Becoming your own florist

Starting a brand new garden of flowers can be a daunting prospect,
particularly for the inexperienced gardener. However, it can also be an incredibly
rewarding and satisfying experience and who knows, with a little hard work and success, you could end up saying goodbye to your florist forever!

When planting a new garden of flowers, choosing the right spot is essential. For a first time grower of flowers it is advisable to choose a sunny spot where the ground receives sunshine for most of the day, particularly around midday. Flat spots will be easier to garden than slopes.

If this is your first venture into growing flowers then err on the side of caution with regard to size. Starting small will ensure you can manage to plant, care for and maintain the bed and you can always expand later on as you become more experienced.

If the area is grassed or weedy, remove all the greenery including the roots. This can be an arduous task but the more effort you put into this now, the better your results will be later on. Sod cutters can be used to take some of the backbreaking labour out of this task.

Once this is done, organic matter can be added. This can be compost from the garden centre or florist, although manure, rotting leaves and other materials are just as effective. Once the materials are all mixed through the area should be raked over to create an even surface and break up any remaining sods in the bed.

Now that the bed is ready for planting you will need to decide what to grow. Much of this will depend on personal taste, but check online for advice on flowering times, maintenance and care and try to choose low maintenance plants for your first go. The Internet is also a great place to get good deals on bulbs, seeds and plants for your garden, but try to make sure you are home for the bulb or flower delivery as plants spending the night in sorting offices can arrive in less than good condition.

Whatever you chose to grow, make sure you have the time available to maintain your flowers, as you would like. If all goes to plan you could become your own florist in no time at all and say goodbye to the days of flower delivery on special occasions!