Blanket Flower Garden Nursery Landscaping Guide
Blanket Flower Bed In Your Backyard
By Jon Kryer
Blanket flower beds in your backyard, with many different coloured
flowers, increase the variety of colours in your yard. If you
do not want everything to be just one colour, then you may look
at increasing the variety of colours by growing low maintenance
and drought resistant blanket flowers.
Your flowers should grow in a well draining soil. If you have
a heavy clay soil, then add sand to increase the drainage. It
may be a good idea to contact your local garden nursery to find
out how you can change the drainage of your soil, so that your
flower beds will grow.
You do not have to give up when you see a bare patch in the corner
of your backyard, where nothing will grow. It may be the composition
of your soil that may need to be changed.
Easy To Grow Perennial And Is Drought Tolerant
The story of the Blanket flower began with the generosity of
a French judge of the 1700's, by the name of Gaillard de Charentonneau.
He was a benefactor of the study of botany, and as such received
the honor of having a genus of plants named after him. That genus
was Gaillardia, the common “blanket flower”.
Native to North America, this flower is easy to grow and drought
tolerant. Blanket flower is perennial and grows well even in sandy
soils by the sea. As its name implies,it has a tendency to blanket
the landscape with profuse flowering.
Many Colours In Your Flower Bed
There are dozens of varieties, in white, cream, yellow, orange,
rust and maroon bi-color shades. You can plant a spectacular bed,
choosing varieties of contrasting shades of blue and white suited
to the same conditions. Yarrow, baby's breath, cornflower and
perovskia are good candidates for a striking bed of color.
Given a spot in a sunny location and good drainage, this plant
will flourish. Blanket flower can be a staple in perennial borders,
beds, and with some varieties, in containers. There are upright
varieties growing from 18 to 24 inches tall, as well as compact,
spreading varieties that don't exceed 12 inches.
Adding Sand To Clay Soil To Improve Drainage
If your garden is in a zone with harsh, hot summers and your
soil is less than perfect, as long as you have good drainage,
the blanket flower is a good choice for a low-maintenance perennial
display. If you do not have good drainage, consider adding a good
portion of sand to that clay soil and you'll have what it takes
to have the best display in the neighborhood.
Taller blanket flowers make excellent, long lasting cut flowers.
Even the compact varieties may be used as cut flowers in shallow
vases.
Easy To Propagate
If you are, as most gardeners, already planning next summer's
flower beds, thinking ahead saves you a lot of money and provides
a comforting “gardening fix” during the early months of spring.
The blanket flower is relatively easy to propagate, provided you
follow a few simple rules.
If you're planting from seed, start your seedlings two months
to ten weeks before your last expected frost. Do not cover the
seeds, as the blanket flower requires both light and warmth to
germinate. Pick up a plastic germinating dome from your nursery
supply, along with a heating pad.
Low Maintenance
Direct seed, and keep them at a temperature between 65 and 72
degrees. If you don't want to bother with the heating pad, the
top of your refrigerator may do just fine. In two to three weeks,
you'll have seedlings. After planting in the garden when the weather
has warmed, the blanket flower requires little care and minimal
fertilizing.
To promote prolific blooms, deadhead spent blooms. You'll extend
the flowering season. The blanket flower is the solution for gardeners
desiring a beautiful garden display that comes back year after
year and “toughs out” harsh conditions. Too good to be true? No,
the blanket flower fills the bill when it comes to difficult landscaping.
An Empty Space In Your Backyard
If you an have an empty space in your backyard and you want to
place a flower bed with many varieties of colours, then you can't
go wrong with the blanket flower. Depending on your soil and if
you follow the growing instructions, then you should have plenty
of flowers in bloom. As you do not need plenty of maintenance,
then you can spend more time with your family and improve the
look of your landscape at the same time.
You can spend time looking at landscaping ideas, to improve your
backyard. But if you stay within commonsense ideas, you can create
a perfect backyard for your family. For example, on one corner
of your yard, you may have a solar heated swimming pool, with
a fence around it to avoid any accidents with young family members
or pets.
A Small Organic Garden
On another corner of your yard, you may have a small organic
garden to provide organic fruit and vegetables for your family.
You may even place two or three miniature fruit trees nearby,
to provide fresh off the branch, delicious fruit.
You may even place a stone walkway to the back door of your family
home. Then along the walkway you can place one or two blanket
flower beds.
About the Author:
Jon Kryer has written a number of articles on gardening and landscaping
including Indoor
Herb Garden, Indoor
Gardening, Plant
Stand .
Keep a lookout for more of his articles on this website.
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