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Do you have a green thumb? No worries at all if you don’t! Today, I will be giving you some of my best advice for the garden season and some easy flowers to grow for beginners. I love sharing my gardening experiences with fellow growers. Planning out our flower and vegetable gardens is one of my favourite things to do in the spring and I wanted to pass some of my knowledge on to you!
Keep in mind that I live in Canada, where we get to experience all 4 seasons in full force. That means my gardens are filled with very hardy plants, but what more could you ask for? Now let’s dive on into some great gardening!
The Best Dirt For Your Garden
If you are starting your garden from scratch then invest in some good black dirt and compost soil! You want dirt that does not have a high clay or sand percentage in it. It is also a good idea to mix in compost and manure material. However, if you put in too much manure or compost you can create soil that is “HOT” meaning that your plants will “burn.” This means that the soil is too rich and your plants will look like they are burnt or will not grow.
What is the Easiest Growing Flower?
With a basic understanding of gardening and planting techniques, you can grow some amazing variations of flowers, no matter how green your thumb is. A few easy flowers to grow are Sunflowers, Sweet Peas, Peonies and Alyssum.
Fast Growing Flowers
Sunflowers and Poppies are considered to be extremely fast growing flowers! Sunflowers seedlings can surprisingly survive the cold spring frosts, making these blooms a great one to start early and have bloom longer in the season! The fastest poppies to grow in spring and can grow from seed to bloom in only 60 days1
Easy Flowers to Care For
A few of the best easy flowers to grow for beginners are :
- Alyssum
- Marigolds
- Sunflowers
- Sweet Pea
- Peonies
- Lilacs
- Poppies
- Black Eyed Susan
- Daisies
- Petunias
As mentioned earlier, I live in Canada in a Zone 3 so I will be sharing great gardening plants and flowers that are pretty hardy…. thus making them a bit easier to care for! I love to mix in both perennials and annuals. Perennials are flowers that will come back year after year, whereas an annual will need to be planted each spring. If you live in a desert, then you will need to give the rest of us some tips on what you love to grow in the comments below!
Easy to Grow Perennial Flowers
Let’s start off with our list of favorite perennial blooms! Keep in mind that some of these take YEARS to get established to the point where you can cut blooms from them. You can also check out our post on our favourite early spring blooming flowers and trees HERE! These perennials are a good guide to go by when planning out a garden for the years to come as they take a few years to mature.
Lilacs
This hardy bush blooms every year in the spring. There are many different variations of lilac and they grow best in Zone 3-7. Lilac’s vary in size and can grow as tall as 12-16′ with a blooming time that lasts for approximately 2-4 weeks depending on the variation of lilac that you plant. There is one variation of lilac that will actually rebloom all summer long! For more information on the variations of lilacs you can check out this post by HGTV.
Lilacs are by far my favorite perennial to have in my gardens!
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I planted all different variations of lilacs 7 years ago and last summer mine really took off! In Alberta, Canada lilacs are one of the easiest shrubs to grow. Lilacs like sun, shade, water or dry, but they grow best in full sun and well-drained soil… once established they require no care and will bloom year after year. They do require trimming when they get too large.
Grab a FREE Garden Supplies Check List and Planting Chart just for stopping by the blog!
Peonies
Next up on the favourites list would have to be the peony. Again, this plant takes a few years to get established before you can bring in bundles of blooms, but it’s still one of the top contenders on our great gardening plants list. You can buy this plant as a piece of root and it will take off. However, to speed up the process buying a plant that has already started will give you a head start. Better yet, find someone with a plant and take a chunk of their root!
Peonies grow best in Zone 3-8 and may require regular, deep watering, specifically during the dry summer months. They may grow well in shade or sun, but do best with at least 5 hours of full sun with rich well-drained soil. I have one peony that has never bloomed in 7 years, because it’s in too much of a shaded area. After peonies have become established, they require very little maintenance. These big bloomers can flower as big as 10″!!
Hydrangeas
Hydrangeas are harder to grow in garden regions Zone 3 or less. However, I have both been very successful with limelight hydrangeas Annabelle and Lava-lamp variations. These big bloomers do best in Zone 3-8 and prefer the morning sun making them a great addition to any east facing gardens. They do require A LOT of water to get established! I have a full post on hydrangeas you can read HERE.
Globe Thistle
Globe Thistle grows best in Zone 3-8 and when grown in well-drained soil and full sun. However, it will tolerate almost any soil and part shade. Yes it seems weird to plant a thistle in your garden but I love this bloom. It is the Blue Glow Echinops variation that grows in my zone as there are 120 different variations of Globe Thistle. It is a perfect late summer flower to cut and bring into your home!
Sea Holly
This drought tolerant perennial thrives in sandy, well drained soil. Similar to the Globe thistle this bloom is so pretty to bring in in the late summer. BUT it does have a brutal odour!This flower does not require water to come in your house (it naturally dries and keeps its colour). I love to tie bundles up, hang them on the clothesline and spray them with hairspray or clear polyurethane to lock the smell in. Then spray the sea holly with your favorite scent (like diluted lavender) before bringing them in!
Spring Bulbs
Tulips, hyacinth and crocus are great bulbs to plant as they are hardy and will give you some late spring flowers to kick off the growing season. They represent the beginning of the spring season and new life! You can find variations of these that do well in different zones and conditions.
Easy to Grow Annual Flowers
Along with the perennial blooms, I love to plant a few annual flowers that provide pretty cut flowers. You can check out more recommendations for annuals in my post on Outdoor Living Spaces HERE.
Looking to build a garden box for your flowers? Check out our easy DIY tutorial HERE!
Sweet Peas
Sweet Peas are extremely easy to grow. Start them from seeds as soon as your ground thaws and allows for it. It is a good idea to pre soak the pea seeds as this will give your seedlings a bit of a jump start once they are in the dirt. Sweet Pea flowers can grow in sun or shade and come in a huge variety of colours. Place a flower ring around the seeds when you plant them as they love to vine out and crawl up the metal ring. They are so pretty to cut in the late summer and make your house smell amazing.
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Sun Flowers
Most varieties of sun flowers are annuals and can sometimes be tricky to establish, but if you seeds germinate they will take off! They can also self germinate year after year, especially if the birds take to them. The farm I grew up on has an entire garden dedicated to sunflowers for the birds and some years the garden was so full you couldn’t walk through it, all from self germination year after year.
Sunflowers need partial to full sun to grow. They like a moist soil but not soggy. I recommend fertilizing during the first 6 weeks of growing.
Larkspur
Another flower that I love is Larkspur! When planting larkspur seeds, they must have a cold period before germination. The most reliable method of chilling larkspur seeds before planting can be done by placing the seeds in a ziplock bag in the refrigerator for about 2 weeks prior to planting in the ground.
I love this flower because it dries so well! Hang it in bundles to carry you through late summer into fall!
Fertilizer Tips for Beginners
Flowers love potassium to optimize their blooms. When you see the fertilizer containers with the 3 numbers 10-15-25 you want to pick one that has the 3rd number that is the highest. A natural way to add potassium to your flowers is to plant actual pea plants next to your flowers. We planted pea plants next to our limelight hydrangeas to put some potassium back into the soil.
It is important to fertilize in the spring right when flowers are beginning to germinate. Then continue to fertilize every couple of weeks during the first 4-6 weeks of growing.
I also recommend adding some form of natural fertilizer like horse or sheep manure or compost to the garden each year as well! Just make sure to check the correct ratio for the compost mixture as it can burn or kill your seed if you add too much. Adding about a 10% compost mixture prior to planting will really give your garden a boost each year!
I hope after all that, you are left feeling inspired and ready to plant! My gardens are filled with these big and beautiful great gardening plants, so I am sure you will love them just as much as I do. From shrubs and bushes, too fresh cut flowers I love them all. I hope you enjoyed this post and thanks for stopping by the blog today! What gardening zone are you? Leave it in the comments below along with your favourite flower to grow! Let’s all help each other!
If you are looking for tips for your vegetable garden you can find them HERE!
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