Looking For Summer Flowers
30Jun
2008
Late spring is the ideal time to plant seeds for many easy growing summer flowers. The soil is warm for promoting germination while the spring rains promote growth. Some of the popular summer flowers are Zinnias, sunflowers, cosmos, petunias, bachelor buttons, balsam, alyssum, marigolds, vinca, poertuluca and lobelia.
Sunlight for at least six hours each day is needed for the summer flowers to grow profusely. For Southwest and desert climate zones, afternoon shade is recommended. This is part of the soil preparation process. Get some compost, some rotten manure and some fertilizer and mix them according to the instructions for use mentioned in the package and then turn over the soil again with this mixture. In case the flower bed is against a wall or fence, then follow a pattern of planning with tallest plants at the back and shortest and spreading flowers in front. The small plants would never get shaded by the taller plants which would then lean against the wall.
How should you plant the flowers if the bed is in the center of the year? Pastels look gorgeous. Colors like orange and purple with lots of cream and white interspersing or red and blue with some white thrown in the middle. Alternatively you could even various shades of blue and throw in a bit of yellow here and there.
Seed plantation should be carried out three as closely as instructions stipulate. This is followed by covering the seeds as directed and putting a layer of mulch on top. Water your plants only when it is dry and not because it is a matter of routine. Then do your thinning for spacing. The ideal distance between the plants should be 6, 12 and 18 inches for shorter, medium and taller flowers.
The more you pick them for bouquets, the more they flower and this is the most amazing part of summer flowers. To seed, is the main purpose of a flower, if you look at it from the perspective of the plant. When this job is done, the plant automatically ceases to flower. Though the flowers may not bowl you over like the first time, they are lovely nevertheless. Late spring is the right time to plant seeds for summer flowers, if you want a magnificent display throughout the summer months.
