How gardening makes you happy. Step 4. Must-haves.


Dear Garden girls.

Spring has begun. Everyone is gardening; even the non-gardeners. That's why everyone is SO CHEERED UP on a spring day! After all, Gardening makes everybody HAPPY!

Probably you desperately want to go to the garden centre to buy some plants for your little piece of paradise. But WHICH ONES? There is so much to choose from!

I selected a few plants for you. These will definitely make you HAPPY.

THE MUST-HAVES!

Pansies in your example garden

First of all, the Pansy.
Everyone knows these cheerful flowers in the craziest colours. BUY MANY! Plant them in pots, baskets and buckets. Do not forget to water them regularly and to remove (deadhead) the fainted flowers.

Lavender. NEED I SAY MORE?
They thrive best on a sunny and warm place.

Lavender

Eryrium 'Bowles Mauve'
You probably will never have heard from this plant? Pay attention then! This plant blooms – in my garden – from spring to winter! SPRING AND WINTER! Ok, I have to admit, less exuberant during winter. The lilac flowers look well with early spring flowers such as daffodils and tulips. Every few years you have to renew the plants. But it is an ABSOLUTE WINNER. Plant them in a sunny and dry place. (50cm high)

Erysimum in your example garden

Kalimeris incisa. False aster.
This is unknown plant too. Blooms early June. They are available in white or lilac. After flowering, cut back the plant to 25 cm high. Soon it will flower again! They are the BACKBONE of your border! They grow in sun or partial shade, but not in the darkest spot. (50 cm high)

False Aster also available in white

Geranium, all are good.
Geranium is a very rewarding plant family. They are available in the colours: dark red, pink, lilac and blue. My favourite: Geranium 'Rosanna'. This plant will reward you with a SEA OF BLUE flowers! It flowers from late June until frost. An additional advantage, the snails do not like them. They like sun or partial shade. (25 cm high)

My favorite Geranium 'Rosanna'


Dahlias, BUY THEM IN EVERY COLOUR!
These are also suitable for the balcony gardeners. Be aware of the snails, they love them for BREAKFAST, LUNCH AND DINNER!

Dahlia's

And as you go to the garden centre, also bring a package of LATHYRUS SEEDS please. Now is the time to sow these in little container pots. Next month we will plant them outside. You can grow these on your balcony in a large pot too.

Lathyrus seeds

I cannot wait to hear what you bought. And above all, are you feeling HAPPY in your garden?


Next post “Gardening is making you happy step 5” is on May 1st.

READ THE PREVIOUS BLOGS:
How gardening makes you happy step 1 
How gardening makes you happy step 2.
How gardening makes you happy step 3.



Information about my garden: 
romantic rose garden


Your example garden in April.









Comments

  1. Dear Hetty,
    as always I enjoyed your post on how gardening makes you happy! Thanks for the great tips! Having a second garden now, I have been doing a lot of planting, sowing and other work in the garden recently. I sowed many sweet peas and I also planted quite many dahlia tubers. I have never grown dahlias before, because my mom told me that they get mildew easily. However, reading your appeal to buy many dahlias, I am positiv I will enjoy them. How are your tulips doing? Are some already blooming?
    Best wishes,
    Lisa

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  2. Dear lisa, I am pleased to hear you are working so hard in your garden. Maybe you can plant your Dahlias on a more aerial spot? Or maybe the varieties we buy nowadays are mildew resisted . I have never had problems of that matter in my Dahlias ! Think of all the colourful bouquet in the summer. About my tulips, the early ones are flowering. I will show them soon.
    Keep gardening Lisa! I am proud of you. Groetjes Hetty

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    Replies
    1. Dear Hetty,
      Thanks for your tip! I planted most of the dhalia tubers in big containers, so I can rearrrange the containers to another spot any time. We will just see how they do. Yeah, I would definitely love a flower bouquet from my own garden! I am lookiing forward to seeing your tulip pictures. I also planted some tulip bulbs in autumn(though certainly not as many as you) and some will bloom soon.
      Wishing you sunny days for gardening!
      Lisa

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