Before anything else, I have a confession to make. I love flowers. I love looking at them, I love receiving them and I love decorating our home with their beauty, but something refrained me from having a flower garden back in the Philippines – my fear of caterpillars. Yes, I have a phobia of caterpillars. It’s a long story how it all started, but something happened when I was a kid. My older sister has the phobia too.
So why all of a sudden I decided to have a flower garden here in the U.S.? One simple reason – hubby’s yard was a drab when I arrived. His place was a bachelor’s pad for years and he didn’t care about flowers at all. For as long as his yard is mowed and looking neat, he’s happy. Man thing, I guess. 😉
It took me a a little while before I finally decided to put some life in our yard. The hubs and I had to really talk about it, basically I had to talk him into helping me. Good thing, he was up to it so the planning, then the researching, and then the planting began.
Coming from a tropical country where plants are alive and can bloom the whole year through, I had a lot to learn with regards to the gardening here in America. I read and read a lot about the different kinds of flowers, how to take care of them and the whole nine yards.
What I learned:
1) Plant Hardiness: That certain plants thrive in certain locations. We belong in Zone 7.
2) Kinds of Plants: Annuals lasts only a year and perennials die every autumn and winter, but return in the spring.
3) Bloom Time: Different flowers bloom at different time of the season.
4) Sun Exposure: From full sun to part-sun or shade to part-shade, depending on the flower.
5) Planting: Plant bulbs in fall.
6) Pruning: Prune spring flowering shrubs after flowering.
7) Transplanting: Transplant in the fall.
8) Mulching: It retains soil moisture and to also prevents weed growth. (I love how mulch beautifies the flower bed.)
9) Fertilizing: There’s a specific method and timing as to when to fertilize depending on the particular flower.
10) Watering: Water as needed. 🙂
We started our flower garden in the spring of 2012. He did all the digging and I did all the planting. It has been three years since then and we’ve already been enjoying the beauty of our labor.
Having a green thumb didn’t cross my mind at all until my sister-in-law commented on one of the photos that I shared on Facebook, complimenting me on the job I did. So yeah, I didn’t know I had a green thumb. Perhaps I inherited it from my mom. She has a flower garden back home.
White Azalea
I love how big their flowers are and how silky white it is.
Pink Azalea
These azaleas have small flowers; way too small compared to the white azaleas.
Red Azalea
Well, caterpillars freak me out, but not this tiny bee.
Lavender Creeping Phlox
I’ve always loved the sight of my creeping phlox. They spread so much in the last three years. I also have pink phlox, but it didn’t spread as much as this one.
Both the azaleas and creeping phlox are spring blooming evergreens and they are finished blooming for the year. Until next year for these beauties. Well, there are still a few flowers left on the azaleas, but they will be gone pretty soon. Now I am looking forward to my summer blooming flowers.
Do you have a flower garden? What flowers to you have?
Gardening is so much fun! I wish I had time to do more of it. =(
I always pick perennials whenever I can. I’d prefer to only plant once. =D
Me too actually. My plants are all perennials and evergreens. I don’t have annuals. 🙂
Wow! Your flower garden looks amazing! You have a fantastic green thumb! I have yet to get into flower gardening. Most of my plants are desert-type because we have a drought in California. But once in awhile my succulents will bloom amazing florals. 🙂
Good to know, Cara. I would love to have succulents too. They’re really pretty! 🙂
I love flowers a lot, always have some in my backyard. The smells and the colors always bring a smile on my face when I walk outside.
I know, right? Flowers never fail to brighten my day. :0
I love flowers, too and I wish I had paid attention to my mom and grandma. They seem to know the names of every flower. My favorite flowers in my garden are the hydrangeas. They haven’t started blooming yet and I can hardly wait.
I love hydrangeas too and I have three here. I can’t wait to see them bloom this summer. 🙂
Those flowers are very pretty. I used to be much more in touch with the gardening at my last house. I need to start it up here!
those flowers are so gorgeous – I’m not good with flowers and plants. I seem to kill everything
Those flowers are lovely! I had a garden one year but I never got around to starting up the next year.
Great ideas. We are redoing our outdoor patio area. It is so much fun doing gardening in the spring.
Great flower choices. I have a ton of the same type in my yard because I do NOT have a green thumb. Your tips are on point!
What beautiful photos! Thank you for the wonderful tips!
I suck at plants, right now I am struggling to get some strawberries to grow! They’re in a container in my window though, because I know if they go outside I’m sure I’ll ruin them.
Your flowers are absolutely beautiful!
The flowers look great. I am doing my first garden this year. I am excited to see how everything grows.
These flowers are gorgeous. I am glad you shared your lessons learned with us.
I like all of these photos, my wife loves to seeing flowers like this. These are really gorgeous.
So beautiful! I love gardening. I haven’t in a year or two now and I miss it terribly. I used to sit for hours with my kids planting, and taking care of stuff. It was such fun and so relaxing!
I really want to plant but I’ve been so scared. Scared that it wouldn’t work out or I won’t have time to give it TLC.
Your flowers are gorgeous!! I wish I had a green thumb, I have tried and my plants always die! LOL!
My creeping phlox is pink, I’d love to have sosme lavender like yours. Great tips sis, I just added some mulch in my garden this weekend.
Your flowers are really beautiful. You’ve learnt so much about gardening already.
Omg loving the photos!!! This is the first year I’m attempting the whole gardening thing! Keep your fingers crossed that I have a secret green thumb as well 😉
I love flowers but don’t have much of a green thumb. these flowers are so beautiful.
Your flowers are beautiful! I am so jealous because I kill everything I try to plant. I will keep your tips in mind.
Gardening is not for everyone & it’s prolly not for me, lol. The photos ( flowers are always lovely to look at ) that you shared with us are just lovely and I could only wish that I had the same amount of patience for gardening.
My son is the opposite, bees freak him out but not caterpillars. 😉 Our neighbor just started a bee farm in his backyard, my son is not happy.
Those look amazing, it’s funny what you learn you can do when you try.
I do not have a green thumb, but it looks like you do. I love azaleas, of any color, and yours are beautiful. The phlox is really pretty as well.
So many great tips. I’m the grim reaper of plants, but I always appreciate hearing other people’s successes with gardening!
Your flowers are amazing. I cannot wait for mine to blossom so I can decorate the home. My house smells great with fresh flowers
I have always wanted to try gardening. What a fun way to get started. I need to try again.
Ah, your garden looks beautiful! I wish I had more time for flower gardening this year :/
We’re doing a garden for the first time this year, but we’re doing more food than flowers. Hope we have as much success as you have.