No matter if you are creating a flower garden to add beauty and value to your home or simply adding beauty to the backyard, getting its design just right can make all the difference in its success. To make sure that it happens successfully, first take note of some basic garden design principles.
Get drawing supplies that include a scale to draw borders to scale and compass for creating curved lines. Plant tall plants behind shorter ones to achieve year-round color; group blooming flowers together so you have year-long color!
1. Think About the Light
Planning a flower garden requires considering lighting conditions that will be available to your plants, in order to establish how many different kinds of blooms you will require to achieve the effect you are after. For instance, when it comes to Echinacea or Garden Phlox-lined pathways or borders with vibrant splashes of color along a pathway, how many blooms you need will depend on how much sun they receive daily.
As part of your research into selecting plants suitable for your gardening zone and soil conditions, be sure to investigate their growing requirements so you can choose those which thrive there and produce beautiful blooms for years. In addition, make sure that each flower’s bloom time, foliage texture and size fit seamlessly with your garden design – these considerations will give you a head start when creating your ideal flower garden!
2. Think About the Space
Just as real estate agents focus on location, flower garden layout is all about the big picture. A random flower bed plonked down anywhere in your yard without considering its surroundings can quickly become an eye sore or worse.
Be mindful when selecting flowers for year-round interest when making selections. Also take into account bloom times so there will always be something new blooming when summer flowers die and autumn perennials have finished flowering – to replace their colors!
Combine plants of differing textures and heights for added depth, visual intrigue and contrast. Tinker with plant sizes too: larger varieties could be planted alongside delicate varieties for an even look.
Focus on creating a natural flow when designing your flower garden design, avoiding straight lines whenever possible in favor of curves that draw the eye inward and make for more attractive landscapes. When adding shrubs for structure and four-season interest (roses or lilacs are popular choices, but don’t be afraid to experiment with shrubs with interesting bark or twisty shapes), keep this natural flow in mind when selecting shrubs as repeat blooming roses can often take years before producing their first flowers again.
3. Think About the Focal Point
Whatever type of garden you’re creating – island garden or simply planting in the center of a border – your flower bed needs something that draws the eye: this could be anything from large shrubs or trees, garden art like gates and arches, garden ornaments such as fountains and water features or simply grouping of particular flowers.
Experienced flower garden designers always include plants with staggered bloom times to ensure that if one bloom fades and fades away, another one will quickly fill its spot in color and beauty.
Cowan suggests adding foliage and flowers that add fragrance and movement to the garden as additional decorative features, noting they often go unnoticed but can add much to its overall beauty.
4. Think About the Background
Repetition is key when it comes to flower garden design. According to Wiley, repetition in colors, shapes, and species helps ground and unify a garden by grounding visual unity into each garden area. Furthermore, repeat plants should have long blooming periods and thrive under your local growing conditions for maximum benefit.
Review Flower Heights
Aim for an even gradient of heights when planting your garden, with taller plants at the back and shorter ones in front. This will prevent competition for visibility among your flowers – an especially helpful tactic if you have an island garden!
Learning the colors and characteristics of all of your plants will allow you to appreciate how your landscape evolves over time. While peonies bloom only during spring, dahlias and mums continue to blossom throughout summer and autumn. Furthermore, some flowers change colors as they mature; understanding this change will allow you to know when it is necessary to replace or remove old blooms. Flowers also come with different textures – combine fine and coarse foliage together, or group dainty flowers with those that have more robust flower heads for added depth in landscape design!