Flower Gardening Basics
Plant Hardiness Zones Explained for Flower Gardeners
What the zone numbers on a plant tag mean, how to find your own zone, and what zones cannot tell you about heat, humidity, soil and frost dates.
Flower Gardening Basics
Start here: beginner guides to planning a flower garden, reading sunlight and soil, choosing easy flowers, and avoiding common first-season mistakes.
5 guides published
Flower Gardening Basics
Annuals vs. Perennials: What Is the Difference?
Annuals live one season and flower for a long stretch; perennials return for years with a shorter show. Here is what the labels mean, why they change with climate, and how to use both in one bed.
Flower Gardening Basics
How to Prepare Soil for a Flower Bed
Turn lawn or tired ground into a bed where flowers root well: test the soil's texture and drainage, clear the grass, loosen the ground, mix in compost and let it settle before you plant.
Flower Gardening Basics
How to Assess Sunlight in Your Garden Before You Plant
Learn what full sun, part shade and shade mean on a plant tag, and how to map the hours of direct sun in your own yard with nothing more than paper, a pencil and one clear day.
Flower Gardening Basics
Flower Gardening for Beginners: How to Start Your First Bed
A plain orientation for your first flower bed: the four decisions that shape most results (sun, soil, climate and plant type) and a simple first-season sequence to follow.