Quick Tips To Create A Beautiful Flowerbed/Garden

greyfurball
greyfurball Posts: 591 ✭✭✭✭
edited November 2020 in Garden Design

We've all seen those yards or gardens where everyone stops and just stares because their flower beds are just so gorgeous.

The first thing which goes through my mind is they must have either studied or worked for a horticulturist at one point in their life.

But there actually is some really easy tricks we can utilize to quickly and easily create that beautiful display in our own yards. Here's one of them .

 Feed your flowering shrubs easily with your garbage. Save all old overripe fruits and your fruit and vegetable peels then dig them into the top 2” of soil around your flowers. This gives instant and extended fertilization for your plants as the fruits break down in your ground.

In other words, it's an on-going fertilization plan all season long without you having to go out there and keep re-doing it every month or so.

Try it... you'll find it really does work!

*Hint: start first by feeding your rose bushes either banana peels or else just dig in any old overripe bananas. Be careful and don't go too deep though, a rose bush's roots start just a few inches under the soil line. But you will end up with a beautiful display of flowering roses once you start doing it.


Comments

  • herbantherapy
    herbantherapy Posts: 453 ✭✭✭✭

    Personal Goal for 2020 flower beds: FERTILIZE!!!

    I am the worst at remembering to fertilize! I have done the banana peel trick with roses and had great results in the past!

  • OhiohillsLouise
    OhiohillsLouise Posts: 120 ✭✭✭

    Thanks for the reminder, I just got an abundance of over ripe bananas (for free). I already made too much banana bread and even my chickens are starting to turn their noses up at the sight of them.

  • greyfurball
    greyfurball Posts: 591 ✭✭✭✭

    @Louise there seems to be a bunch of Louise's with different last names in this group so could you give us a little more so we are sure we are tagging the right Louise when we send a message?

    And I wanted to mention in case you don't know, freezing the overripe bananas is great also, just don't stick them in a bag side by side without a wrapper. I usually use some waxed paper around one and then the next one is just left plain if you happened to peel them first.

    Doing this also means you can make a quick bowl of homemade ice cream any time your heart desires, in any flavor you wish to be eating that day. If you haven't tried it yet, give it a try or let me know and I can give you a heads up how.

  • OhiohillsLouise
    OhiohillsLouise Posts: 120 ✭✭✭

    @greyfurball I don’t know if I can change my name to narrow the pool. Funny that I so rarely find another Louise that I didn’t think it would be an issue. Thanks for letting me know.

    I haven’t tried making them into an ice cream please share your recipe.

  • greyfurball
    greyfurball Posts: 591 ✭✭✭✭

    @Louise maybe you could add one more letter (or numbers) to your username and that would take care of it. Head to your profile page and try it. I can't say for sure how but if all else fails contact support and they could guide you thru the process.

    As for recipes, there's a ton of them. Just depends how ambitious or lazy you happen to feel that day. The original recipe I learned was to add the following to a food processor:

    Add about 1/4 cup (preferably raw) nuts - almonds works well but can use others . Grind until fine. Now add 1 frozen banana and about 1/2 cup frozen fruit (whatever flavor you want). Grind again for about 1 minute. Scrape down sides with spatula if necessary and then process some more until smooth and creamy. Serve and enjoy!

    Variations: add some almond butter to make it even smoother/ add some fresh squeezed lemon juice to give it more the taste of sherbet/ eliminate the asst fruit and add vanilla extract and coconut milk for a close version of vanilla ice cream/ etc. etc.

    As you can tell you can add almost anything to get all kinds of variations. You just have to remember to keep the majority of your ingredients frozen (or if using coconut milk for a thinner let it get cold first and then use the liquid part not the solid)

    And if you are truly lazy but want a quick snack add one frozen banana to the food processor and one tablespoon of almond butter and whirl. That's it!


  • SuperC
    SuperC Posts: 952 ✭✭✭✭

    Oh my, I LOVE this fertilizer method. I told a friend (with forgetfulness) and she said, “Remind me of this when we begin planting outdoors and it’s warmer.” Overripe fruits and vegetable peels into the ground 2” deep to enhance flower beds! @greyfurball How about doing this with a vegetable garden?

  • greyfurball
    greyfurball Posts: 591 ✭✭✭✭

    @teachercaryn yes this works just as well in your garden for crops which have a lengthy growing time. I don't like doing it for short-time crops because you are tilling your soil after a month/two months which brings the undecomposed bits to the soil surface and this will invite critters to your yard/garden.

    But one of the well-recognized methods of making compost is to till your row/bed and then dig a trench and fill it with kitchen scraps. Then make your row right beside that and sow your seeds or transplants.

    You have now just added slow release fertilizer to your garden.

  • OhiohillsLouise
    OhiohillsLouise Posts: 120 ✭✭✭

    @greyfurball I changed my sign on name to @OhiohillsLouise thanks for the suggestion.

  • greyfurball
    greyfurball Posts: 591 ✭✭✭✭

    @OhiohillsLouise good job. Now we know for sure we are reaching the right Louise.

  • Debora Salmon
    Debora Salmon Posts: 14 ✭✭✭

    This, this is information I need to remind myself of...I throw most of my scraps to the chickens but should start adding to my garden as well. Thank you. I had lots of extra eggs and froze 4 dozen after lightly scrambling them and freezing raw in small portions. I took the eggs shells and basically puréed then in a bit of water and added those to my tomato plants.

  • MissPatricia
    MissPatricia Posts: 318 ✭✭✭

    To remember to fertilize, mark it down on a gardening calendar/planner. So once a month, fertilize flowers. Try not to disturb soil by digging.