Rainy season is here, and all the heavenly showers will bring beautiful flowers, if you plan and prep your garden. Gardens in the yard of your home or office are a lovely addition to the environment, adding life and personality to the property. Tending a garden is also a nice and relaxing activity for some and something to be proud of and show off to visitors. If you’ve always thought to start a garden but unsure where to begin, meqasa helps you get a head start with these useful gardening pointers.

SPOT CHECK and SELECT – Before you get started, you need to select the perfect spot for your flower beds. Flowers needs about 5-6 hours of sunlight to grow well. Once you find a spot, you can pick what kind of blooms you want to grow. Annual flowers are beautiful, coming in a myriad of colours and produce more flowers but need to be replanted yearly. Perennials flowers are typically easy-care (resistant to weather extremes and insects), grow very quickly only for a short time but return yearly without much fuss. Many people like to pick a mix for their gardens. Popular annual flowers that do well in Ghana include Zinnias, Morning Glory, Geraniums and Marigolds (annuals) and Jasmine, Hibiscus, Siberian Irises and Geraniums (perennials)

PREP THE SOIL – Now that you know where you can successfully grow your garden, you need to ensure the soil is ready to nurture your plants. Start by digging up any weeds and ploughing them back into the soil.  You’ll need some organic matter to improve the potential of the soil. You can use decayed leaves and manure to enrich the soil. Dig these deeper into the soil, which should not be too dry or wet. Digging the soil loosens it so the plant roots can grow without obstruction. Fertilizer is also a great addition.

FORMATION – Now it’s time for the fun part! Apply your creativity to arrange your flowers in a manner that is attractive and gets them all the deserved attentions. Taller or longer stalk flowers should be planted in the back. Consider the different colours, shapes and sizes of your flowers and of course whether they are annuals or perennials so you don’t have ‘bald spots’ when annuals stop blooming. A garden is a beautiful amenity for any home, and can fetch you more money if you want to list your house for rent or sale online.

UPKEEP – Your pride and joy of a garden is now basking in its glory but the work is not over! If you want your flowers to live and stay healthy you have to put in some maintenance. The very basic need aside from sunshine is of course, water. You need to water your garden frequently. Different flowers have different needs but generally watering early morning or early evenings is best. Water slowly so the soil can absorb the moisture and it doesn’t all just stream off.

Do you have a garden or love to plant and care for flowers? What additional advice do you have for someone just starting out?