Blooms

Organic gardening techniques work just as well for flower gardens as they do for vegetable gardens. There's no need for toxic chemicals and synthetic fertilizers when you follow the principles of healthy gardening.

Tulip and daffodil care
Cut tulip and daffodil flower stalks to the ground after they bloom. But let the leaves remain for at least eight weeks to help the bulbs generate energy for next year's spring flowers. For neatness, bundle the leaves together and secure them with a rubber band to keep them tidy.

Everblooming biennials
Biennial plants, such as foxglove, forget-me-nots. and clary sage, bloom only in the second year of their life cycles and then die.They are excellent self-Bowers, though. and a new crop of plants will appear each spring.To create a yearly show of blooms, plant biennials two years in a row, and allow a few flowers to go to seed each year. Shake the dried flower heads over the area where you want new plants to grow before removing the dead plants.

Stimulate flower bloom
To keep your annuals blooming for as long as possible, regularly remove withered blossoms to keep the plant from going to seed and to stimulate reblooming.To encourage the growth of full, bushy plants. pinch off the tips of new growth with your fingers.

Rejuvenate perennials
Most perennials need to be divided every few years to prune out weak or dead sections and rejuvenate the plant The best time to do this is on a cool day in spring or autumn, when it is least traumatic for the plant Dig up the plant, including as much root as possible. Divide it with a sharp spade by cutting through the centre of the root mass; divide again into tht size of plants you wantThrow away unhealthy or damaged parts. Replant the divided sections immediately.

Keep roses blooming
Remove spent flowers regularly before they create a seed pod.This encourages a rose to produce more flowers instead of putting energy into making seeds. To stimulate the best blooms, remove the flower by cutting the stem at an angle just above the third set of leaves.

Boost rose blooms and colour with Epsom salts
The magnesium in Epsom salts helps roses absorb nutrients more readily. stimulating more blooms and better colour. Sprinkle a teaspoon per 30cm (12in) of plant height and scratch int( the soil in the spring. Repeat after the roses have bloomed.