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Garden Center

Iowa Winter Doesn’t Mean The End of Your Garden

by tomboesen on November 3, 2011

Boesen the FloristIs there a better feeling of hope than peering out your window in late winter and seeing fresh, new greenery sprouting through the melting snow?  In tempestuous climates such as Iowa’s, perennials are a popular choice for many gardens.  But don’t be lulled into thinking you can plant them and forget about them until spring – there is plenty of preparation to be done to make sure your plants survive the harsh winter.

  • Be sure to “deadhead” your flowering plants.  This is the practice of cutting or pinching off the dead blooms or buds.  By doing this, you are allowing your perennial to put all of its energy into strengthening the plant instead of producing seed.
  • Spreading perennials tend to die in the middle, even as they spread out in your garden.  Be sure to check for brown, dying areas in the middle of the greenery and divide and transplant your plant to keep it healthy.
  • Pull weeds that might sap the nutrients around your garden, remove dead leaves and other debris and then cover the area with organic mulch.  Don’t pack it down, but let it fall loosely, just to insulate and protect the base of your plant.  Wait until the ground is frozen and solid before laying down mulch – if it’s still too warm, that extra layer will encourage new growth far too early.
  • While rose bushes tend to be hardy, they still need preparation.  Use heavy twine to tie all the stalks closer together, encircling all the outer canes.  You should also mound fresh dirt around the base of each bush, bringing new dirt in and piling it a good 6-8 inches deep.  You can also “tent” your roses with evergreen branches and cover with burlap to protect your bushes from dehydrating.

Iowa winters are harsh, but that doesn’t have to mean all your hard work through the spring and summer was for nothing.  There are many simple steps to take to ensure the survival and continued long life of your garden.  Our educated consultants love flowers and plants as much as you do, so please stop by Boesen the Florist or call for more specific ideas to protect your greenery!

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Fragrance-Free Flowers

by tomboesen on July 25, 2011

Love the look of flowers but sensitive to scent?

There are a variety of beautiful flowers with no scent at all. Often some of the brightest flowers are free of fragrance because they attract birds with no sense of smell. They are attractive with ornate petals or long stamens to draw in the pollinators visually as opposed to with a scent. The reason flowers are so fragrant is to attract pollinators like birds, moths, bees, beetles and other insects.

Sunflowers
Insects are attracted to the Sunflowers large, bright yellow petals of nearly 2,000 shaped spirally like the sun. The insects are also attracted to this flower as a food source. The oils found in the seeds of the sunflower are one of the worlds leading oil seed crops often used in cooking. Sunflowers have a hairy stem and broad, rough leaves. The outer petal bearing florets in a spiral pattern can be yellow, orange or red in color.

Hibiscus
This showy flowers attracted humming birds and butterflies to its nectar through its long stamen. The flowers are large, trumpet shaped with petals that range in colors of red, pink, purple, yellow, orange and white. Hibiscus is a tropical perennial that grows up to three feet tall.

Dahlias
Dahlias come with a flashy, ornate, layered petal configuration and a range of colors from yellow to purple to magenta. The flowers can be small with a 1 to 2 inch width to a large 6 to7 inch width.  Dahlias can also grow to be 30 feet tall.

Interested in learning about more flowers that produce no scent? Please stop by any Boesen location to speak to an expert!

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