Gardening Tips and Hints

With just about any hobby or profession, there are always tips, tricks a "rules of (green) thumb" to that can significantly reduce mistakes and increase the likelihood of success. Our horticulturists and some of our more outspoken customers have pooled their ideas to help you be more successful in your garden. We hope you enjoy these "tricks of the trade."

Remove Old Flowers to Keep Plants Blooming as Long as Possible

Deadheading is a fierce term for removing faded flowers. If left to their own devices, many perennials bloom gloriously for a short period of time then stop flowering and set seed. Deadheading interrupts this cycle. If faded flowers are removed before they set seed, many will send out another flush of blooms to try to complete the reproductive cycle. The blooms in the second display may not be as large or as numerous as the first, but they are certainly worth the effort. Other perennials that bloom over an extended period of time benefit from deadheading because it increases the number of flowers that are produced and the length of time over which they are produced.

Watering

As far as watering goes, a good rule of thumb is that many perennials grow well with 1 inch of water per week.

Additional Information

Keep a close eye on all newly planted perennials during the first growing season. Many new perennials die because they get too much or too little water. The soil around their roots should be moist, but not soaking wet, for the first two weeks. For the next two weeks or so, water when the soil 2 inches below the surface is dry to the touch. After that, check the garden soil once a week and water if the soil 3 or 4 inches deep is dry.
To establish durable, deep root systems water slowly and deeply rather than frequently and shallowly. A good rule of thumb is that many perennials grow well with 1 inch of water per week. The water can come from natural rainfall or from irrigation.