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BY DR DIANE RELF Extension Environmental Horticulturist
Most gardeners realize there is a lot of work involved in getting the soil ready to plant a vegetable garden. They test the soil, add lime or sulfur to adjust the pH, incorporate compost of mature, till or dig the soil to loosen it and make it easier for roots to penetrate, and add fertilizer before they even buy their cabbage, broccoli, tomatoes, or peppers.
Unfortunately, these same thorough gardeners will be so enticed by the already blooming petunias, snapdragons, and marigolds at the store that they take them home to an unmade bed of clay and grass roots.
Plan ahead for
flowers
The time to decide you want flowers in the yard is long before you see them in the store. Prepare the site the same as you would for vegetables. Eliminate competing roots, and loosen enrich the soil with organic materials in the fall before you plant so winter freezes can kill insects and weeds in the soil.
Design your flower bed with consideration to time of bloom, height of plants, color of foliage and flowers, and similarity of cultural requirements. Small groupings of plants within the bed and repetition of similar plants in locations through out the bed are more attractive than single examples of many different plants. In most settings, a ran-,, dom flow of plants is more effective than a defined pattern. In addition, it is more easily maintained and less noticeable if one or two plants die.
Once you are ready to shop, select plants carefully. With most bedding plants, such as snap dragons, zinnias, and marigolds, varieties may come in heights from six inches to three feet tall and many different colors. Read the bedding plant labels and see if the plants your considering will be large or small and if they are the colors you intend to use.
Treat bedding plants
gently
Once you have purchased trays or flats of bedding plants, remember that they are fragile, living things and must be treated as such. Do not leave them in a closed car
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