I have a black thumb. I also am CLUELESS! HELP ME?!

[leahannpen]

Where Oh Where do I begin? I have never been to this forum before, but I finally decided to give it a whirl... hoping to learn something from you.

Okay, I have tried to "garden" a few times and have been extremely unsuccessful. My DH thinks I should stick to silk flowers and plants. He may be right.

I once tried to plant fresia. I put down that black garbage bag stuff to keep the weeds at bay, then I planted some fresia bulbs. I poked holes in the black stuff and dug holes not too far down, per the instructions. Is it possible to plant bulbs upside down? I think I did because like 1 or 2 out of, oh, about 16-20 came up.

So, I gave up. Then, we moved. We bought a beauitful home that had been lovingly taken care of. They also had wonderful land scaping. Well, that is no longer. I have no idea what anything is except the tulips and roses. Plants and bushes seem to be dying so they don't have to face us. This year I'd like to just rip out the "out of control" stuff, keep what I know and plant some easy to care for flowers. Probably something that is already in bloom. I'm going to have to skip the bulbs and seeds I think. I need suggestions. Please help.

Oh, on one more note... last summer I tried veggies. HAHAHAHAHAHAH! What a joke. I planted bell peppers and green beans. I used rubbermaids that I drilled holes into and I also put down rocks for drainage. They grew a little and I got a few teeny-tiny peppers and that was it. I think they were in too much sun or something because they looked burnt.

I'm definately getting a complex! Help me!

Leah

 

[Mamu]

Leah first of all welcome to the Dis F & G board. I think there are a combination of problems.

#1 Start small learn as much as you can about the plants you are going to grow, the light and soil conditions these plants need. This is very important.

#2 Plants need care throught the growing season. Sometimes daily watering, fertilizing on a regular basis. Weeding and aerating, these are both important, plant that have to compete with weeds for water and soil nutrients will never reach their full potential, sometimes the weeds win and your plants will die. Aerating is also important, it loosens the soil so water can penetrate.

Home and Garden TV has a few garden shows that can be very helpful. Some nurseries, garden centers and night schools also offer classes. Books and magazines have a world of knowledge in then and help to understand a plants needs.

Gardening is a labor of love where we are always learning. Most is by trial and error. With the help of the buds here I sure you will soon have a green thumb. It starts out with a light tinge of green on the tip, soon your thumb is so green with lots of dirt mixed-in even a scrub brush will not clean the stains off.

 

[olena]

That's good advice.... Welcome to the F&G Board.....

 

[DixieDreamer]

You need to have mamu live with you and do your gardening!

Seriously, she has given you good advice.

 

[leahannpen]

Thank you Mamu!

Any tips on some pretty flowers that aren't "too" hard to care for? Or just some nice flowers... I'd like some ideas on what to get from the green house when we go.

 

[Snowwark]

Hi Leahannpen!

As always, wonderful, experienced, advice from Mamu.

Here's a link to some easy to care for, perennials. Have a look, and see if there is anything there that appeals to you.

Top 10 Perennials

 

[Tulirose]

Hey Leahannpen - Many a time I felt the same as you are feeling now. I've killed so many things, it's not funny. But I keep trying and little by little, I am progressing and learning. Mamu did give you great advice. "A Labor of Love" - I like that expression and it is so true.

I took a quick look at the list Snowwark provided you and the very first one - the Purple Palace Corabell - I have and it is one of my first success stories.

The internet and library are both full of lots of information to help you learn. Enjoy the learning process and don't get too discouraged with your failures... I think, unfortunately, it comes with the program.

One more thought - go visit any local arboretums or public gardens in your area for ideas. Even walk around your neighborhood or park to see what is around. Don't know what the plant is, your neighbor will be more than happy to tell you and you get to meet more people in your new area. If the unidentified plant is in a park, take a picture and bring it with you to the local nursery and ask them what it is. Heck, even stroll around the nursery and see what strikes your fancy. The plants usually have some information on them when you buy them - very basic being whether it likes sun or shade.

 

[Tulirose]

Originally posted by leahannpen
....... We bought a beauitful home that had been lovingly taken care of. They also had wonderful land scaping. Well, that is no longer. I have no idea what anything is except the tulips and roses. Plants and bushes seem to be dying so they don't have to face us. This year I'd like to just rip out the "out of control" stuff, keep what I know and plant some easy to care for flowers.....

I had another thought regarding above passage. You didn't say how long you are in the new home but perhaps some of the "dying" plants are perennial plants that seem to die but do come back. And the "out of control" plants are ones that just haven't received some necessary pruning. I would hate to have you rip out a plant if it is not really necessary.

Are you computer savy? Perhaps you can scan some photos or take digital pictures of them and post them to this forum. There are plenty of us, I'm sure, who would be more than happy to try and help you identify what is what.

Anyway, I guess that is my four cents on this matter. I wish you success in the garden and I'll be looking for more postings by you here.

 

[crazyforpooh]

I agree gardening is a labor of love and you don't want to rip out some plants that you may love once in bloom.

A few easy plants are daylily, and hosta but you don't say if you are shady or sunny.

As you admire your neighbor's plants and ask questions they may also be able to tell you whats in your own yard and I bet they will share some of what is in theirs. That's what most of us garden nuts do. Gardening is for sharing the love of it also.

Good luck and I look forward to seeing some pics if you can

 

[leahannpen]

Wow, thanks everyone! I appriciate the tips and links. I've got the iVilliage link up now, and I'm going to peruse it now.

The one flower bed I'm trying to improve first is on the south side of our home. So, it's mostly in the sun. That's not good, is it?

We have been in our home for 2 years, this May. Some of the stuff does seem to come back, but for the most part, since I didn't know what anything was, I let it go and it's rather over run with weeds. What I can identify, I will try to save and fix, but I almost think I'm better off mostly starting over.

We also have a small flower bed area in front of the house, which faces east, and a small circular area with an ever-green type tree and some bushes that faces east. All these areas need help. I feel very over-whelmed! I'm going to want to add some bushes or plant-type things in some of these areas too.

I'll be back here looking for advice alot in the next few weeks/months I'm sure. I told my DH about this area of the DIS so he may have questions too!

Thanks for everything. Any tips and hints are going to be very appriciated. I'll also go through some past posts for ideas too.

Happy Spring!

Leah