Caring for flowers is a rewarding experience that helps beautify your outdoor space. Whether you are growing flowers in the ground, in a raised bed, in containers, or in hanging baskets, there are some strategies you can take to encourage healthy growth and flowering all summer long. It mainly comes down to the watering, grooming, and fertilizing.

Frequent and Generous Watering

Making sure your flowers get enough water is essential to their flourishing. Typically, flowers in planters and baskets need more water than those planted in the garden. However, depending on factors like temperature and sunlight exposure, both may need to be watered as often as once per day. The best time to water flowers is usually in the morning, before the temperature is hot enough to cause a lot of evaporation.

The key to watering effectively is to water deeply, as this encourages the roots to grow deeper into the soil as well. Giving your flowers a good, long drink less often is better than more frequent and shallow watering. Of course, it is also possible to water too much, so make sure your plants are thirsty before giving them a drink. To check if your flowers need watering, poke your finger into the soil a few centimetres down. If it is dry, then it’s time for watering.

Timely Grooming and Trimming

Flowers look better and grow healthier when they receive some regular and timely grooming. One of the most important grooming tips is to “deadhead” a plant as the flowers wither, before they have a chance to go to seed. Not only does this improve the plant’s appearance, but it also helps the plant put more energy into producing new flowers. The withered flowers should be pinched off where they meet the stem.

Another grooming task to stay on top of is to trim back leggy plant growth and prune the shoots of sprawling varieties. Giving your plants a regular haircut helps them look neater and encourages more new and healthy growth. When trimming, look out for any diseased portions of a plant to cut away as well.

Proper Fertilizing

While watering is essential to plant growth, it also flushes nutrients out of the soil–nutrients that the plants need to grow healthy green stems and colourful blooms. Adding a slow-release fertilizer to the soil is an easy way to give your plants an extra little boost in appearance and health. The small granules will replenish the soil in a slow and steady way without releasing too many nutrients at once, which can also have detrimental effects.

When applying any type of fertilizer, make sure you follow the instructions on the packaging for best results. Most flowers typically require different levels of nutrients at different stages of their growth cycles.

Get greater enjoyment from your outdoor space with beautiful flowers that last throughout the season. With some timely watering, light grooming and trimming, and a bit of fertilizer, you can help encourage healthy growth and vibrant blooms for the whole summer.