Gardening for Beginners: How to Grow a Perennial Flower Garden

This quick Gardening for Beginners guide will take you through the basics of perennial plant care as well as teach you the steps to growing a flower garden - with perennials. Perennials are plants that "come back" every year, either from the previous year's branches or from the roots (ground level new growth). By following these steps, the beginner gardener is sure to have a flourishing flower garden within a few weeks.

• Select a spot for your garden. This can be anywhere you feel would benefit with visual improvement such as along a wall or fence, around a tree (or group of trees), or in the middle of the yard. Use a garden hose to outline the shape and size of the garden.
• Test the soil of your garden spot. You can purchase soil test kits from your local plant nursery. This kit will give you a general idea of the acidic level of your soil. Some plants are very touchy when it comes to the level of acid in a soil. Don't worry though, the tags that come with purchased plants will tell you what type of soil it prefers.
  
• The area selected for your garden dictates the amount of light and/or shade your plants will receive. Before digging up the dirt and weeds, determine the amount of sunlight the selected garden spot will receive vs. the type of garden you want. Do you want a full sun garden? A shade garden? How much sun will your selected garden spot receive? How dry is the soil in this new garden area?
• Do some research on plants. You may have some specific plants in mind, or you may be open to any plant for your new garden. Select plants that are suitable to your garden area with regard to the amount of sunlight, soil conditions and climate zone. When shopping for plants, be sure to read the tags that are attached to the plant. This tag provides important information of the plant such as water and light requirements and the suitable climate. A climate zone map is an important tool for determining if a plant will survive in your area: Tip: plants growing around or under trees will compete with the trees for moisture. The trees usually win, therefore plants that are more drought tolerant are suitable for such areas.

• "Work" your new garden spot. This means you can now remove the grass and weeds, add soil amendments, and begin planting. To remove grass and weeds, the best bet is to actually dig them up with a shovel following the hose outline (first step). Discard the grass and weeds. Another option is to till the grass and weeds, but you run the risk of them growing back. You can also use an herbicide (found at your local plant nursery) and spray the area, however, this takes several days and the soil may be toxic to your plants for several weeks. Amendments such as compost and aged manure can be worked into the soil. Sprinkle the amendments on the surface and turn the soil with a shovel. This essentially burries, or works, the compost into the existing soil. Compost is by far the best substance to add to soil as all plants will benefit.
• Watering is very important. The tags and labels that accompany your new plants will indicate the water requirements for each particular plant. It is a good idea to group plants with the same watering requirements. As a general rule, your plants should be watered every day for the first week after planting, about every two days for the second week, and at least once a week thereafter. This will enable your plants to establish strong root systems. To reduce the need for watering (cut watering down to once a month), you can plant plants that are native to your area.
• Adding mulch to your garden will conserve water and controll weeds. Mulch can be purchased from your local plant nursery, and comes in several varieties - all of which are suitable for nearly any type of garden. Place the material on top of the soil, about 3 to 4 inches thick. Do not place the material against the plant as this may cause the plant to retain too much moisture at the base and rot.

While creating your own garden may be considered by some to be relaxing and theraputic, you may not want to go throught all the work. As an alternative to creating your own garden, you may purchase pre-planned gardens. These pre-planned gardens come complete with the palnts, the layout of the garden (dimensions and shape), instructions on the plant's needs, and instructions on where to plant the plants.