Tips And Secrets

There is a wide variety of flower bulbs and seeds available for any garden and many of them are very easy to grow and look after.

Different varieties flower at different times of the year and you can plant several bulbs in one area so that you can have colourful displays of blooms all year round.

Bulbs can be planted directly into the soil outside but seeds sometimes need a little help to get going and may need to be started off indoors. Bulbs are the most undemanding plants, and can be very long-lived. The Majority of bulbs are tolerant of other plants too so you can be creative with your planting.

It is best to plan your planting for the year with both bulbs and seeds.

Bulbs especially need to be planted several months before you see the flowers and knowing when to plant is crucial.

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Information on Bulbs and Seeds
including where to buy the best selections for your garden

Tags: flower bulbs, flower seed packets, flower seeds, flowering seeds, garden flower seeds, garden tips, how to grow flowers, how to plant bulbs, where to buy

Early flowering varieties of planting tulips include dwarf hybrids such as Scarlet Baby which are perfect for window boxes. The taller types of tulip like Estelle Rijnveld will explode with colour in May.

If you want to be able to establish your tulips so they come back year after year you will need a good free draining soil and a sunny south facing position where they can enjoy the sun.

Dig plenty of nutrient rich compost through the soil before starting to plant the bulbs.

You can plant Tulip bulbs in almost any sort of soil, but the bulb lift will be bigger if your soil is richer.

Plant your bulbs between October and December. Generally tulips should be planted 10-15cm deep depending on your soil type and 12-15cm apart.

If you are looking at a compact display, you can plant bulbs closer together. The root side of the bulb is rounded, while the part that opens and sprouts is pointed.

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Slugs are a common problem. They love tulips and if you find you have lots of foliage but no flowers the most likely cause is slugs. Invest in some good slug repellent.

The stem should be snipped or the blooms should be deadheaded after tulips have flowered, at the end of the season. But you should let the leaves die naturally. The bulb, at this time, absorbs nutrients it requires for growth the following year. After discoloration, you can remove the foliage to prevent ‘tulip fire’, which poisons the soil.

In both range of colour and form tulip bulbs are the most astonishingly varied of all the spring bulbs. If you pick your varieties well you will have a succession of blooms for a full three months.

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Please check the links below for information on where to buy tulips
Click the picture below for our recommendations :

Tulip – Fringed – Mixed

These Tulips have petals which are topped with fringes that look like the frayed edge of piece of satin fabric. The flowers are so elegant and quite long-lasting.

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For a wide range of choices at unbeatable prices take a look at eBay:

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Plant Tulip Bulbs – How to grow fantastic flowers in your garden

Discover how to grow tulips and how to plant tulips with garden advice from gardentipsandsecrets.com

Tags: Flower Gardening, garden advice, how to grow tulips, plant tulip bulbs, plant tulips, planting tulips, tulips, where to buy

An amaryllis bulb should fit snugly (but not too tightly) into its pot, therefore always try and choose which pot will allow a one inch margin right around the bulb. Layer the bottom of the pot with half an inch of loose gravel, and the bulb should be placed so that it is half way out of the soil. Always make sure that you use a good commercial potting soil and make sure to firm the soil around the roots of the bulb. Water the soil well, and allow it to drain. Do not water the bulb again until you see the first signs of growth. This will vary from within a few days to a few months depending on the season.

If you want to ensure a healthy, blooming plant next year, it is important to take care of your Amaryllis after the show of blooms.

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Keep the plant in the sun and feed and water it while the new foliage grows. As the leaves turn yellow, cut them close to the top of the bulb. Stop watering and feeding and give them a month or so of rest. To promote growth, wash away an inch of the old soil and give your bulb a new batch of top soil with ½ tsp. of bone meal.

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Where to buy Amaryllis Bulbs for your Garden

How To Grow Amaryllis Bulbs In your Garden

Amaryllis bulbs are large and hardy. The bigger the bulb, the bigger the flower when they bloom.

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Tags: Amaryllis Bulbs, how to grow

Taking the time to plant seeds properly is crucial if you want to ensure a good crop of flowers and vegetables in your garden. We all love to take that small flat packet of seeds and take joy in the vision of what it will produce, but like everything, a good foundation is required to ensure a good crop.

The seed contains everything that is needed to start the growth cycle of the plant and it will keep safe the promise of the future until the time is right. Most basic of those requirements is water, followed swiftly by temperature and appropriate growing conditions in terms of soil and nutrients. Then you must protect that baby plant from pests and diseases until it is strong enough to fend for itself, just as you would any newborn.

The most basic method of sowing is by using a good quality seed compost which has not been stored somewhere cold. Place it in seed trays or pots so you can avoid too much thinning or pricking out later. Make sure your seed choices are all fresh and of good quality before planting seeds gently onto the soil, not too close together, and then cover them lightly with a fine layer of compost or vermiculite. As a rule of thumb the depth of the covering should be about twice the diameter of the seed, certainly no more. If your seeds are a little shrivelled you can try soaking them. This is often done with hard coated seeds or where you are expecting a dry spell if you are intending to sow outdoors. It can speed up germination quite noticeably.

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gardentipsandsecrets.com bring you helpful Tips and Advice on
How To Plant Seeds Successfully to create a beautiful home and garden

Tags: Garden, Germination, Home And Garden, how to plant seeds, planting seeds, Sowing

When to plant grass seed – Early autumn is the best time to sow seed, spring is fine too but you’ll have to weed and water more while the grass is establishing.

Grass seed comes in a variety of mixes including those for hard wear (ideal for family lawns), for shade, and for the bowling green look. Wide leaved grasses are used for the harder wear, with very fine grasses reserved for purely ornamental lawns which need a great deal more care and attention.

The most even way to sow is to use a machine from the garden centre or hire shop. Measure out the quantity of seed needed for the area exactly as described on the packet. Use half the seed to sow the area in one direction and the remainder at right angles to the first sowing to get an even coverage.

After sowing lightly rake the seed into the soil surface and water thoroughly using a sprinkler. If birds are likely to be a problem cover the area with fine mesh.

Germination should start in 7 – 21 days and it’s important to keep the plot watered in dry weather.

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For a wide range of choices at unbeatable prices take a look at eBay:

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when and how to plant grass seed in your garden

The secrets of planting grass seeds for a perfect lawn

Image by wishymom – when and how to plant via Flickr

Tags: Garden centre, Gardening, Germination, lawn Care, plant grass seed, planting grass, Sowing, sowing grass seeds, when to plant grass seed