- 1). Plan your Maine flower garden in the cold winter months of November and December. Research the soil, space, light and temperature requirements for the flowers you want to plant. Learn what flowers are native to Maine and how to propagate them.
- 2). Draw a design for your planting area. Think in groups of three, an ideal proportion for planting perennials like coneflower, lupine, black-eyed Susan and Shasta daisies. Plan contrasting textures and colors–like the low, mounding, white artemesia or creeping, purple phlox planted with taller, silvery Russian sage or beach heather. Go for height in the back of your plot with 8-foot yellow sunflowers and multicolored hollyhocks.
- 3). Start seeds in April for late-May transplanting in Maine's cool spring. Prime candidates for growing indoors are cosmos (tall, multicolored annual), lupines (hardy perennial) and marigolds (medium-sized annual, good for containers). Seedlings should be 4 inches tall before hardening off in Maine's chilly spring nights.
- 4). Prepare soil as early in spring as the ground can be worked. In Maine, that's often mid- to late-April. Cultivate and till to a depth of at least 8 inches, removing or placing stones in the landscape as you see fit. Add equal parts peat, organic garden soil and aged manure to Maine's sandy, poor soil to give your flowers added nutrition.
- 5). Plant out your flower garden according to plan, when Maine's last frost danger is past--usually mid to late May. Water the soil thoroughly before and after planting. Buy colorful pots of petunias, impatiens and geraniums for bursts of instant color, and to fill in bare spots you may have missed in your planning.
- 6). Water frequently during Maine's summer dry spells; and add a pinch of all-purpose plant fertilizer to the water every three weeks to keep blooms and foliage vigorous. Deadhead blossoms when they fade to get more blooms.
- 7). Keep the garden vibrant into the fall with chrysanthemums and late-blooming cosmos. Add a few pumpkins and gourds in October to keep things colorful until frost.
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