Flower Gardening Introduction to Flower Gardening A Unit of the MSU Extension Master Gardener Volunteer Training Program

Flower Gardening “More than 6 out of 10 U.S. households have some sort of green thumb urge, and enjoy making things grow, from rolling expanses of lawn to flower pots on apartment balconies.” *Profile America: Thursday, April 11, 2002

Flower Gardening Herbaceous ornamental plants Typically grown in borders, beds or some form of container.

Flower Gardening Flowering Herbaceous Plants Biennial AnnualPerennial

Flower Gardening Annuals Seed to seed in one growing season. Commercially, annuals are sold as part of a group called bedding plants, which include tender perennials. True annuals cannot be kept indoors through the winter like tender perennials.

Flower Gardening

Advantages of Annuals Instant and season long color. Large selection. Few if any pest problem. Change from year to year.

Flower Gardening Uses for Annuals Mass plantings in beds and borders Containers Cut & Dried flowers Filler in a perennial garden.

Flower Gardening Mass Plantings

Flower Gardening Containers

Flower Gardening Cut Flowers

Flower Gardening Filler

Flower Gardening Biennials Two year life cycle Common Examples  Foxglove  Sweet William  Dame’s Rocket

Flower Gardening 1 st Season Rosette 2 nd Season Flowers

Flower Gardening Advantages of Biennials Many commonly grown varieties “bolt”

Flower Gardening Perennials A lifespan of more than two years. Foliage dies back after heavy frost Survives as underground structures

Flower Gardening Advantages of Perennials Wide variety of forms, colors, textures & sizes. Fit variety of soil types or light conditions. Sequence of changing colors. Provide winter interest.

Flower Gardening Uses of Perennials Beds and borders Groundcover Rock Gardens

Flower Gardening Mixed Borders

Flower Gardening Mixed Beds

Flower Gardening Groundcovers

Flower Gardening Rock Gardens

Flower Gardening Bulbs Type of herbaceous perennial. Underground food storage. Types  Tunicate  Scaly  Corms  Tuberous roots

Flower Gardening Advantages of Bulbs Spread out flowering season Easy to grow Colorful Flexible Compatible

Flower Gardening Vines Two Categories  Annuals  Perennials

Flower Gardening Using Flowers in the Landscape

Flower Gardening Beautiful flower gardens rarely happen by chance. Basic Design Criteria  Line  Texture  Mass Design Criteria  Form  Color

Flower Gardening Line Straight Lines Curved Lines

Flower Gardening Formal

Flower Gardening Informal

Flower Gardening Informal vs. Formal Which is better?

Flower Gardening Texture Course Texture Medium Texture Fine Texture

Flower Gardening Course

Flower Gardening Fine

Flower Gardening Mass

Flower Gardening Form VerticalHorizontal

Flower Gardening Plant Forms Rounded Columnar Open Upright Spreading Prostrate

Flower Gardening Monotonous - Restful

Flower Gardening Contrasting - Excitement

Flower Gardening Color Hue Value (“Light” & “Dark”) “Warm” vs. “Cool”

Flower Gardening Color Wheel

Flower Gardening Color Schemes Monochromatic Analogous Complementary Polychromatic

Flower Gardening Monochromatic

Flower Gardening Analogous

Flower Gardening Complementary

Flower Gardening Polychromatic

Flower Gardening Site Selection

Flower Gardening “Sun” Exposure Full Sun Part Sun Part Shade Full Shade

Flower Gardening Drainage Standing WaterPerk Test

Flower Gardening Soil pH

Flower Gardening Soil pH

Flower Gardening Air Movement Positive  Dries plants quickly  Reduces relative humidity Negative  Increased need for staking

Flower Gardening Site Preparation

Flower Gardening Site Preparation PLACEMENT OF FLOWER GARDEN. Choose a style. Outline the shape Remove existing vegetation. Soil preparation. Raised or mounded soil.

Flower Gardening Site Preparation Placement of the flower garden. CHOOSE A STYLE. Outline the shape Remove existing vegetation. Soil preparation. Raised or mounded soil.

Flower Gardening Informal

Flower Gardening Formal

Flower Gardening Garden Shapes Borders Beds Naturalized Areas

Flower Gardening Borders

Flower Gardening Beds

Flower Gardening Naturalized Area

Flower Gardening Site Preparation Placement of the flower garden. Choose a style. OUTLINE THE SHAPE Remove existing vegetation. Soil preparation. Raised or mounded soil.

Flower Gardening Site Preparation Placement of the flower garden. Choose a style. Outline the shape REMOVE EXISTING VEGETATION. Soil preparation. Raised or mounded soil.

Flower Gardening Remove Existing Vegetation Herbicides to kill vegetation Smother vegetation Solarization

Flower Gardening Site Preparation Placement of the flower garden. Choose a style. Outline the shape Remove existing vegetation. SOIL PREPARATION. Raised or mounded soil.

Flower Gardening Site Preparation Placement of the flower garden. Choose a style. Outline the shape Remove existing vegetation. Soil preparation. RAISED OR MOUNDED SOIL.

Flower Gardening Raised or Mounded Soil

Flower Gardening Plant Selection Criteria Plant Height Season & Duration of Bloom Texture Form Color Invasiveness Maintenance Hardiness

Flower Gardening Height

Flower Gardening Season & Duration of Bloom Annuals Biennials Perennials  Bulbs  Vines

Flower Gardening Texture FineCourse

Flower Gardening Form Vertical Horizontal

Flower Gardening Color Schemes Monochromatic Analogous Complementary Polychromatic

Flower Gardening Invasiveness

Flower Gardening Plants with an Invasive Growth Habit

Flower Gardening Maintenance Level Cultural Environmental Insect Disease

Flower Gardening Hardiness

Flower Gardening USDA Cold Hardiness Zone Map

Flower Gardening Installing the Plants

Flower Gardening Available Forms Seeds Bare-roots Cell Packs Small Pots Gallon or Larger Containers

Flower Gardening Seeds

Flower Gardening Bare-root

Flower Gardening Cell Packs

Flower Gardening Small Pots

Flower Gardening Gallon or Larger Containers

Flower Gardening Care & Maintenance Watering Mulching Weed Control Fertilizing Deadheading Staking

Flower Gardening Plant Health Care

Flower Gardening Pests of Flowering Plants Insects Diseases  Biotic  Abiotic Animals Weeds

Flower Gardening Plant Health Care Start with healthy, pest free plants. Purchase known resistant varieties Proper maintenance & sanitation. Educate yourself for informed decision making. If needed use appropriate control measure.

Flower Gardening Common Insect Pests Aphids Spider Mites Thrips Whiteflies Caterpillars Plant Bugs Leafhoppers Beetles

Flower Gardening Aphids

Flower Gardening Spider Mites

Flower Gardening Thrips

Flower Gardening Whitefly

Flower Gardening Caterpillars

Flower Gardening Plant Bugs

Flower Gardening Leafhoppers

Flower Gardening Beetles

Flower Gardening Diseases Aster Yellows Botrytis Blight Damping-off Mosaic (Virus) Powdery Mildew Rust

Flower Gardening Aster Yellows

Flower Gardening Botrytis Blight

Flower Gardening Damping-off

Flower Gardening Mosaic (Virus)

Flower Gardening Powdery Mildew

Flower Gardening Rust

Flower Gardening Animal Pests Deer Rabbits Slugs

Flower Gardening Deer

Flower Gardening Rabbits

Flower Gardening Slugs

Flower Gardening Weeds Any Plant growing where it’s not wanted

Flower Gardening Weeds Annual Weeds Perennial Weeds

Flower Gardening Propagation of Flowering Plants

Flower Gardening Sexual Propagation

Flower Gardening Seeds

Flower Gardening Asexual (Vegetative) Propagation

Flower Gardening Divisions

Flower Gardening Cuttings Tip or Stem cuttings Root cuttings

Flower Gardening Layering Tip layering Air layering

Flower Gardening Bulbs, Corms & Tuberous Roots

Flower Gardening Tissue Culture

Flower Gardening Annuals

Flower Gardening Coleus x hybridus (Coleus)

Flower Gardening Cosmos bipinnatus (Cosmos)

Flower Gardening Senecio cineraria (Dusty Miller)

Flower Gardening Nicotiana alata (Flowering Tobacco)

Flower Gardening Pelargonium x hortorum (Geranium)

Flower Gardening Impatiens walleriana (Impatiens)

Flower Gardening Tagetes patula (Marigold)

Flower Gardening Portulaca grandiflora (Moss Rose)

Flower Gardening Viola x wittrockiana (Pansy)

Flower Gardening Petunia x hybrida (Petunia)

Flower Gardening Antirrhinum majus (Snapdragon)

Flower Gardening Begonia x semperflorens-cultorum (Begonia, Wax Begonia)

Flower Gardening Zinnia elegans (Zinnia)

Flower Gardening Perennials

Flower Gardening Astilbe arendsii (Astilbe)

Flower Gardening Asclepias tuberosa (Butterfly Weed)

Flower Gardening Aruncus dioicus (Goat’s Beard)

Flower Gardening Clematis (Clematis)

Flower Gardening Cimicifuga racemosa (Snakeroot)

Flower Gardening Liatris spicata (Blazing Star)

Flower Gardening Dicentra spectablilis (Bleeding Heart)

Flower Gardening Euphorbia polychroma (Cushion Spurge)

Flower Gardening Geranium sanguineum (Cranes Bill/Geranium)

Flower Gardening Heuchera (Heuchera)

Flower Gardening Anemone x hybrida (Japanese Anemone)

Flower Gardening Eupatorium maculatum (Joe Pye Weed)

Flower Gardening Helleborus orientalis (Lenten Rose)

Flower Gardening Paeonia lactiflora (Peony)

Flower Gardening Pulmonaria spp. (Pulmonaria)

Flower Gardening Perovskia atriplicifolia (Russian Sage)

Flower Gardening Sedum (Sedum)

Flower Gardening Helenium autumnale (Sneezeweed)

Flower Gardening Perennials - Ground Covers

Flower Gardening Aegopodium podagraria (Goutweed, Bishop’s Weed)

Flower Gardening Ajuga (Bugleweed)

Flower Gardening Cerastium tomentosum (Snow-In-Summer)

Flower Gardening Ceratostigma (Leadwort)

Flower Gardening Convallaria majalis (Lily-of-the-Valley)

Flower Gardening Epimedium (Epimedium)

Flower Gardening Hemerocallis (Daylily)

Flower Gardening Hosta (Hosta)

Flower Gardening Iberis sempervirens (Candytuft)

Flower Gardening Lysimachia nummularia (Creeping Jenny)

Flower Gardening Pachysandra terminalis (Japanese Spurge)

Flower Gardening Sedum (Sedum)

Flower Gardening Vinca minor (Myrtle/Periwinkle)

Flower Gardening Bulbs

Flower Gardening Colchicum autumnale (Autumn Crocus)

Flower Gardening Crocus vernus (Crocus)

Flower Gardening Narcissus spp. (Daffodil)

Flower Gardening Iris reticulata (Dwarf Iris)

Flower Gardening Muscari armeniacum (Grape Hyacinth)

Flower Gardening Lilium (Lily)

Flower Gardening Allium aflatunense (Ornamental Onion)

Flower Gardening Galanthus nivalis (Snowdrop)

Flower Gardening Tulipa tarda (Species Tulip)

Flower Gardening Leucojum aestivum (Summer Snowflake)

Flower Gardening Tulipa (Tulip)

Flower Gardening Anemone blanda (Windflower)

Flower Gardening Fritillaria meleagris (Checkered Lily)