Flower garden designs often start with an impressive focal point – perhaps it’s an eye-catching grouping of flowers or an organic element such as a birdbath or piece of garden art.
Flower garden designs should include plants with various bloom times so that when one flower fades away, another starts growing at just the right moment. Don’t forget about foliage plants for extra texture and structure either!
Determine Your Space
Your flower garden should blend into its surroundings seamlessly; any overly formal design stands out. A bed in an undignified spot on your lawn could become an eye-sore and an eyesore at best; at worst it may become an eyesore and be the source of unneeded distractions.
As you plan out your flower garden, keep lighting conditions in mind and anticipate any possible shifts over time. Some blooms require direct sunlight (6 or more hours each day), while others thrive with partial shade or partial sun conditions.
Consider bloom times and types of foliage you wish to include for dimension and contrast when your flowers aren’t blooming at their fullest color. Fillers – often variegated plants or butterfly-attracting species – should also be included to provide balance of color in your garden.
Determine Your Planting Needs
As it’s essential to successfully grow flowers, it is crucial that you understand the ideal conditions for them. This information can be found on plant labels or online. Some flowers thrive in sandy loam soil with a specific pH level while others require full sunlight and soil that drains well and is rich in organic matter.
Garden hoses are also convenient to keep on hand so that you can quickly reach and water your flowers, while adding a focal point such as an attractive trellis or birdbath will draw people in to appreciate your flower garden.
Consider selecting plants with bloom times that span throughout the year, to keep interest alive during each season of flower garden design. Playing with texture by mixing fine-flowered varieties such as marigolds with coarse-flowered canna lilies can also add depth.
Create a Backdrop
Personal preferences and objectives should always come first when designing a flower garden, but there are still several design guidelines you should always keep in mind when styling your space. Soil conditions, sun requirements, and other considerations all play an integral role in how best to style a garden space.
Foliage adds structure and contrast, as it always ensures there’s something green to catch the eye in your garden. Shades of the same hue look good together while other contrasting hues (purple and yellow for instance) offer contrast. Foliage gives structure to any design scheme and ensures there will always be something green catching people’s eyes!
Once your garden layout and planting plan are in place, the next step should be creating an eye-catching backdrop. This could take many forms; from something as simple as fencing or trellises to more permanent features like birdbaths or garden decor. Selecting the appropriate backdrop can make or break the beauty of your carefully planned flower garden; getting its composition right can draw onlookers into it while showing off all of your hard work!
Choose Your Plants
Visual appeal is of utmost importance in flower garden design. Consider what statement you want your garden to make, such as being a focal point in the center of your yard or an eye-catching border along a sidewalk, then select plants that will help make that vision come alive.
When choosing plants, always read their tags thoroughly to understand their mature size and sunlight requirements. This will help prevent you from purchasing too many and planting too closely together so they compete for sunlight and nutrients. Also look out for repeated groups of plants in beds; flower garden designers tend to arrange odd numbers of flowers (three, five, seven or nine plants instead of even) so their gardens have more of a natural, dynamic aesthetic.
Make sure that when planting flowers from their nursery pots, you take into account how they will fit into the design of your flower garden before they have fully grown into maturity. It’s also wise to incorporate year-round color by including plants that bloom at different times throughout the season – this way if some fade or die off prematurely, others are already in bloom and provide year-round color!