So, it’s been a minute since I last blogged, but I was wondering just what you might be wondering about in the garden or about flowers these days? I have always loved beautiful flowers. However, I haven’t always been the best at keeping things going or knowing what to plant or much about gardening at all. But, the past few years have really peaked my interest in all kinds of gardening and so I’ve learned a lot. I joined our local Bishopville Garden Club and I certainly have learned a lot about my yard. So, I have been adding some things around the yard little by little each year. We finally got our deck looking nice and about two years ago we added a patio. Not too big but big enough to add some Adirondack chairs and last year a fire pit. I’ve also added a three tier fountain and an angel memory garden as well. This year I plan on adding a swing, a pathway through some trees an maybe even an arbor. But, the biggest thing I want to do is add a border of plants and trees around the whole back yard. So, how do I do that? What do I plant? I have some sun and some shade as well so what’s gonna grow? Well, I think I’ll probably add little by little and see how it comes out. A yard makeover this summer is just what it needs. Now, I can’t really afford to hire someone to come and do it all for me. I’m pretty sure I can do this myself with some research and planning. So, what do I need to do first? Do my homework is probably the first step. You can make some pretty expensive mistakes if you buy whatever catches your fancy at a plant nursery. Before shopping maybe get a good gardening guide book to identify plants that will thrive in the conditions of your garden. When you see something you like, check its requirements. Also, keep in mind that looks aren’t everything. In planning your flower garden, you may spend a lot of time selecting plants that work well together where color, height, and texture are concerned. But it’s equally important to group together flowers that require the same kind of soil and have similar needs for water. One thing I like to do is plan my garden on paper. Draw out the yard on paper and use markers of the colors you’d like to have in the beds. It’s easy to see what goes together and what want by doing this. Go large in the shade. As a general rule, large leaf plants require less sun than plants with small leaves. Also, plants with small leaves, especially if they are narrow and waxy, resist wind damage better then broad leafed plants. With less leaf surface, they don’t loose much moisture, so they hold up better in both drying winds and dry soil. Remember in SC we have some heat! For gardens in hot, dry areas, use fleshy succulents and other plants that hold moisture well. Big floppy leaves tend to dry out fast. Need to have some showy plants? Pink and white flowers will stand out against a brick wall, whereas red ones will hardly be noticed. To help darker flowers show up better against a dark background, provide the contrast of pale green leaves or white companion flowers. What about Camellias? I like those! I even have a couple. However they need some help. One does pretty good and one needs something. In my research of what to plant in my garden I find that if you grow red camellias instead of white if you live where they are likely to be damaged by frost. The red blossoms will keep more of their color to, while white ones turn brown. In addition, red ones tolerate more sunlight than the pink and white varieties. There are so may choices you can choose for your garden. And I could go on and on with some of my findings of what I’ll be planting in my yard, but the main thing here is just to do some research before you start dropping a lot of money in the yard. You can plant anything from trees, shrubs, annuals or perennials, bulbs, or even sow some seeds. I will be covering my progress on here of my own back yard and we can learn together. My first planting will be in a few days when the weather is better. I will be marking off the beds and planting some Knock Out Roses and two Tulip Trees I got a couple weeks ago. Yep, I finally got me some. If you are interested in those, check out my blog on that. So, for now until we meet again, remember to always live in bloom! Sent from my iPad