Gardening with Instant Flower Garden® products is the easiest way to achieve a beautiful professional looking landscape without all the worry and time-consuming work other methods require.  Instant Flower Garden® bring you convenience so you will have more time to simply enjoy your flowering results.

If you are a beginner or just want a refresher, here's what you need to know:

Soil Preparation for Gardens
Take a moment to select the best location of your new garden.  Many Instant Flower Garden® products do best with at least 4 to 6 hours of sunshine.  If your location is shady, choose a product designed for shade such as the Shade Loving Garden Roll.  Climbing gardens come with a trellis and look particularly nice if planted against a wall or fence.

Tip: For a truly professional look, make your garden a little bigger than the size of the seeded mat so that there will be 4 to 6 inches of prepared soil beyond its edges.

For new gardens, mark the layout on the ground.  You can do this easily with sticks and string.  

Tip: Instant Flower Garden® seeded mats can be cut with household scissors.  This means your options are unlimited.  For example, interplant cut sections of a mat in an existing garden.  Or, seperate cut sections to make a larger garden or customized shape.

Remove any stones and all vegetation including weeds and roots.  This step will assure that your seedlings to not have to compete for space.

Loosen the soil to a depth of at least 4-6 inches.  Depending on your soil, this may be done with a hard rake.  If your soil is compacted, use a spade to loosen the dirt to the proper depth.

Soil Preparation for Containers
Container gardening is all the rage.  To achieve beautiful results, follow these simple steps.  Place a handful of small stones, terracotta pot shards, or non-dissolving polystyrene packing chips in the bottom of the planter to allow for proper drainage.  Fill the container with potting soil to within 1 to 2 inches of the top.  Press gently to settle the soil. 

Tip:  If your Instant Flower Garden container comes with a plastic liner, you can use the container on a table top without concern for water drip-through.  In this case, avoid overwatering.  It is important that you provide just enough water for the soil to feel moist to the touch but not soggy.

Installation
Roll out or place your mat either side up on the loosened soil.  Water the mat and ground around it immediately until well saturated.  The mat will hug the ground so that it can no longer be lifted up in one piece. 

Tip:  If your prepared soil is particularly dry, it is a good idea to moisten the soil before as well as after installing the seeded mat.

Water
Water is the key to life.  Keep the mat well moistened until seedlings begin to emerge.  Then, water morning and evening for the next two weeks or until the first set of leaves are fully extended.  Thereafter, you can reduce watering to several times a week unless you receive adequate rain. This will give your flowers a healthy start and best blooming display later.

Maintaining a Beautiful Garden
Cut flowers periodically and enjoy them in your home.  This will improve flower production in most varieties.  Also, for maximum performance, keep your garden weed free and deadhead (remove) flowers when there are past their prime.  A little extra care will allow the plants to devote their energy to producing more blooms for you and a healthy appearance.

Soil Amendments
Instant Flower Garden® products come infused with our own proprietary NutraGro® nutrient.  This is all that is needed during the early stages of the growing process.  Depending on the richness of your soil, additional nutrients may prove beneficial on a monthly basis throughout the growing season.  Products such as Peters Professional® Plant Food or Miracle Gro® are well suited for this application.

Tip:  Unflavored coffee grounds and clean, well-crushed egg shells can also be used to amend your soil.

How to Store Mats for Next Season
Many Instant Flower Garden® products come with enough seeded mat material for a second season of enjoyment.  Store in a water tight container in a cool, dry location.  Zipper type bags are ideal for this use.