by Amanda

Here at American Meadows we all share a passion for gardening and represent varying types of gardeners, ranging from the Master Gardener planting a vegetable garden with crops lasting all year, to the beginner planting bulbs on her balcony garden. We love being able to share our favorite gardening tips and tricks with our customers every day!

"Gladiolus bulbs are easy to grow and don't take up much space, so I like to tuck them between other plants. Try staggering your planting times; Begin planting in mid-spring, continuing every couple of weeks until mid summer, and you'll have plenty of gorgeous flowers all season long.

Gladiolus make great cut flowers and when I cut them, I make sure to do so in the early morning or at night, using a sharp knife and a bucket of warm water. As soon as I make a diagonal cut I place them in the warm water. If you choose to cut blooms that only have a few flowers open, the rest will open in days to come!"

"When working in the garden, it's often a challenge remembering where everything is planted. Keeping a garden journal will help you remember the location of your plants and (more importantly) the bulbs.

You will want to be aware of the mature heights and spreads of all your plants. You don't want to bury a delicate Geranium Havana Blues behind a large-growing Hydrangea Pistachio. This will just create more work and possibly tears in the long run. When planting, I lay the plants, bulbs or seeds on the ground and take photos with my cell phone. I then email them to myself with the date and any relevant comments - Instant garden journal!

Stay tuned for more tips from our gardening team here at American Meadows. Happy Gardening!