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growing without easing in gently, you might get some experience in how to grow roses by starting with cuttings.

If you have a friend with some roses, perhaps they’d be willing to give you a few stems so you can try to start some in this way. It’s worth a try to discover whether or not you can succeed.

You’ll have to pick your roses carefully, though, because not all types of roses grow well from cuttings. It’s likely some expert gardeners have managed to do it even with the difficult varieties, like hybrid teas.

But if you still don’t know much about how to grow roses, or you’re not very experienced, then you will find varieties that simply will not grow by this method. Floribundas and many others that are actually garden roses do much better, and miniature roses are usually grown this way.

You should do the pruning rose bushes in early spring, taking three or four six-inch stems (or for miniatures, three-inch stems). With these flower gardening tips you can cut them on a slight diagonal, in the morning before the stresses of the day.

In the past, people knew how to grow roses with cuttings protected by Mason jars, and the practice still works well. So once you have your cuttings, take off the bottom leaves, with just a few at the top, and dip the stems into a rooting powder.

Then set them either into your garden soil or into containers of potting soil. At this point, place a Mason jar over each stem and water now and then over the next few weeks.

How to grow roses from cuttings might vary slightly in different regions, depending on the climate. For example, in a warmer location you might just skip the Mason jar altogether and root your stems in the soil of your garden outside.

In a cooler climate, you might want all the help you can get, with an indoor container and Mason jar, or with a heating pad under the container. You can probably find flower gardening tips from a local rose society or the internet to help you decide on your exact procedure.

If you can induce your cuttings to root and start growing, then it might be a good, gradual way to start your rose growing hobby.

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Fortunately, when it comes to garden design, you can’t fail. Flowers can easily be moved or replaced, but following few simple and effective steps will save you from extra efforts of correcting prospect errors. Creating your own flower garden is great because you have the flexibility of choosing and combining flowers as you like, based on simple elements of composition. Just take it step by step and the results might surprise you, even if you are a rookie gardener!

Step 1:  What is the purpose of the garden?

The first question you have to ask yourself is: ‘Why do I want to create my own flower garden?’ just to enjoy the beauty of the nature, or:

• Do you seek a private location where you can relax far away from the madding crowd?
• Do you want a green area for your kids?
• Do you love birds and butterflies and you want to draw them in?
• Do you want a permanent source of fresh flowers for your house?

Step 2: How much space do you have?

Now that you have an idea on what do you want to do with your garden, it’s time for a reality check! Take an objective look at the available space for your future flower garden. Think about the position of the area regarding the sun exposure or if there are any shadows that might affect the development of your flowers.

Step 3:  Analyze the cons

It’s true that few of us really have time for gardening or a high budget for investing in exotic flower species. Therefore, you must analyze all the cons before you decide to create your own flower garden.

Step 4:  Style

This is an important part of the project. How do you want your garden to look like? If you are not sure of what the options are, here are a couple:

• Well defined shapes or wild combinations of flowers;
• Do you want flowers that last all year round?
• Should the garden complement your house?

Step 5:  Flower selection

For many of you, this is the easy part, especially if you know what you like, selecting the flower and plant species should be the last step of your project, after careful thinking. Use our following tips and try to organize yourself:

If you have children, choose interesting flowers, with attractive colors and perfumes, but check for seeds and poisoned elements.

Make a list with your favorite flowers/plants, group them by color and shape and you will obtain a great garden design.

Draw a chart with the blooming season of each flower type and combine them so you can enjoy their beautiful color all year long.

Now that you have the basic plan of creating your own flower garden, filling the
space with flowers resemble with filling a painting. The only difference is that your flower garden is a painting that is never complete, as you will always add new elements each year. In addition think of the savings for your floral arranging. What could be better then growing your own flowers.

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Thank you all…………you did it for me!

Judy

Learn about Flower arranging – FREE lesson and newsletter

Butterflies don’t ask for much, just large, open sunny areas, a few flowers for adults, a few food sources for caterpillars and shelter to hide from predators so they can lay their eggs. The flower varieties, of course, are only part of the planning; you’ll also need water, a mix of sun and shade, hiding spots and breeding grounds.

the flower
The flower varieties you choose will make a big difference. Planting larger groups of flowers will help butterflies notice them. Many gardeners start with a purple or bicolor butterfly bush and surround it with perennials. Consider the purple coneflower, black-eyed Susan, Brazilian verbena, daylily, catmint, lavender, phlox, goldenrod, ironweed plant, aster and sedum.

Annual favorites for a butterfly-magnet flower garden include zinnias, marigolds, cosmos, sweet alyssum, cleome and lantana. These are the beauties of your garden, but you’ll need to also be considerate of your larvae hosts. Foxgloves, sunflowers, birches, willows, wild plum, spicebush and passion vines also attract butterfly breeding.

floral bouquets
Once the flowers for your plant habitat are in place, take other environmental factors into consideration.

Your precious butterflies want a floral wonderland, but also a place that is safe from wind, rain and predators, so try adding hedges and small, dense shrubs like honeysuckle or butterfly bushes; trellises or fences covered in passion vines or hops.

Generous brush piles of bark, logs, rocks and leaves allow for hiding during winter months or stormy days. Even “organic” pesticides agitate the sensitive butterfly, so keep your guests protected from any chemical sprays or dust. Be sure your butterfly habitat has at least six hours of full sunshine, with flat rocks where they can bask in the sun to warm up before taking their early morning flights.

Just like humans, bachelor butterflies also want a place to drink after work: mud puddles, shallow pans of damp sand and gravel or wet dirt all make ideal gathering spots. Rotting fruit, watermelon rinds and seeds are delicious nutrients that create a true butterfly nirvana.

If you’d also like to take advantage of the hummingbird-attracting powers of flower garden and create your own rose bouquets, a hummingbird habitat is just as simple. Usually a bright red nectar feeder is the quickest way to invite these quick, tiny creatures to your backyard.

flowering
However, to keep them around at all times, they’ll need fresh water to drink and bathe in, a combination of sunny and shady perches, willow or eucalyptus tree nesting materials, as well as delicious plants, such as flower power dahlias, cosmos, foxglove, geraniums, petunias, irises, honeysuckles, trumpet vines, azaleas, butterfly bush, hibiscus, cardinal flowers and snow angels will increase the flower power of your garden.

A flower garden can be a place of respite for you, but also an epicenter of life for colorful insects.

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In the Beginning
No one knows exactly who gave the first bunch of flowers, but it could easily go as far back as Adam and Eve! Toddlers automatically pick wildflowers to give to their mothers, drawn by the colors and prettiness.
We do know, however, that each culture has used flowers for different reasons. In Ancient Greece, flowers were considered to be property of the gods, making them very special. There are accounts of flowers being given as a gift for many thousands of years. The majority of these would have been flowers that where picked wild, plus a few from the garden.

The Language of Flowers
In Victorian times, flowers were used to express more than just admiration or love. Entire letters could be written with blossoms alone! Each flower has a specific meaning, though the exact meaning depends on a variety of factors, including color and size. For example, a red rose means “passion”, pink means
“romance” and coral colored roses mean “friendship”.

Back in the day, people knew the meanings of all the most common flowers and this made each and every bouquet full of much more meaning. A young man might send a girl a bunch of wildflowers, but it would really be a message in disguise! Even today, some people enjoy learning the meaning of flowers and adding these special flowers to their bouquets. It really adds a whole other dimension to a simple bunch of mixed flowers.

This time period was definitely the most meaningful of all for flower giving. With the extra messages contained in bunches of flowers, it was one of the big gifts of the day.

Modern Flower Giving
Traditionally, men gave flowers to women, but now it’s quite acceptable to give a man a bouquet of more masculine blooms, too. Even children get into the act!
Try giving a little girl a bunch of roses for her birthday or Valentine’s Day,  and you’ll make her day.

These days, it’s quite common and acceptable to do your own floral arranging and give flowers as gifts. We aren’t restricted to simply wild flowers or those available in the garden anymore, either. Now there are tropical blooms and more delicate varieties of flowers available year round. This makes giving flowers a more exciting experience.

With the ability to grow many flowers in hothouses right in country and also the ability to import those that don’t grow well in the greenhouses, your options at the florist are stunning. No longer are we restricted to daisies and roses. Now you can select a delicate orchid, bird of paradise or lily for that special someone. It really opens up the realm of possibilities, thanks to airplanes and special technology.

Another modern convenience is the internet, which lets anyone anywhere in the world buy flowers online and have them delivered to a specific destination. You could easily be in the US and have flowers delivered to your mother in Spain! This turns the art of giving flowers into something so easy to do that you don’t even have to leave your own home or office. Just find a good website and you can send flowers without ever having to set foot in a florist shop. Visit flowers for further information.

Learn about Flower arranging – FREE lesson and newsletter

Learn about Flower arranging – FREE lesson and newsletter