The Cultivation of Flowers

Start Right

• Before planting annual or perennial flowers, cultivate to a depth of 6 to 8 inches and add organic matter to loosen the soil and improve drainage. Not only does this make weeds easier to remove, but it also provides oxygen and light to encourage seed germination. Once germinated, weeds are easier to pull from loosened soil. In soil where perennials or bulbs are planted, cultivation should take place when perennials are divided. Repeated cultivation weakens weed population even more.

Know Your Enemy

• Different weeds require differing cultivation strategies. Plantains and dandelions have deep taproots. Goosegrass and quackgrass spread by stolons -- stout roots that travel just beneath the soil putting up new plants at growth nodes. Use the right tool and methods to cultivate soil to dislodge each. Cultivating among shallow-rooted annuals and perennial and bulbs that send out roots around the growth plate at the base of the bulb and along the plant's stem requires weekly vigilance. During the summer, when hot, dry weather favors the growth of weeds rather than flowers. Irrigation and frequent cultivation help reduce competitions from weeds.

Plant Smart

• Reduce the need for growing-season cultivation, which disturbs growing plant roots as well as weeds, by practicing green landscaping. Green landscaping involves planning gardens to use local resources. Companion planting positions herbs and even vegetables in the flower garden to fix nitrogen and provide shade or other benefits to individual plants. Native plants compete effectively with summer weeds because they are fitted exactly to local soil fertility and climate conditions. Xeriscaping groups plants that have similar needs together and rain gardens keep rain in place to benefit soil and plants rather than allowing it to run off into storm sewers.

Mulches

• Mulches force weeds to grow long, leggy stems to get to sunlight, making weeding easier. Unfortunately, heavy mulches made of stones or bark chips actually can compact soil, making repeated cultivation necessary. Light, organic mulch made of well-rotted compost, leaves and garden soil not only retards the growth of weeds but also can be cultivated into the topsoil of next spring's garden.