Are you a beginning gardener? It makes sense to start your home garden with some flowers that are difficult to kill! This is a great way to practice some basic gardening skills and build up your confidence before you tackle some harder-to-maintain flowers.
Here are just a few examples of some flowers that are easy to maintain that you should consider bringing home to your San Francisco, CA garden:
- Sunflowers: Sunflowers are easy to handle, both from seed and from small plants. The large seeds are particularly easy to handle, making them great to introduce to children or beginning gardeners. They’re also a pleasant, happy plant to bring to your sunny gardens.
- Zinnias: Zinnias come in a wide range of colors, and are summer bloomers. They enjoy rich, well-drained soil, and have only moderate water requirements. They should be planted in full sun. When they’re healthy, they attract butterflies to your garden, which is one added benefit and a reason why they’re great to have around children!
- Coneflowers: Coneflowers are extremely easy to grow and maintain, and they bloom for months at a time. They are perfect for cutting and putting in vases around the house, and also attract birds and pollinators. If growing from seed, sow in the spring or the fall in full sun. They’re resistant to drought, and enjoy rich, well-drained soil. Their water needs are moderate to low—most people in temperate climates will find they don’t need to water them throughout most of the season if they get average rainfall.
- Marigolds: Marigolds can grow to be anywhere from six inches to three feet tall, and produce blooms in shades of yellow, gold and red. They grow quickly from seed to produce blooms in spring, summer and fall, and grow well in sandy, dry gardens. Make sure to water these flowers well, and allow them to dry in between watering. Place them in full sun.
- Impatiens: Impatiens grow up to 24 inches tall, and will bloom nonstop from June until the year’s first frost, making them a great addition to any garden. They like part or full shade, and moist (but not saturated) loamy soil. Birds love these flowers!
- Snapdragons: Snapdragons are another favorite flower for beginning gardeners, and are usually grown as annuals. They come in all different colors: white, yellow, orange, pink, red, purple, etc. They should be planted in full sun in well-drained soil, and should be watered regularly at the base of the plant. Healthy snapdragons also attract butterflies.
- Geraniums: These annuals are common additions to home gardens, and come in white, pink, red, magenta and purple. They’re very low maintenance and add pops of color from spring all the way through the first frost. They’re ideal for window boxes, hanging baskets and containers, but can also be planted in beds. They should be watered regularly, but avoid saturating their soil. Geraniums prefer full sun and afternoon shade.
For more ideas for flowers for beginners to add to your garden in San Francisco, CA, contact The Delicate Daisy – House of Flowers.