For optimal flower beds, it is vital that you understand how each plant will reach maturity at its ideal size and how far apart to space them. This information can help determine how best to design them.
Consider both height and structure when planning your garden design. Arranging plants by height is a simple way to add visual interest and visual depth.
Determine the Layout
One of the most essential decisions you will need to make for your flower garden is how to arrange and orient its growing space, since this determines how much work will need to be done once flowers have been planted.
Experienced flower growers typically cultivate a selection of plants that offer year-round interest with staggered bloom times, such as shrubs, which provide winter structure and spring blooming flowers; perennials which will reappear throughout summer; and fall-blooming annuals.
Focus on creating a visually interesting flower garden by including different heights, colors and textures in its design. Hardscape elements like pergolas or trellises may help transition between areas in your garden while acting as focal points – or serve as transitions between different sections of it.
Determine the Number of Plants
Flower gardens can be designed in whatever manner suits your fancy, from random collections of blooming plants to carefully orchestrated designs with repeated colors, shapes and plant species. Repetition creates cohesion that makes the garden more pleasing than simply having an assortment of whatever seems suitable at any given moment.
Garden calculators can help determine how many plants will be needed in any given space. Simply determine your planting bed’s square footage and then use a chart to estimate how many plants are required.
Keep in mind that plants don’t reach their full height upon initial planting; make sure to account for this by spacing taller plants closer together than shorter ones for a gradation of heights.
Determine the Height of Plants
Height plays an essential part in designing your flower garden. Taller blooms should go toward the back of the bed while shorter blooms and edging plants fill out its center. A combination of plant heights adds visual interest when different varieties bloom at different times throughout the year.
Experienced flower garden designers utilize plants with staggered bloom times to add seasonal color throughout the seasons. Plan to include spring-blooming bulbs, summer perennials and fall-blooming annuals into your flower garden design plan.
When selecting plants to plant at White Flower Farm, refer to either their cultural instruction booklet or plant label for recommended spacing ranges. Be mindful not to adhere strictly to these recommendations – too much space between plants may look unnatural and sparse.
Determine the Color of Plants
Flower garden design requires considering both its surroundings and color choices when creating its design. Use the color wheel as a guide, choosing colors that coordinate and compliment one another well to find an aesthetically pleasing result.
Appropriate analogous colors (those adjacent on the color wheel). This includes warm hues such as yellow, orange and red and softer tones such as purple and pink; cool shades like blue and white work best as complementary pairs.
Add dimension and vibrance to your garden by playing around with shades by darkening or lightening colors to increase intensity, playing around with textures and shapes; for instance combining fine-leafed plants with coarse ones or mixing flowers of various shapes together. Foliage provides another great opportunity for color to add depth; maroon to black foliage adds depth while chartreuse adds zesty accents in shaded areas.
Determine the Background
No matter if it’s filling an entire yard or just lining the driveway with vibrant hues, perennial flower garden ideas require considering how the landscape surrounding your bed will affect it. Your backdrop should enhance rather than compete with what you plan to create in terms of colors and designs.
Flower gardens may feature anything from simple fences to more complex hardscaping features such as trellising and birdbaths as the backdrop, creating visual interest throughout the season. A retaining wall or hillside may also work in your favor for creating visual interest in your garden. When planting tall flowers (peonies and mums), be mindful to position them nearer the back while shorter plants like feverfew and cleome are situated closer to the front for an aesthetic balance and perfect balance in color and texture over the year.