‘Flowering Plants’

Without flowering plants life on earth, would be very different as to what it is now. I understand that flowering plants evolved around more that 250 million years ago, this is amazing as it’s some 50 million years before the rise of the dinosaurs.

Flowering plants need to cross pollinate either through wind and or through the flowers by insects and birds.

The Dandelion was one of the first plants to use wind pollination.

Wind pollination

Certain plants have their pollen totally distributed by the wind, for example the dandelion as seen in the picture.

Pollination of flowering plants

Annual Flowers

Definition

An annual flower completes its life cycle in one year, “that it is a plant that will grow from seed, flower, set seed and die back in the one year”.

Today all the garden centres we see punnets of annual flowers, that are ready for planting in the garden.

Annual flowers need to be cross pollinated:
• To ensure the plants’ pollen is transferred from one variety to another to produce viable seed to continue the plant’s production; which leads to a greater diversity, this is vital for the ‘natural variation’ of the plant species.
• To secure genetic variation, which in turn increases the plant’s ability to adapt to the changing environment.

When establishing a garden today I do advice homeowners give thought to all kinds of plants including: Flowers, Plants, Bulbs, Australian Natives and Perennials.

In my latest book I select a varied range of flowering plants to share with readers, my chose of plants that not only provide your garden’s decoration but will bring bird life and an array of insects into the garden, to assist with cross pollination.

Colour is part of your garden’s ‘decoration’

The Garden’s Decoration,

In volume 111, I share with you a selection of my favourite flowering plants to create your garden’s decoration, suitable for temperate gardens, I focus on ones flowering within 15-17weeks from planting.

My Favourite Annual and Perennial Plants

Red Salvia edging, a large floral area

(reader’s may not agree with my selection, however I want readers to remember “it doesn’t matter what flowering plants are chosen, however it does matter what flowering plants are chosen and how they are arranged in your garden”

This is vital to create edging patterns, and themes for your garden.

For example: To create edging patterns: I like to plant annuals approximately 20-40mm around borders of shrubs and flowering plants, and seen in the following pictures.

Beginning with a little history
Without doubt it’s the suburban garden that is the most important garden that has been developed, since the Roman era and through to industrial Revolution to the 17th-20th century.

Tools haven’t changed much since Roman period. The Romans occupied Britain 43 AD to 410 AD, and were responsible for the emergence of the small suburban gardens around their villas. This happened gradually over the 400 years as the Romans settled into villages and towns across Britain.

Through the ages garden hand tools haven’t changed much at all.

Garden Tools

Middle Ages Britain Earth went through severe “Climatic Activity”

The earth’s climatic activity proved cataphoric with the advent of the Little Ice Age throughout the Northern Hemisphere during 900-1200AD, it bought severe cold weather into Britain and Northern Europe it did also cause a great population shift from the land creating larger populations throughout the small villages and towns.

Before and during 1st world war, many country villages; local councils saved arable and divided it up into
individual plots for home-owners or renters to have their own vegetable plots.

Vegetable and flower plots
These plots became the essence of vegetable and flower growing in Britain around the world before and after the 1st and 2nd World Wars
• Across Britain, before the 1st and 2nd world wars suburban homes had small ‘back to back’ suburban gardens that were enclosed, many still exist today and all over European and towns and villages.

• These enclosed gardens enjoyed privacy, on a quiet avenue often with tool sheds, growing flowers and vegetables with space to keep chickens.

The 20st century suburban garden, “a high percentage of home ownership”.

This era had a high percentage of home ownership, a great deal of undeveloped land on outskirts of towns and cities, is being built on and released for private housing.
The suburban garden, is undergoing dramatic change, taking on many shapes and sizes, many elements of design depend on:

1. How big the home is lying on the block of land?
2. How much vacant land there is to create a garden around the home?

Herbaceous Gardens  seen here are a mix of roses, perennials, and tall evergreens and native trees make a fine corner garden.

For a cold climate garden I share a selection of my favourite ornamental trees:

Trees for different garden aspects and settings

• Firstly in any size of garden I suggest planting multiples of one tree, this is an excellent way to highlight your chosen tree, and will emphasis your garden style, design and continuity.
• These deciduous trees I have chosen will provide year-round colour and structure, modest in size and showy in all seasons.
• It’s important to visit a plant nursery in winter to select your bare root trees, however we can purchase semi mature ornamental trees in planter bags all through the year.

When selecting  trees

• Both Australian native, deciduous or evergreen, trees make up the major garden design principle, that the whole garden plan rests upon.

To  create a tree a planting scheme (evergreen or deciduous)…… use in the north and south side of the home, these trees will lose their leaves during autumn which allows winter sun, and shade during summer.

A Shady Area

Malus (crab apple)

Garden Trees
I have chosen these deciduous trees to provide the characteristic I consider necessary for a suburban, or country garden.

Firstly: Choosing trees for a country garden weeping cherry
Consider:
1. Does it need a windbreak?
2. Do we need an avenue of trees?
3. Where shall we plant our trees for Autumn colour?

Secondly: Trees for the suburban garden
When choosing trees for a suburban garden:

Consider.
1. Its growth rate, and root spread.
2. Habit of the tree’s growth, what shade will it provide?

Through-out the colder regions the maple ‘Acer Palmatum’ a genus of medium to low trees make an ideal garden tree, also ‘Weeping Cherries’, and ‘Betula Alba’.

Acer Palmatum

Weeping Maple

Weeping Cherry

Betula Alba