Choosing flowers for the organic garden
Organic gardening is steadily gaining popularity, and the goodnews is that virtually every kind of plant and flower can begrown organically. It is important, however, to choose theplants and flowers that are best suited to your own environment.Choosing plants that are suited to the environment in which theygrow is one of the best ways to reduce the use of fungicides,pesticides and other chemicals in the garden.For example, it may be difficult to use organic gardeningmethods to grow tropical variety of plants and flowers in a coldclimate, just as it would be difficult to grow cold climateplants in the tropics. That is why it is best to use the flowersand plants that are best suited for your own environment.One great way to choose the right plants for an organic gardenis to choose native varieties of plants. Choosing native speciesis a great way to know that the plants you choose will do bestwhere you plant them, without the need to use chemicals.Using native species of plants does not mean a dull or boringgarden. Native species of flowers and plants are available injust about every color of the rainbow, and...
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... in a variety ofsizes, shapes and textures as well. A beautiful mixture ofnative plants can produce an organic garden you will be proud toshow the world.After you have chosen the perfect varieties of flowers andplants for your garden, it is important to choose only thehealthiest specimens for your garden. That is because choosingunhealthy plants, or those that are infected with disease orinfested by insects, could unwittingly introduce these problemsinto your garden, and make gardening organically that much moredifficult.Choosing the healthiest plants and flowers, on the other hand,will get your organic garden off to the best start, sincehealthy plants are better able to fight off pests, and to resistbacterial, viral and fungal infections. The healthy plants inyour garden will be able to fight off these common ailmentswithout the need for chemicals.After the plants have been chosen and brought home, they shouldbe transplanted as quickly as possible. It is a good idea tohave a good supply of finished compost available when startingan organic garden. Starting a compost bin is a great idea forany organic gard...
...ner, since high quality compost often containsnutrients that even the best commercial fertilizers do not. Inaddition, creating your own compost means less waste going tolandfills, and this can produce a healthier environment as wellas a healthy garden.When working a compost mixture in the soil, it is not necessaryto go deep. Most plants root only to a depth of about sixinches, so working the compost mixture into the first six toeight inches of the soil in the organic flower bed should besufficient.When transplanting seedlings from plastic nursery containers, itis important to carefully remove the plant from the container.You should carefully tear away those roots that have grown pastthe container. Before planting the transplants, be sure that thesoil has been adequately prepared with good organic material.Having organic material in the soil not only will provide agreat source of nutrition for the young plants, but it will soencourage the growth of beneficial organisms like earthworms.Earthworms can work the soil better than any garden instrument,and they are an integral part of a successful organic garden.
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