The GIANT Book on Growing Flowers

Table of Contents Introduction Choosing the Right Soil Soil Color and Fertility Humus Preparation of the Soil Best Time for Seed Sowing The Thinning Process Staking Your Annuals Why Mulch? Cultivation and Maintenance Watering your Plants List of Hardy annuals Half Hardy Annuals Annuals Suitable for Cutting Purposes – Annuals for autumn blooming – Half Hardy Annuals for Edging Your Border Knowing More about Biennials Sowing the seeds Preparing the Ground List of Popular Biennials Choosing the Plants Permanent Plants Bougainvillea Hibiscus Cannas Asters The Jasmine Family and Plumeria Lilies Sowing Time Summer Plants Chrysanthemums Winter Plants Sweetpeas Phlox Hollyhocks Sunflowers Gladiolus Perennial Plants Dianthus Cosmos Periwinkles- Vinca Petunias Useful Gardening Tips Appendix Propagation through Buds Preparing a bud Grafting Benefits Wedge Grafting Grafting Wax Solutions Grafting Wax Orchids Collecting Orchids Natural Conditions Division of Species Terrestrial orchids – Epiphytic Orchids – Cultivation of Orchids Cultivation of Orchids at High Altitudes Propagation of Orchids Blossoming Orchids Making an Orchid House Types of Popular Orchids Varieties Dendrobium Epidendrum Cattleya Bletia Vanda Phalaenopsis Vanilla Odontoglossum Cypripedium – Lady Slipper Orchid genus Appendix Why Re-Pot a Plant Roses How To Grow Roses Types and Varieties of Roses Preparation of the Soil Planting Why Stake Your Roses Organic Manure for Roses Pruning Your Roses First pruning Hard pruning. Subsequent Pruning – Other Types of Roses Ramblers Climbing HTs Rose Standards Weeping Standards Floribundas General Management of Rose Plants Disbudding Roses Rose Pests and Diseases Appendix How to Make Rose Water How to Make a Rose Potpourri Rhododendrons Knowing More about Azaleas Ghent Azaleas Cultivation of Rhododendrons Soil for Your Rhododendrons Shade and Shelter for Your Rhododendrons Effect of Wind and Sun So How Do You Get the Best Shade for Your Rhododendrons? Shade Plants to Avoid Best Sheltering Plants Pests and Diseases Rhododendron Types and Hybrids Flower Borders Planning a Border Preparing Your Border Lime Application Manuring General Cultivation Tips Planting of Shrubs List of Different Color Plants Multicolored Plants Borders of Just One Color Getting a Period Border Narrow Borders Aspect Borders General Herbaceous Borders Choosing the Right Background Staking and Supports Growing a Shrub Border Using Bulbs in Your Border Bulb Selection Planting Your Bulbs Border Bulbs – Hyacinth and Crocus Management of your Borders Traditional Control of Slugs Author Bio Publisher Introduction There are far too many people out there who are under the impression that you cannot have a beautiful garden without spending huge amounts of money. That is so not true. A little bit of planning and this fallacy is going to fall to pieces by the wayside. Those who are grown annuals for years are going to give this statement the lie gladly. Their initial investment must have been just a packet of seeds. The next year, the plants were grown from the seeds collected from the previous years’ crop. Do not forget that the life of an annual is limited to just 12 months and so you must not expect them to grow up and bloom again the next year, unless of course you allowed the seeds to lie in the bed without collecting them. That is when they are going to bloom up just like weeds with a little bit of rain, and with the coming of the spring. One of the great advantages of annuals is that they are quite easy to grow and flourish in your garden over a long period. The most common are well known to even amateur gardeners who can recognize a cornflower, nasturtiums, Virginia stock and Candytuft. These are very beautiful in themselves, but every gardener is growing them in his garden.