CHECKLIST

Flower power

Planting trees, shrubs, hedges, planters or pots with flowers outside your home can add beauty to your outdoor living space and yard. Planting each of these requires planning and time for them to grow, mature and finally bloom outside your home. Flowers are inherently beautiful, and your backyard and garden will benefit from these colorful accents.

Theseus “TJ” Mendiola, owner of Crop King Hydro, said which flowers you choose to plant or transplant around your home is dependent on their placement around the home and your desired look. “For shorter to medium flowers for the front edge up against the home you could do lxora, golden trumpet, rock rose, ginger torch, or poinsettia,” he said. For bushes or hedges, Mendiola suggests hibiscus, bougainvillea, or birds of paradise. For decorative stand-alone trees he recommends the plumeria or flame tree.

After planting a flowering plant or tree, Mendiola said that first we must understand that flowers, just like humans, have a reproductive cycle and flowering is key to that function.

“Plants will flower when they reach adulthood; for some that is within four weeks but others could take three months for them to first bloom.” He said plants flowering all year long, is not typical, but flowering periodically is.

Mendiola also said that popular local varieties tend to flower often, but they do take a rest. “These types of plants or trees tend to stay in flower longer due to their acclimation to Guam’s two weather patterns — dry and wet.”

There is also maintenance to consider when planting flowers and flowering plants around your home. “That’s as easy as deciding whether to choose in ground soil or in a pot. Obviously ground soil will allow the roots unlimited expansion, which will support a larger plant and explosive growth which will lead to higher trimming maintenance.” However, there is a benefit for some species with stronger roots. “They will be sourcing and recruiting beneficial bacteria already present in the earth, which the roots can benefit from by obtaining many of the nutrients they need naturally,” he said.

The hydroponic gardening store owner said there are many resources online to identify what soil is best for what plant and likewise how often to water and how often to feed your outdoor plants. “In the end, researching your plant’s preferred nutrient requirements will be to your benefit, as too much of one macronutrient can cause burning or disruption to the growth of the plant, or creating nutrient lock out at the root zone.”

After you have decided on where you would like the flowers outside your home, and which varieties you would like to grow, you can get started. Do your own gardening or hire a professional. After the required maturation period is complete, you can see the results of your labor. “Once you finally reach —or are about to reach bloom, there are specific bloom nutrients you give your plant that have elevated phosphorus and potassium levels to support bigger and brighter flowers,” Mendiola said. “I would talk to your local grow store and discuss what types of product lines they have and what stage of growth they support before buying an all-in-one product that may not work as well.” p