Flower Gardening

Flower gardening is the most popular type of growing practiced locally. We all like home grown vegetables and landscaping plants, but by late spring we want to see some color, and that means flowers!

Our flower gardening is limited by the same climate and weather that attracts us to the Flagstaff area. 

• Cold, snowy winters
• Dry, windy spring weather
• Short growing season
• Hostile soils

But we have our ways!

With flowering annuals, it isn't too terribly difficult to have colorful, vigorous plants all summer.

Click on the box... and have Google start putting money in your bank account!

Start them from seed indoors and transplant to outside containers in late May. Or ...you could visit the nursery and buy bedding plants from the selection available around the time we expect the last frost.

Hopefully the last frost will be in mid May, otherwise you just might have to put the containers on the covered porch on cold nights. A few years ago, we had frost in the second week of June.

Perennials can be the real challenge South of Flagstaff. Summer residents and folks moving here from warmer regions complain of poor luck with shrubs, bushes, and other perennials.

But when you plan ahead you generally succeed... with a little help. Depending on who you talk to, the secrets to success include winter protection, mulching, and soil amendments.

I'm sure these things help but in my experience the real secrets are:

• Choosing the right plants for our climate
• Choosing the right location - full sun, partial shade, full shade
• Getting it in the ground in June
• Deep watering established plants - especially in May, and June
• Protection from the elk

Most flower gardening folks get bored with the same old plants they see in other yards as they drive or stroll by. But that's what the local nurseries have to sell.

If you're looking for something different (and probably less expensive), buy from an on-line nursery.

Several of the large on-line nurseries advertise on this page. A Google search using the box below and the search phrase gardening nursery will show you many more ads and listings.

The on-line nurseries sell in volume all over the country, so they can offer some unique plants and varieties that'll grow well here.

The downside to buying plants on-line is size. They ship small plants.

Gardening magazines are in the business of providing useful information. Amazon offers some really good gardening magazines, including Fine Gardening and Sunset. Sunset is a good magazine for Western gardeners. You can use this Gardening Publications link to see what's available. Gardening magazines make great gifts.

You can add an element of water to your flower garden with garden wall fountains. I know garden wall fountains can add soothing and relaxing sounds to your flower garden... and after the season, you can store it away from the winter snows. Kerry has a variety of beautiful designs at... http://www.garden-fountains.com/Categories.bok?category=Wall+Fountains.

Additional flower gardening resources can be found through a Google search. Try a search using a keyword phrase such as high country gardening or low water gardening, or even landscaping secrets.

Vegetable Gardening

Flowering Bulbs

Gardening Books

Gardening Zones

Gardening Nurseries

Flagstaff Arboretum

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