Gardening Essentials: Everything You Need to Create a Gardening Space You Love

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I think almost everyone dreams of having a garden they can escape to, whether that's a vegetable garden full of all your own delicious fresh produce or a flower garden where you can pick a beautiful bouquet anytime you want. But the endless hours of planting, weeding, and watering just make this seem impossible. And if you're anything like me, I just want someone to give me a blueprint on how to make this happen so I can save some time. Especially with having two very young children, I don't have four hours everyday to spend outside in the garden even if I wanted to.

So let's start at the beginning with a quick crash course on flowers. We have perennials, which come back every year, and annuals which flower just for one season. There are self seeding annuals that will make new flowers for next year without a lot of effort. And we have biennials that flower every other year. But if you want the most bang for your buck and time, I'd say stick with the perennials. You buy them once, plant them and they come back every year. And a lot of perennials you can divide and move throughout your garden so you don't have to buy any more plants.

Easy Perennials and Annuals

Seeds are an excellent way to save money when starting a garden too. But these take way more time to get to producing flowers rather than going to a local flower nursery or even a place like Home Depot. For me I think of everything as you pay with either time or money. If you want some instant gratification, and who doesn't when it comes to flowers, you can buy some flowers that have been growing in a greenhouse for months and are already big and beautiful. For my new garden that I just cut into my yard, I went for a mix of both seeds that I completely "chaos gardened" and some purchased flowers. If you don't know what chaos gardening is and you're nervous to try gardening, this is the best. You just take a bunch of flower seeds and throw them around the areas you want them to grow! It's that easy. The biggest thing with starting from seeds is to remember to water them. "Dry seeds are dead seeds" is what I've learned the hard way over the years that I've been gardening.

So, what are some flowers that are hardy and easy perennials to grow? The easiest one has got to be the humble Hosta. These leafy plants come in a variety of size from large leafy foliage to tiny little mouse ear sized. Hostas are amazing and thrive best in sun to partial shade. And honestly, you probably already know someone who has Hostas and would be willing to split some with you. Split and transplant Hostas preferably in Spring or Fall for the best results. But I have to say, I've done it in the summer and as long as you plant them quickly and water them well for a couple of days, you'll probably be fine.

Another great perennial to start with is the Tulip. This is a wonderfully hardy flower that come up around early May. But really, basically anything that comes from a bulb is going to be a good bet. Daffodils are great for the same reason. Plant them once and they come up year after year. And nothing is better that seeing the first flowers of Spring in your own garden.

There are some good perennials I'd still add to your garden. I'd definitely recommend Zinnias. They come in a million different styles and colors and are incredibly hardy. And this is a flower that I've started from seed both in my flower beds and in containers with great results. Plus, Zinnias love to be cut and will keep blooming forever. So don't be afraid to cut some and take them inside. You can also sow seeds every few weeks so you have an endless abundance of them. If you've ever seen Dahlias, and they are beautiful but are just way too much work, Zinnias feel that big ticket flower void that you're looking for.

Gardening Tools You'll Need

Now let's talk about a few tools you'll need to get started. Obviously you'll want a good spade, some sheers will definitely help, and nothing is better than this stylish gardening tool belt. Trust me, you'll want one. I can't tell you how many times I've left my sheers outside or lost tools because I set them down somewhere and don't realize until they've been rained on at least a dozen time and are completely ruined.

So now that you're armed with a little bit of knowledge about plants and tools you're ready to get started. And honestly, gardening is all about trial and error. You can do all the "right things" for a plant to thrive, the correct soil, right amount of sunshine, and it still won't do well. Plus you have to find your own style with flowers and what you like. No two gardens are the same just like no two people are the same. So make your garden exactly what you want and need it to be.