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Spring has sprung — and if you feel you must have a green thumb to welcome new life into your outdoor space, think again.
Anyone can cultivate a beautiful garden with a little guidance.
And as Lindsay Pangborn, gardening expert at bloomscape.com, says, planting flowering annuals is an easy and affordable way to add color to outdoor spaces.
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"When it comes to new plant enthusiasts, we believe this will become an increasingly popular area of focus over the next few years," she tells Fox News Digital.
"Growing flowering annuals is so rewarding because they grow very fast and showcase colorful flowers or foliage throughout the season. Since the natural life cycle of annual plants is only one growing season, it’s a low cost, low risk way to try your hand at outdoor gardening," Panborn adds.
"Timeless spring and summer bedding plants like petunias, impatiens and geraniums will see lots of attention thanks to their low maintenance, high reward nature."
Echoing Pangborn, Vicky and Mickey Popat, founders of plantogram.com and garden and lifestyle experts based in Orlando, Florida, provide reassurance for brown thumbs new to gardening: "You don't want to kill a plant, and plants don't want to die either," they say.
"Plants have an extremely strong will to survive and experts at adapting to the conditions they are in."
Ahead, tools to get started and seven such flowers that are great for beginners.
What gardening tools do you need?
Larissa Runkle, a Durango, Colorado-based gardener and creator of @rootedintribe on Instagram, stresses that you don't need to take classes to become a great gardener. "In fact, all you really need is a keen interest in plants and a few hand tools. Throw in a local gardening guidebook (or a friend who can chat your ear off about plants) and you're as good as gold," she says.
To get your gardening kit ready, Runkle suggests buying a quality hori hori knife ("yes, it's actually called that"), a small spade, some clippers (she likes the Corona 3180 Bypass Pruner) and a good pair of gardening gloves (COOLJOB is among her favorite brands).
"If you really want to be official [and also mitigate the risk of losing your garden tools], get yourself a gardener's tool belt as well," Runkle added.
Pangborn also suggests a gardening trowel for planting ground beds, a rake, garden shears, fertilizer, a watering can and gardening gloves.
"If you’ll also be planting containers, it’s always good to have extra potting mix, slow-release fertilizer and a soil scoop on hand," she says.
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Some more top picks from the Popats:
--Corona Felx Dial ComfortGEL Bypass Pruner ¾ in: "The only pruners that will never let you down and always care about your hands."
--Corona #2 Rounde Point Shovel: "The only all-purpose shovel you will need."
--Corona Transplanter
--Pine Tree Tools Bamboo Gardening Gloves
--Orbit Max 8 Pattern Wand "to make your watering experience easy."
--MiracleGroSoil: "For every kind of garden project."
7 easy flowers for beginners to plant
Coneflowers
Coneflowers (iStock)
Try starting with coneflowers.
"Coneflowers are an amazing choice for newbie gardeners looking to attract pollinators and add some quick and easy color to their outdoor spaces," Runkle says.
Coneflowers are also known as Echinacea purpurea or simply Echinacea. Runkle says these the pink blooms "thrive in rich, well-drained soil and full sun."
"One of the best things about Echinacea, besides the abundance of butterflies and bees, is that they will often bloom continuously throughout the season with proper deadheading, and they can be equally happy in humid eastern and southern gardens as in dry western gardens," she adds.
Lavender
Lavender (iStock)
Lavender is an excellent choice for hot, dry gardens and flourishes in well-draining soil that isn't too rich.
"Plant your lavender in full sun and if you live in a region with harsh winters, opt for one of the English (lavandula angustifolia) rather than French (Lavandula dentata) or Spanish (Lavandula stoechas) varieties, as these are more winter-hardy," says Runkle.
Buena Vista is one of Runkle's favorite varieties of English lavender, "with tall fragrant blooms that are perfect for cutting into dried bouquets."
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Zinnias
Zinnias (iStock)
The Popats say that zinnias are among the most colorful flowers to grow, and they are very easy to grow directly seeded into the garden. "But if you want blooms sooner, start your seeds indoors four-to-six weeks before your last frost date."
Just make sure you’re careful with the young plants during the process of moving them outdoors. Get ready for gorgeous hues of pink, purple, yellow, red and more.
Pansies
Pansies (iStock)
Pansies are perfect in spring.
"These plants begin flowering early in the spring and produce a wide range of brightly colored, cheerful flowers," says Pangborn, adding that pansies should be planted in areas with six or more hours of sunlight per day. They will thrive in the ground or in containers.
"A big benefit of pansies is that they are frost-tolerant, meaning they can be planted before the threat of frost has passed, extending your outdoor gardening season earlier into the year."
Pangborn suggests keeping pansies well watered for a few weeks after planting and during periods of warm weather to extend their bloom season. "They naturally go dormant in the hot summer months, but can survive and start flowering again in the fall."
Hydrangeas
Hydrangeas (iStock)
Plant your hydrangea bush early in the season and try picking a variety that will bloom in the first year, since not all do, suggests Runkle.
"Hydrangeas typically prefer part-sun — dappled light is their favorite — and rich, moist, well-draining soil."
Clematis
Clematis (iStock)
Runkle says if you have a wall or garden trellis "that could use a green friend," consider planting a clematis.
"These gorgeous fast-growing plants throw off flowers that will make even the most mundane of gardens feel like a tropical paradise," she adds.
For best results with your clematis, Runkle recommends planting them in a sunny spot and providing a bit of shade at the base of the plant with rocks, garden decor or other plants. "Keep them well-watered and be sure to provide something for them to climb."
Petunias
Petunias (iStock)
Pangborn says petunias are a great choice for anyone looking to add a pop of color to a yard. "They don’t mind cool temperatures and often begin flowering in early to mid-spring, continuing on through the first hard frost," she says, adding that petunias thrive in areas where they receive six or more hours of direct sunlight per day.
"Keep the soil around them consistently moist and avoid wetting the flowers or foliage, which can cause disease," Pangborn notes.
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The newest petunia varieties will keep re-blooming without you having to remove old flowers, according to Pangborn.
This will allow them to stay covered in flowers all season, she adds.
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