Garden Plants - Page 21

Creating borders

When establishing a border, there are many factors to consider, such as soil type, lighting requirements, wind or shelter, shape, size and the blooming period. Fortunately, Bakker.com has a wide range of border plants or ready-to-plant border packages so you can always find something suitable for your garden! When planning a border or large planter, it's a good idea to keep a few things in mind. The colour of flowers and plants determine the atmosphere in the garden. Many different colours of flowers create a fun, bright scene. Plants with flowers in the same hues ensure a sense of calm and unity. The amount of light in the garden can influence the colours we choose. Dark flowers need a lot of light and white flowers (like baby's breath and phlox) need shade or dappled light to thrive. Prefer something other than flowers for your garden? That isn't a problem. There are many different shades of green and shapes of leaves available to create a beautiful garden.

The correct distance between plants

Do you already have plants at home? Then start by planting your latest acquisitions. Here are some handy planting tips to get your plants off to a good start. It is fairly easy to plant ground cover plants and perennials, provided you follow a few rules to ensure the plant grows well. Before planting a border, it's a good idea to first space out all the plants over the available area (keep them in the nursery pot). When planting, it is important to keep the right distance between plants in mind. If the plants are too close together, they can't develop properly. If they are too far apart, it will take a long time before the plants merge together. So always read the recommended plant distance on the label. Once everything is the way you want it, remove the plants from the nursery pots.

Fertilising plants

Plants need nutrients for proper growth and flowering. There are two types of plant fertiliser: organic fertiliser and artificial fertiliser. Organic fertiliser (for example cow manure, compost, mixed organic fertiliser), which is good for the environment, is important for the soil microbes and structure. In addition, it is crucial for the plant's health, nutrient uptake and resistance. We use organic fertiliser in the winter or early spring. Artificial fertiliser contains a lot of nutrients for plants (but unfortunately not for the soil) and helps produce quick results. We use it from April to August and always follow the dosage on the packaging.

Potted plants

To start with, tilt the plant in the nursery pot, tap on it or pinch and pull the pot away from the root ball. If the pot does not come off easily, cut off the pot. Is the root ball very dry? Dip the plant in a bucket of lukewarm water before removing the plant from the nursery pot. Carefully loosen the roots with your fingers so they can better spread out in the open ground. Then make a large hole with a trowel or other garden tools, so the soil is nice and loose. Then add some potting soil or compost and put the plant at the right depth (the top of the root ball should be even with the level of the ground). The loose soil will sink down a bit. Be careful not to plant the root ball too high; otherwise the plant will dry out more quickly. Finally, firmly press the soil around the roots and immediately water generously. We have watering systems at Bakker.com so we never forget to water.

Bare-rooted perennials

A large portion of the range from Bakker.com is delivered in bare-rooted form. These plants with bare roots have already grown for a year and some have bloomed at the growers. This makes these perennials stronger, quicker to develop and more resistant to different types of weather. We receive the roots in a bag. When planting these bare roots, we first dig a hole twice as big as the roots. This way no roots need to be bent. We always plant our bare-rooted plants with the roots downwards. Is it one large tuber? Then we plant these with the 'nose' pointing towards the soil. If a bit of green is already visible, we plant this above the surface of the ground. Once the root is in the soil, we add fresh potting soil to the hole. Fresh potting soil generally contains about 60 days of food. This means we don't need to add any extra food for the first 2 months. After two months, we add fertiliser every few months to keep the plant strong and help it grow. We only do this while they are growing and flowering. After planting, we only water if the soil feels dry to the touch. The soil can always stay a bit moist. These plants like that.

Flowering plants

Plants flower to form seeds, so butterflies and bees can pollinate flowers and plants can reproduce. Once that has happened, the plant can stop blooming. These flowers are also for making us happy. We want to be able to enjoy their beauty as long as possible. If we keep removing the flowers that are done blooming and thus ensure that the plants can't form seeds, they bloom longer. Fuchsias, for example, can bloom up to three times a summer if we consistently remove the flowers that are done blooming.
Want more tips about plants or the care of garden plants? Check out our gardening advice pages

Pruning garden plants

Pruning leads to growth! Most shrubs and trees have to be pruned once or more per year to continue growing or in some cases, improve flowering. Another reason for pruning is to remove branches that are growing wild. The reason and plant type determine the pruning period of the garden plants. We always make sure to cut off the dead branches and flowers with sharp, clean pruning tools. This prevents these plants from catching diseases and having unattractive pruning injuries. You can find more information on how and when plants should be pruned on our advice page.

Also check out the following interesting products:

• Flower bulbs
• Pots
• Indoor plants
• Pond plants
• Patio & Decking Plants
• Flower seeds