Flower garden envy will be easy to accomplish, but you will need to believe in yourself and the vision in your head. Take my sister for example. We grew up in the same household with the same mother and yet… my sister has been scared to death to attempt planting her own flowerbeds! That was until I shared my moms secrete with her.

Photo Credit:
https://christhompsonphotographer.com/ 

I am in no way a professional gardener, but boy did I get my moms love for flower gardening. This is the thing, you – do not – have to know much to get started. The plants all come with tags that tell you what the plant requires.

So here is my moms secret for a great flower garden, the one I shared with my sister, the one that frees you from inaction and fear. If it dies, it dies. That’s it. Get another plant and try again. That is how we learn isn’t it? Trust me, it rarely dies. Of course you do have to water it, lol.

Let’s take a look at some of my very favorite flower garden plants. The ones that are easy to care for, and come up over and over again year after year. Plants that have guests Oohing and Ahhing when they come into my yard. These are called perennials and for a venue owner like myself, perennials are a life saver.

1. The Climates

This plant can be a show stopper! They love to climb or drape over something. You might need to add steel folding wire border fencing like I did on my pergola. I have clematis in several places. I have two draping over the logs on my old log cabin too. They come in several different colors and styles. Check these out , WOWZA!

This plant likes it’s roots to be protected, but loves the sun. I think they might even have some that like shade now. I trim mine a little, but you have to remember, it will bud out on the vine that it has made, no matter how tall it has gotten.

If you get a small clematis to begin with it will take about three years before it looks tall and full. Mine are getting older now so I give them some fertilizer in the spring. I would google the best kind of fertilizer for your kind of plant. Truthfully, I use what I have. I’m not picky!

2. The Daisy

The daisy’s in this photo take up a lot of room on the hillside and are one of the first plants to bloom. They definitely give a wow factor. Probably because there are so many of them! Our Daisy’s might be considered the road side kind.

In some places these daisy’s are called a noxious weed, because they are very evasive. Meaning, they sprout up everywhere if given the chance. They must have been on the property because we did not plant them. They bloom until it gets really hot.

After they are done blooming we remove the dead stems. We have planted other things among them, like the Phlox . When they are done blooming something else blooms in their place.

3. The Wild Flower Mix

16 years ago we purchased a 20 acre piece of property and built a house. We had most of it built by a contractor, but we did all the finish work and of course that included the landscaping.

Guys, everywhere I have lived I have carried around a basket that is filled with every kind of seed imaginable. I collect seeds that I want to use. Sometimes I use all the packet and sometimes I don’t, my basket is full to over flowing.

If I remember correctly my children gave me a tall cylinder filled with a mix of wild flowers. I was desperate for flowers around my house so I opened the jar and let the seeds fly. The seeds had been in the jar for so long, only a few came up. Hmm, do flower garden seeds get old? I did mention I’m not a professional gardener, but I think they can?!

The one that has survived over the years is beautiful. One look at the photo tells you even the photographer loved this plant. Do I know the name? Nope, but I don’t need too. It makes a splash of color and I love that .

Did you know you can get an app on your phone that will tell you the name of any flower or plant? Check that out here.

4. Rose Bushes and Hardy Geranium

I love the hardy Geranium! We have a bank that is so hard to keep covered. It’s steep and the bark that we put down sloughs off to the bottom of the hill when the deer walk on it. The hardy Geranium blooms all summer, doesn’t care what kind of soil it’s in, and needs littler care.

The same goes for the Hedge Rose that grows on the bank. It takes up a lot of space, needs little water and continues to take over the bank. We are fine with these flower garden plants that take over. That means less work for us and they create a beautiful backdrop for venue photos.

4. Columbine, Lambs Ear, Poppy’s, Ornamental Grass and Phlox.

The Columbine is another flower I just love, what am I saying? I love them all or I wouldn’t have them in my garden, lol! They come in many different colors and bloom all summer. They are scattered all around the yard, reappear every year, and in new places too.

Lambs Ear is another plant that once it gets started will bloom everywhere. It migrates to every flowerbed in time. I used to get mad when my husband pulled them up! But now I do too, lol. I want all kinds of flowers not just Lambs Ear in my flowerbeds. The deer do not eat this and that is a plus.

The Poppy blooms late spring to early summer and is gorgeous! I have the red and orange, but you can see they come in many colors, sizes and shapes. The deer do not bother this plant either.

Phlox are so big and beautiful! The deer will eat these though so I spray them with Deer Out.

5. Flower Garden Envy

My yard is frequented by hundreds of visitors every year. We have been asked if we have a professional gardener who takes care of our landscaping more times than I can count (no we don’t, we do it ourselves). I had one person tell us that our yard was the most beautiful she had seen for a wedding setting and that she had been to – a lot of weddings.

I keep it fun for me. My husband and I had mothers who loved to garden and when they passed away we acquired a lot of their gardening supplies. We use what we have on hand. If I have to get all technical and stress out about things forget it. What is the fun in that?

We have a sprinkler system that waters most everything. That is one of the reasons I can have so many flowers of different kinds and in so many places. Most of our flowers here on the ridge came from our moms. Every fall I would go to my moms and raid her garden for something I – just had to have.

And you know what? This made her so happy. She loved sharing her flowers with everyone, because that was her pride and joy, her yard. An exception would be her grandchildren of course. ?

Yes there will be weeding, watering, fertilizing, and your plants will need trimmed from time to time. Gardening comes with so many health benefits too. Just start.

Have fun with your gardening! Please, please do not hold back on trying your hand at flower gardening. Remember the secrete – If it dies, it dies. Start over, keep learning. You’ll be joining the ranks of garden envy in no time.

Photo Credit: https://christhompsonphotographer.com/

Denison Ridge is grateful to Chris Thompson Photographer for sharing these stunning photos for our enjoyment.

For more information on booking your wedding at Denison Ridge email us at teri@denisonridge.com. Oh! And be sure to follow us on Instagram

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