Planning is essential to the success of any garden. Accurate measurements and careful layout help create an aesthetically pleasing result, while accurate measurements make certain that everything looks even and balanced.
Experienced flower garden designers use groupings of plants with similar water and sun needs as a strategy for easy care, helping ensure that your garden will flourish all season long.
Determine Your Space
As most flowers need ample sun to thrive, it’s ideal to situate a flower garden where it will receive full sunshine. To ensure you’ve found the ideal location, observe your garden over several days to determine how much light comes through and whether the amount changes throughout the day.
Flower gardens should be placed in an easily navigable area, making it easier for you to trim, water and fertilize without accidentally treading on plants. If your garden is small, create a pathway so it becomes simpler for you to navigate it.
Begin your layout by drawing the border to scale (assigning one unit of measurement on paper that corresponds with larger measurements on your actual flower bed). Aim for an even gradient of heights by penciling in shrubs and perennials first (since these plants tend to be larger than what will follow), spring-flowering bulbs next, then annuals lastly. Remember to also incorporate foliage as it adds visual depth by looking for different leaf shapes, colors and textures – these elements may add additional interest as you add flowers later!
Determine Your Goals
As with any venture, when starting a flower garden it’s essential to establish goals and objectives first. From there you can select flowers that fit with your landscaping style and yard size as well as beginner-friendly plants that require minimal upkeep and care.
Make sure your chosen area for a flower garden receives sufficient sunlight. Most flower species thrive best when exposed to direct sunlight; any spot receiving partial or full shade may prove less than ideal for success.
Make sure your garden hose is easily accessible so that watering plants is made easy, and any potential accidents caused by accidental knocking over of blooms during work are avoided. To add an element of enjoyment and pleasure when walking through your landscape, create a walkway through your flower beds for easy walking access and enjoyment of your landscape. Hardscape elements like pergolas and trellises add visual flair as a focal point and complete any stunning flower garden design!
Create a Plan
Once you’ve chosen a location and selected plants that interest you, the next step in designing a flower garden layout should be planning its layout. A flower garden adds color, dimension, and interest to any landscape–plus is an effective way to attract pollinators!
Start by sketching an initial sketch of your garden, including its intended area and how the beds will be defined. Steep slopes might require terracing in order to protect soil from erosion.
When choosing plants for planting, consider factors like year-round color, flower size and bloom time, fragrance and movement. Experts advise grouping three or more flowers of one type together for visual continuity to avoid an unappealing hodgepodge effect and more pleasing visual appeal. It’s also important to select varieties suitable to your climate and weather patterns; certain flowers have greater resistance against damage from wind or rain than others, and will bloom longer periods than others.
Create a Layout
Flower gardens can add tremendous curb appeal, attract pollinators and add new dimension to any landscape. Plus, they provide shade from direct sunlight while protecting tender plants such as vegetables and shrubs from pests and vermin.
Experienced flower garden designers understand the value of including both long-living perennials and quick-blooming annual flowers in their beds to provide year-round color with staggered bloom times. This ensures year-round hues and blooming times.
Keep soil and sunlight requirements in mind when selecting plants to put into your flower bed, since many flowers need direct sunlight for optimal growth.
Group plants with similar water and light needs together in your flower garden design layout for a more cohesive appearance, and to simplify care by avoiding over- or underwatering the beds. Expert garden designers use odd number groups of identical plants so the garden feels more dynamic than one featuring even numbers.