No matter if your preference lies with formal design with crisp lines or cottage gardens that feature various plant shapes, the key to successfully planning and designing a flower garden starts with an analysis of its growing area – specifically its location, soil composition and light exposure.
Beginning your flower garden by clearly delineating its borders using garden edging or stones will prevent grass and weeds from invading its growing area.
Location
Beginner gardeners can create stunning flowerbeds that add color and curb appeal to their outdoor spaces. Pro-level tips avoid prescriptive advice that often dominates gardening advice; instead they focus on aesthetic effects of various strategies.
Location for your flower garden depends on the types of blooms you want to grow. Hydrangeas do well in partial shade environments while sunflowers require full sunlight all day. Other perennials or low maintenance groundcovers might prefer part shade conditions instead.
Expert garden designers use odd numbers of similar plants when creating flower beds to ensure visual cohesion and avoid an unruly array. It is also wise to include bloom-time-varying plants for year-round visual interest in your flowerbeds; also make sure the colors complement each other for best results. If you need inspiration on what plants would work, visit local botanical gardens or large private gardens open to the public for guidance.
Soil
Your flower bed’s soil should be loose, well-drained and abundant with organic material to encourage plant growth and ensure they receive all of the essential nutrients for their wellbeing.
Experienced flower garden designers rely on an assortment of perennials, shrubs and annuals to provide year-round color in their gardens. Additionally, they take advantage of staggered bloom times by using perennials for spring, summer and fall blooming and seasonal annuals as fill-ins to complete their schemes.
When creating a new flower bed, start by clearing away grass and other vegetation in the area where you plan to plant. If the area slopes steeply, mark that on your sketch; steep slopes require terracing in order to protect soil erosion and can even make for great rock gardens! If your flower garden includes paths, consider laying them first to prevent heavy equipment or mowers trampling them and make weeding simpler.
Light
Most flowering plants require full sun to reach their maximum potential (see drawings), while there may be some that tolerate partial shade. Heaviest shading will come from trees, shrubs, or structures remaining in your landscape design plan – be sure to consider them when planning out your layout!
When selecting perennial flowers, it’s essential to consider their mature overall size. This will enable you to plan for their height which could potentially block windows and doors or provide privacy in your garden.
Select flowers that bloom throughout the growing season to provide continuous color. Doing so will also encourage healthy insect populations, while adding a birdbath or feeder will increase bird presence in your flower beds while adding more interest and songbirds into your environment. Odd numbers of any one plant type look better than lines with equal numbers as this creates more of a natural flow than exact number lines do.
Water
Flowers are the centerpiece of any garden, providing color and beauty year-round. From delicate daisies to vibrant roses, there is an abundant range of colorful blooms available so that you can create the ideal arrangement to suit both your preferences and home environment.
Experts advise keeping plant height in mind when designing a flower bed. Taller plants should be placed at the back, and shorter ones such as ground cover should be scattered throughout to create an eye-catching layered effect that makes your garden appear more dynamic without looking like an uniform grid.
Experienced gardeners take full advantage of this diversity in plant form (known as habit). Some grow as cushions, mounds, or clumps while others can be upright and spiky. Skilled gardeners use these variations in form to their advantage by planting plants with complimentary form for an aesthetically pleasing effect. Furthermore, plants with similar color harmonies – for instance purple and red opposite each other on the color wheel – also pair well.