Gardening 101

Q. I am a relatively new gardener. I do plant some annuals in containers (geraniums, begonias, pansies) but now I want to graduate and start putting some flowers and vegetables on the ground. What are the best plants so that I'll see some colors and flowers in my garden for the longest time? How do I go about making a good bed for my vegetable garden and which are the easy vegetables/fruits to start with?

A. Congrats! First off for branching out into the vast world of plants. Once you get hooked, there is no turning back. You will always delight in your accomplishments and find the needed time away from the rush of the world!

Annuals and bulbs would be the logical step for you to proceed to with your garden beds. They are very easy to grow and produce wonderful color from now until the frost of fall.

Select out according to the amount of light you have.

In general, for full to half day sun:
zinnia
marigold
petunia
ageratum
hollyhock
sunflower [heliopsis]
alyssum

For less light:
coreopsis
larkspur
delphinium
tuberose
scabiosa
columbine
wax begonia
tuberous begonia [a little harder]
cosmos
impatiens
sultana
geranium
alyssum again
viola
pansy
Johnny jump up

Easy bulbs to grow:
gladiolus
canna
dahlia [these three needing good sunlight]
calla
tiger lily
daylily

Best vegetables to start with:
green bean
potato
lettuce
carrot
beet
pea
onion [including garlic, shallot, green onion]
herbs...yes! basil, rosemary, tarragon, dill, thyme, cilantro

Fruits I would wait on until later.

And tons more which I have missed! If you see a particular plant for sale, come back and Ask me what I think. Perennials will be a future step for you to take.

Work up your garden beds very well. Spade down about a foot, removing any stems, branches, garbage, construction debris and rocks. The more you dig, the more air you incorporate into the soil beds. This is very much needed for air for the new roots and water flow [drainage] to avoid rot and death.

Add organic material, anything like:
humus
compost
peat moss
perlite
vermiculite
bone meal
blood meal
dehydrated steer manure
dried leaves
sand if your soil is heavy, clay-like

Utmost: do not forget to provide plentiful water, especially during dry times, and feed those plants, please! Buy a good outdoor general plant food as Rapid Grow, Scotts, Hyponex or Miracle-Gro.

I hope all this is not too much at once, so please come back and Ask new questions in any particular area you desire! Best of all, have fun, and get some iced tea with mint out for a quiet enjoyable sitting in July!

Q. I am new to gardening and live in Florida with sandy soil and warm to hot temps! What do you suggest I try for my first time that will not die?

A. Yes, for your first time and the timing involved here right now, I would like you to buy those six packs of small plants which you see everywhere. Go to a good local nursery and see what is being offered. Florida is very particular in its weather and rain or lack thereof. So, if they have a pretty plant type for sale, then they know the customers will buy it and grow successfully!

Having sandy soil is very good for the drainage so that you do not overwater [a very common no-no!] and allows the roots to grow so readily. But, the lack of nutrients in it is a factor you must face. Therefore, I want you to buy a good outdoor garden fertilizer, as Scotts, Hyponex, Rapid Grow or Miracle-Gro. Follow the directions, but generally it is about one tablespoon per gallon water, once every two weeks.

Also, please enrich your sand with any:
peat moss
leaf mold
bone meal
blood meal
compost
dehydrated, odorless steer manure
garden loam, featuring organic materials

The packets of plants will have some instructions on them, complete with which ones are best in full sun, others in partial shade. Planting depth and distance apart are listed. Then, please write down names and varieties, for future reference. Add comments as the season progresses.

Here are some to look for:

Marigold, zinnia, cosmos, daisy, petunia, snapdragon, hollyhock, alyssum, lobelia, ageratum, geranium [larger, in 4" pots is good], pelargonium [ditto], cockscomb wax begonia [for shadier location].

Bulbs you could try: gladiolus, canna, dahlia, lilies.

Q. We now happily have about 1/2 acre of garden with lots of potential, but we are complete novices. Our first wish is to give the rear of the garden more privacy by planting some greenery around the inside of the 6' wooden fence, which would eventually grow to a minimum of 10'. The garden is very sunny and we want to develop a tropical feel to this area. We are in South Florida. (Zone 10) What would be some good choices? Also, can you recommend a good beginner's gardening book to get us started?

My favorite book to recommend is just super. This is just how so: I gave a copy of it to my nephew and wife for their wedding present, since she is an avid gardener and wants to learn more, as we all do:

Botanica by R. G. Turner, Jr.
I got mine on sale through Barnes and Noble online.

Also, I want you to go to:
http://www.floridasmart.com/business/books/onbooks_florida.htm
Click on Plants/Gardening and see what you like there.

This is also an excellent website for you. You may wish to subscribe for free at the bottom:
http://www.floridagardener.com

Areca Palm
http://www.floridagardener.com/pom/arecapalm.htm
Grown as a shrub or hedge. Areca palms are native to Puerto Rico

Powder Puff
http://www.floridagardener.com/pom/powderpuff.htm
Hedge or shrub in the landscape for its powder-puff-flowers

Ixora coccinea, Flame of the Woods, Jungle Flame, or Jungle Geranium

http://www.floridagardener.com/pom/ixora.htm
Evergreen hedge which requires constant pruning to keep its shape
Flowering hedge, shrub, flowering plant
Florida garden native plants
Dramatic landscape plants

American Horticultural Society A to Z Encyclopedia of Garden Plants home | their bookstore | This book is another one which I feel you would really enjoy.

Crape Myrtle
http://www.floridagardener.com/pom/crape.htm
Hedge, screen, group plantings or specimen plants
The subtropical garden 1999 Florida gardening

Croton, Codiaeum
http://www.floridagardener.com/pom/croton.htm
Informal hedge or screen, or shrub border
Florida garden native plants

Dombeya Wallichii or Pink-Ball
http://www.floridagardener.com/pom/dombeya.htm
Hedge or screen

Shrimp Plants,
Justicia brandegeana and Pachystachys
http://www.floridagardener.com/pom/shrimp.htm
Informal hedge, border, container or planter, or grouped for effect of privacy

Cananga, Ylang Ylang Tree
http://www.floridagardener.com/pom/cananga.htm
Dramatic landscape plants

Florida Gardener Search Engine
http://www.floridagardener.com/search.htm

Gardening Links
http://www.floridagardener.com/links.htm
Florida Gardener, Your Source for Gardening in the Sunshine State!

Mike writes~
I have always had a garden. Places that I have moved to have always had a garden present. In a month, we will be moving to a new house with a big yard but no garden; Do you have any tips for starting a garden from scratch?

A. The first thing to do is dig or roto-till. You need to inspect the soil into which you will be planting. If it is needing an addition, as peat, compost, sand, etc., now is the time to churn it in.

I had a horrid solid clay soil in my childhood garden, plus it was full of construction items from our new home. Great place to dump their excesses...right into the soil! Be careful when tilling, as when you hit a stone or brick, it may do damage to the tiller [machine and you!]

Make design outlines before planting. Observe the pattern of the sunlight and the breezes. Take notes as to which areas get light and when. Draw shapes of garden beds and decide where the lawn will be and where it will be cut off.

Get out some good gardening books, go to the library, do web searches and write down all plants which appeal to you. Follow the plant names with predicted height, amount of sun required, space needed per plant, color of flower if any. Design in pencil where you will plant the various items and include a source for all materials.

Do not spend a small fortune right away. Plant a little at a time, get them acclimated, and on their way to established success. Care for them daily and when you feel you can take more time in planting and care, go buy or order some more plants. Little by little the designs will come together and give you a lasting beauty.