5 Plant Species for your Garden
The garden can be one of the most eye-catching and sensational parts of the home. Therefore, knowing what plant species to choose can be a challenge.
If you are planning to decorate your garden with a diverse range of plants, here we show you 5 types of plants that are easy to maintain and that look fantastic.
1. Gladiolus
The gladiolus (plural gladioli) belongs to the iris family, which originates from eastern and central Europe, in central Asia and also part of the African continent.
They have very long stems and a good covering of narrow leaves that have a sword like shape. Their flowers grow in bunches like wheat, and come in a huge variety of colors, including many variegated varieties.
Gladiolus flowers in summer and autumn. In warm or mild climates it flowers continually.
Gladiolus requires a lot of sunlight. The ideal temperature is in a warm climate with temperatures of up to 25°C.
The soil should have sufficient drainage and receive continuous watering. This way weeds won’t appear, as this plant can easily cover them over.
It’s recommended to water gladioli plants with about a liter of water a week.
With this plant species you need to be careful of thrips, a small bug that makes the flowers discolored and deformed. To protect the plants, use pesticides such as carbaryl or malathion.
Gladioli would be a great addition to beautify your garden and can be used indoors too, such as in halls.
2. Geraniums
Geraniums are one of the preferred plant species for flower lovers. They belong to the plant family known as Geranium and come from South Africa.
This is an excellent summer plant and flowers in a staggering variety of climates. It starts flowering from the end of spring through to the start of autumn.
Its flowers aren’t particularly spectacular but grow in pretty bunches and come in colors such as white, pink, and red.
Geraniums grow best in warmer climates since they’re a little susceptible to the cold. The ground should be well nourished and should receive at least 6 hours of indirect light a day, although they don’t like too much direct sunlight. Therefore, it’s best if you place the plants where they are in shade for the majority of the afternoon. That way, you’ll avoid overexposure that could damage the shoots.
In summer you should water the plants daily, to ensure they continue flowering throughout the hottest time of the year.
As we’ve seen, if you want your geraniums to be healthy and beautiful you need to take care of their growth, both in the location of the plants and in making sure you water them regularly.
3. Begonias
Begonias come from the tropical and subtropical regions of the American, African and Asian continents. They belong to the family Begoniaceae.
Begonias have a captivating beauty that not many plants can beat. Their main attraction is their leaves, since their flowers are quite small and don’t catch the eye.
However, they are a little delicate. Therefore, it’s important that they have plenty of moisture.
In the coldest climates, begonias should be an indoor plant. However, in warmer climates they are good outside plants and give a touch of color to the garden.
With regards to their care, begonias should be located in a site that gets a bit of shade but where there is a fair bit of light. The ground, the same as in the case of the other plant species mentioned, should be well nourished and fertile. Also, you should take into account that the site where you put your plants shouldn’t get too much wind or air flow, as nothing will grow well in this situation.
It’s important too that you regularly clean dead leaves from the plant. We recommend that you prune your begonias roughly every 4 months for them to keep regrowing.
4. Calibrachoa
The calibrachoa genus is closely related to the petunia and is included in the grand variety of perennial plants.
The calibrachoa normally grows in a cascading, sprawling manner and is covered with small flowers. It’s perfect to use as a hanging plant such as in hanging baskets, window boxes, balcony gardens and large terracotta pots.
Its stalks are branching and dense, and its leaves aren’t that big, have an oval shape, are dark green in color and slightly sticky to touch.
For flowering, it needs a good 12 hours of light per day. It has great heat tolerance and its flowers stay open even on cloudy days.
5. Jasmine
Jasmine is a climbing plant well known for the aroma that emanates from its flowers. It is the perfect plant species for a sunny area that’s protected from the wind.
For its care, the jasmine will basically need a fertile and well drained soil. It’s important that you place it in a sunny site that receives plenty of light. So, the perfect place would be a space where direct sunlight is available, facing to the south or southeast.
With watering, this plant is really not too fussy. In summer, with high temperatures, we recommend you water every couple of days, and during winter it would be enough once a week.
It’s very important that you fertilize the plant with organic compost. Put it on at the start of spring and in autumn.
Selecting your plant species
As we’ve seen, there is a huge range of beautiful and low maintenance plant species to choose from. Keep in mind the conditions you have where you live when selecting plants so as to choose suitable types that will do well in your home. Your garden will surely be a delight to for all to enjoy.