A simple guide to starting a flower garden.

For those with interest in gardening, starting a flower garden may look like a big task if you are doing it for the first time. But it is actually a simple step by step affair.

Detailed below are some guidelines to help in staring a flower garden.
1. Identify the area you want to locate the garden. The area should be well drained if it is indoors and also not so shaded as most plants like some degree of sunshine. If you want to establish an indoor flower garden, consider the amount of shade and light which comes indoors and also how you will drain the excess water from the growing pots.
2. Prepare your area well. When starting a flower garden out door, dig up the soil deep enough to break any hard pan that may be there, mix the soil with some compost, some dolomite will provide an acidity buffer and then apply some phosphate base dressing fertilizer like triple super phosphate because this helps in root establishment. If you are starting a flower garden in containers, preparation of the media is of key importance and how it is filled into the containers. The preparation should allow for the media to drain sufficiently because this is very important for the plants not to be in over-watered conditions and also for the media to hold enough water for the plant.
3. Selecting the right flower varieties is also very important when starting a flower garden. Select varieties that you like and that are suitable for your growing environment and for the purpose you want the flowers for. Some flower varieties make very good cut flower for the vase whileothers are good for their foliage and as bedding or hedge plants. Bear this in mind when selecting flowers for your garden.
4. Order the planting material when you are ready with land preparation. For the planting stock, check that they are health and free frompests and diseases. When planting your flower garden, ensure that you observe the planting density for the particular flower variety, check that you plant at the right depth and ensure the media is well watered before and after planting.

If all the above steps are observed keenly, then starting your flower garden moves to the next phase where the emphasis is on taking care of the garden. There are cultural practices that have to be done in a garden and these include and are not limited to pruning, watering, fertilizer application, pest and disease control, weed control among others. Any serious gardener needs to understand how these operations are supposed to be done inorder to be successful as a gardener.
To learn more about starting a flower garden, there are detailed guides about the art and science of gardening. Grab your guide to rose growing and become an expert gardener,or practice vertical gardening and use your small space efficiently.