Tips on growing a healthy garden

Also see Preparing your Garden for Fall and Winter

If you have potted, Spring flowers like tulips, hyacinths, daffodils, or lillies.  You can plant these in your garden in the Spring.  Even if they die out before you can get them into the garden, keep them watered and in the sunlight.  When the last frost comes and goes, plant these bulb flowers in your garden and they will come back year after year because they are perennials.

If you have several bulb plants, think about scattering them throughout the garden.  Bulb flowers multiply year after year.  So, don't be discouraged if you only have a few to plant at first.  Plant them away from larger plants or flowers that may add too much shade.  Make sure every plant in your garden has room to grow, get the proper sunlight and water, and won't be overgrown by another plant.

When it is time to plant your bulb flower, dig a hole at least 8 to 10 inches deep.  Add bone meal according to package directions.  Place your bulbs in the hole on top of the bone meal.  Place bulbs flower end up.  You can place up to 3 bulbs per hole for medium to large bulbs and up to 10 bulbs per hole for small bulbs.  Cover with dirt and firmly pack down.  Add more dirt if necessary until ground level.

For other flowers, ornamental grasses, and bushes in your garden, start looking for new growth.  Remove any that do not appear to be coming back.  This is the time to cut away all the old flowers in the garden.  Cut flower stems leaving about 1 1/2 inches from the ground to allow for new flower growth.  For ornamental grasses in the garden, cut down as far to the ground as possible to allow for new grass growth.  Prune bushes before new growth starts on dead branch ends.  Otherwise, there will be new growth on the ends and little to no new growth in the middle.  Don't be afraid to prune back your bushes to almost half around the size they are now.  Pruning gets rid of dead and diseased branches and will encourage full, new growth.

Clean out all debris in the garden like dead leaves, branches, and flowers.  Be sure to get down and around the base of all your plants.  Rake away old bark mulch to make room for fresh.

To fertilize your plants the best product is Miracle Gro.  It is a great fertilizer for all plants, bushes, and flowers.  Fertilize your plants following product directions.  Typically, two to three fertilizing's a season will work.

Before spreading fresh mulch, make sure your garden is cleaned of all debris and your plants are all cut back and pruned.  Sprinkle weed killer all over your beds.  A dry, time-released formula works best.  Ask your local garden center for suggestions.  By adding weed killer before spreading bark mulch will reduce weed growth in the garden and any weed seeds that found their way into the mulch.  Another option for weed control is to lay large black plastic bags, cut open and spread out, over the garden then spread the mulch over top.  This is time-consuming and by mid-summer the plastic is peaking through the mulch.

Watch out for your plants while mulching.  Be very careful not to spread bark mulch onto your plants.  Bark mulch will burn your plants.  A good rule of thumb is to leave a two to three inch radius around the base of  your plants.

Throughout the growing season, walk around the garden and hand pick weeds as they appear to control the weed population.  Check plants regularly for disease or distress.  Water regularly, but not too often.  If you water your plants too often, they will come to depend on watering and will not be able to survive on their own.  Look for distress in your plants and water accordingly.  If you have plants in your garden that are indigenous to your area, they will survive the climate, unusual weather conditions aside.

Speaking of indigenous plants.  It is very important to plant what is natural for your region.  There is a great concern right now by ecologists that many plants are being transplanted around the country unnatural from their environment causing ecological changes.  Another reason to consider indigenous plants is because they grow in a specific region and can tolerate that region's weather conditions and are hardy against disease.

A few words about planting ornamental grasses, daisies, and black eyed susans.  All three of these plants can take over your garden, your yard and everything in their path.  They are very difficult to keep under control because they grow out in a branching fashion and can grow through anything.  There are some ornamental grasses that are easier to control than others, so ask your local garden center for suggestions.  Ornamental grasses are a very beautiful addition to any garden, so plan carefully.

Daisies, they too are very beautiful, but will grow everywhere including the yard.  Consider planting daisies along an outer boarder of your property where they can take over a large area and grow freely.  Black eyed susans are more controlable than daisies.  You can plant these in your garden and they will spread, but with some control.  You will need to watch for new growth spreading into an area you may not want them and pull it out.  Don't worry, this won't hurt the main plant. Daisies and black-eyed susans are very hardy.

A garden adds beauty to any property and can be a place of serenity.  One of the beauties of a garden is that you can constantly add to and take away to create an ever changing and growing landscape.  Experiment with textures, colors, and size.  Keep your garden low maintenance by planting perennials that will come back year after year and continue to multiply.  Annuals are also very beautiful, but you will have to replant them every year.  Incorporate a few annuals into your garden.