Caring for the Flower Bed: Watering, Fertilizing, and Pruning

A blooming flower bed invites relaxation. However, to keep it beautiful in the long run, you should take care of your flower bed.

A garden doesn't take care of itself. A colorful display of blooms is the result of planning and dedicated gardening work. When it's green and blooming, you should enjoy it – but also pay attention to further care steps that still need to be done afterward.

Long dry spells are problematic for most garden inhabitants. While you shouldn't overdo it, one of the first tasks for your flower bed is watering. During a very dry summer, it may be necessary to water up to twice a week. To help the soil absorb and retain water optimally, it should be prepared accordingly. Mix in a layer of bark mulch for this purpose. You can also work on the surface by applying a 4 to 5-centimeter thick layer to the bed to protect the soil from erosion and evaporation. Weeds will also have a harder time seeing the light of day. However, if any unwanted garden residents do appear, it's time to weed. Your flower bed should also be maintained with fertilization and pruning.

If you want to garden ecologically, compost is the best choice for fertilizing. It is the most natural and therefore the best way to care for your garden soil. Mixed with leaves or tree cuttings, compost can be further supplemented with horn shavings if the soil can tolerate nitrogen input. While it is often recommended to fertilize and refreshing the soil generally doesn’t hurt, it should not be done thoughtlessly. Check in advance what requirements the plants in your bed have and whether they need additional nutrients. The same goes for pruning. Here, you should first ask yourself whether the plants can tolerate a cut and when the best time to do it is. Early-blooming plants are typically pruned right after they finish flowering, while late bloomers should be pruned in the following spring.

Flower bulbs are particularly beautiful gems in the garden. When caring for your flower bed, be sure to pay special attention to their care. Only when the foliage is completely yellowed should it be cut close to the ground. Leave it as long as possible so that the bulb can absorb the energy it needs for wintering. However, remove the faded flower heads promptly to avoid wasting energy on seed formation. If you want to leave the bulbs in the flower bed permanently, it's best to use labels. This way, you'll know exactly where your bulb plants are buried and avoid damaging them while working in the garden. When overwintering the bulbs indoors, digging them up with a digging fork is very gentle. Caring for a flower bed with bulbs is simple and brings beautiful colors and shapes every year!