up a fight. OK, pass by them and get the others. As you do this, you'll notice big clumps of dirt on the roots. Shake that off in a bucket to capture some nicely loosened up dirt, or around the base of any needy specimens you wish to keep. Save the crabgrass for a compost pile -the ultimate revenge.
You might find that in pulling up the easy ones, you also loosen the soil a bit for the tougher ones, so go back and try them again. No good? Use a dandelion weeder (metal thing with a "forked tongue" on the business end and they'll give up.
In areas that are exceptionally hard to reach, or where you might risk damage to the good plants, use your grass clipper and mow the c/g as close to the ground as you can. Then cover all your weeded area with mulch. If the c/g can't get sun, it will die off, just as it does every year. If at all possible, avoid chemical warfare in the planting beds. The stuff may not "hurt" the desirable species, but over time and with repeated applications it does alter soil chemistry and CAN challenge microscopic organisms that contribute to over-all soil and plant health. If you MUST use something, make it a contact killer that you can precisely spray onto the weeds and NOTHING else.
In the yard, if its not too hot and dry, consistent mowing is a good initial control; the idea is to mow them before they produce seed. But if it is hot and dry, mowing too much and/or too low can damage the good grass. Live with the problem until early next spring when you should apply a fertilizer that contains a pre-emergent weed control -they're labeled as such at the store. Especially along the margins of the lawn -at a driveway, next to a planting bed, around trees, etc., you'll see the occasional big hunk of c/g. Pull out these individuals.
Reply:Pull them by hand in the flower bed. If you are extremely careful use round up only on the grass- but it could spray and kill your plants so hand pulling and mulch is safer. Weed be Gone is supposed to be safe on lawns but may not get the crabgrass. There are specific herbacides for spring, and some people recommend cornmeal for organic weed prevention- that may help with crabgrass.
Reply:I've always just used my hands. You can use round up in the yard but it will kill out all of the other grass in the area. Let it sit, and then later you can reseed. good luck.
Reply:first manually pull it out, then apply PERRENIAL preen, this won't kill your perrenials but be careful around the annuals.
Reply:You can use Preen. But, it will work more effectivly if you go through and pull a bunch of it out and expose the soil. Also, Preen will give food to your flowers.
Reply:Good luck.....crab grass is relentless, it never completely dies off and you'll probably have to accept the fact that it will always exist to some extent in your yard. We've been dealing with it for a long time and have found that pulling it out by hand is the most effective, but exhausting. If you have small beds, I would just pull it out by hand, deep at the root.
Reply:For the flower beds, pull it, mulch it, forget about it.
For the lawn, use a pre-emergent.
Look at our blog entry of May 25th for more info on a natural pre-emergent weed killer for lawns.
Visit our website for more gardening ideas at-
http://www.gardening-at-the-crossroads.c...
Good Luck and Happy Gardening from Cathy and Neal!
Reply:For the flower bed - Hands and a hand cultivator.
For the lawn, an herbicide for preemergents applied in the spring.
Reply:There is a product from Ortho called "Grass-B-Gone". It claims to kill "all" grass, but no ornamentals, bushes, flowers, or anything like that. Only grass.
http://www.ortho.com/index.cfm/event/Pro...
choosing loops
Is there something specific to use in flower beds?
What can I use to kill the crab grass in my flower beds that wont harm the flowers?
I see you're getting a lot of advice about pulling up the crabgrass by hand. This might sound like about as much fun as a tour of Dante's vision of hell, but consider this:
The crabgrass is so-named because it has a sort of crab-like shape: a bunch of arms radiating out from a central spot. And that means if you pull out the central structure, you've got the whole thing. Here's what I do:
The day before your attack on the c/g, water the area where they've taken root heavily. Let the water soak in overnight. Next morning, tug at some of the c/g and see how easily they come up. If they pull right out, keep going -you'll be done faster than you think. Several may put up a fight. OK, pass by them and get the others. As you do this, you'll notice big clumps of dirt on the roots. Shake that off in a bucket to capture some nicely loosened up dirt, or around the base of any needy specimens you wish to keep. Save the crabgrass for a compost pile -the ultimate revenge.
You might find that in pulling up the easy ones, you also loosen the soil a bit for the tougher ones, so go back and try them again. No good? Use a dandelion weeder (metal thing with a "forked tongue" on the business end and they'll give up.
In areas that are exceptionally hard to reach, or where you might risk damage to the good plants, use your grass clipper and mow the c/g as close to the ground as you can. Then cover all your weeded area with mulch. If the c/g can't get sun, it will die off, just as it does every year. If at all possible, avoid chemical warfare in the planting beds. The stuff may not "hurt" the desirable species, but over time and with repeated applications it does alter soil chemistry and CAN challenge microscopic organisms that contribute to over-all soil and plant health. If you MUST use something, make it a contact killer that you can precisely spray onto the weeds and NOTHING else.
In the yard, if its not too hot and dry, consistent mowing is a good initial control; the idea is to mow them before they produce seed. But if it is hot and dry, mowing too much and/or too low can damage the good grass. Live with the problem until early next spring when you should apply a fertilizer that contains a pre-emergent weed control -they're labeled as such at the store. Especially along the margins of the lawn -at a driveway, next to a planting bed, around trees, etc., you'll see the occasional big hunk of c/g. Pull out these individuals.
Reply:Pull them by hand in the flower bed. If you are extremely careful use round up only on the grass- but it could spray and kill your plants so hand pulling and mulch is safer. Weed be Gone is supposed to be safe on lawns but may not get the crabgrass. There are specific herbacides for spring, and some people recommend cornmeal for organic weed prevention- that may help with crabgrass.
Reply:I've always just used my hands. You can use round up in the yard but it will kill out all of the other grass in the area. Let it sit, and then later you can reseed. good luck.
Reply:first manually pull it out, then apply PERRENIAL preen, this won't kill your perrenials but be careful around the annuals.
Reply:You can use Preen. But, it will work more effectivly if you go through and pull a bunch of it out and expose the soil. Also, Preen will give food to your flowers.
Reply:Good luck.....crab grass is relentless, it never completely dies off and you'll probably have to accept the fact that it will always exist to some extent in your yard. We've been dealing with it for a long time and have found that pulling it out by hand is the most effective, but exhausting. If you have small beds, I would just pull it out by hand, deep at the root.
Reply:For the flower beds, pull it, mulch it, forget about it.
For the lawn, use a pre-emergent.
Look at our blog entry of May 25th for more info on a natural pre-emergent weed killer for lawns.
Visit our website for more gardening ideas at-
http://www.gardening-at-the-crossroads.c...
Good Luck and Happy Gardening from Cathy and Neal!
Reply:For the flower bed - Hands and a hand cultivator.
For the lawn, an herbicide for preemergents applied in the spring.
Reply:There is a product from Ortho called "Grass-B-Gone". It claims to kill "all" grass, but no ornamentals, bushes, flowers, or anything like that. Only grass.
http://www.ortho.com/index.cfm/event/Pro...
choosing loops
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)