Flower gardens should fit naturally into their surroundings and appear as part of the landscape rather than appearing out-of-place. Multiple factors play a part in ensuring its success; one of them being layout.
Location, soil and plants all play an important role in the final appearance of flowers. With these tips, we hope to help you organize your flower garden to maximize its potential.
Location
As any gardener knows, finding the ideal spot is key to creating stunning flower arrangements. Whether it be a foundation bed in front of the house or an island flower garden in the backyard, first identify where your flowers should reside.
Make sure the area receives adequate sunlight. Flowering plants tend to thrive best under full-sun conditions; however, some also do well under partial-sun conditions.
If the area you wish to plant has steep slopes, terracing or other landscaping options may be necessary in order to prevent soil erosion and maintain your garden bed easily. Steep slopes may make gardening challenging with their steepness.
Soil
Flower gardens require much more than simply choosing and planting flowers. Care must be taken when preparing the soil so the plants thrive. Furthermore, sunlight plays a major role; most flowering plants require at least six hours of exposure in order to bloom properly.
Before creating a flower bed, it’s advisable to conduct an in-depth soil test. The test can reveal what nutrients are available as well as any necessary amendments, while its pH level should ideally fall between 6.5-7 for optimal plant growth conditions.
Once the location and soil have been chosen, you can begin planning. Start with shrubs and larger perennials before including bulbs and annuals as a filler. It is usually more pleasing to the eye if there are odd numbers of each plant type planted in an arrangement; additionally incorporating repeating colors, shapes or plants throughout flower beds helps maintain unity within your design.
Plants
An effective flower garden should feature an eye-catching focal point that draws visitors in before progressing through its composition. This might be something as temporary as a stunning cluster of blooms or more permanent like a birdbath or piece of garden art.
Once your location has been decided upon, the next step should be clearing away any grass or weeds in the area. Furthermore, it’s also essential to assess how much sunlight each location receives throughout the day-especially come late June when most blooming plants reach their prime bloom stage.
Experienced flower garden designers know how to design beautiful gardens by planting an assortment of perennials, annuals and ornamental grasses for year-round blooming color. In addition, they stagger bloom times so the garden does not become barren after one type of plant has finished flowering – this technique is known as continuous bloom gardening.
Preparation
As in any garden, flower beds require careful preparation before being planted. Loosen the soil with a shovel or garden spade by adding lots of organic material such as compost. Perform a soil test to analyze its pH level and nutrients content and make any necessary adjustments as required.
Plan to establish your flower beds in an area with sunny sunlight and well-draining soil. Install some form of landscape edging such as rocks, wood or brick to separate your garden from lawn and keep things tidy.
To maintain an uninterrupted flow of blooms during the season, plant flowers that bloom at different times. When some have passed their prime or become past their prime, new ones will soon emerge to give your landscape its vibrant pop of color. You could also experiment with texture by placing fine-leafed marigolds next to coarse foliage such as kale and kohlrabi for maximum impact.