Flower gardens add vibrant color and life to any yard, from rectangular beds under windowsills to long rows lining front entryway walkways. Experts advise using perennials and shrubs with staggered bloom times for year-round interest, supplemented with low-growing annuals for summertime pops of hue.
Before planting, make sure the bed is in optimal shape by clearing away grass and adding compost for soil enrichment. Furthermore, ensure easy accessibility for quick watering using your garden hose.
Location
Selecting an ideal location is crucial when designing a flower garden. Watering should be easily accomplished, although cutting gardens require greater distance from the hose in order to prevent wilting.
Search for an area with full sunlight as most flower plants require six to eight hours of direct sun each day for proper development. If your goal is to attract pollinators bees, try planting more closely together so they can find each other when foraging for sustenance.
Wiley advises to create visual harmony by selecting flowers with similar maintenance needs, like drought-tolerant blooms that thrive under direct sunlight. When placing plants within a bed, think about their height; taller plants should go at the back while shorter varieties can go nearer the front for optimal effect.
Soil
Flower gardens need rich soil that drains freely and easily. When setting up new beds, improve their soil by digging over to spade depth and thoroughly clearing away weeds.
Select a site with plenty of sunlight for pollinator flowers; this will encourage them to visit frequently and spread pollen across your garden.
Stagger the bloom times of perennials and add colorful annuals throughout the year to ensure your flowers always have something new to offer and don’t require as much pruning back. Placing your garden within reach of water sources like faucets or hoses makes keeping it hydrated easy; additionally, planning its layout before starting planting will save time later on.
Water
When planning your flower garden, select an area with sufficient sunlight for its plants – most flower varieties need full sunlight for optimal development.
Amend your soil by mixing in well-rotted manure or garden compost and digging it in before planting new transplants, helping improve its condition while giving new transplants a headstart in their new surroundings.
If you want to attract bees, butterflies, and other pollinators, native perennials over exotic varieties will produce more nectar and pollen for pollinators-attracting beneficial insects to feed off. Also consider shrubs with four-season appeal such as berry-producing evergreens or hedges or ones featuring colorful bark with twisty or colorful structures – they could provide essential habitat.
Fertilizer
For best results when planting a pollinator-attracting flower garden, select perennials that provide long blooming seasons and low maintenance requirements. Choose those which produce ample amounts of nectar and pollen that attract hummingbirds, butterflies and bees in your region.
Choose a sunny location for your garden bed. Most flowers require six to eight hours of direct sunlight each day for optimal growth, so look for somewhere with morning and afternoon shade, especially if growing full-sun plants like hydrangeas and sunflowers.
At planting time, add an all-purpose balanced fertilizer and layer of organic matter to improve soil. Work the fertilizer into the top 6-8 inches of the soil where most flower and shrub roots develop. Avoid working wet soil as this compromises its structure.
Pruning
Pruning is the last step to creating the perfect garden. Pruning helps guide plant growth by cutting away dead branches and flower stems; doing this regularly will keep your garden healthy and looking its best.
Bees visiting your flowers to collect pollen is one of the greatest joys of gardening, so why not invite some into your yard this summer? For best results, grow a variety of bee-friendly flower seeds which will bloom throughout the season and keep these buzzy pollinators coming back!
Garden design should include both taller flowers at the back or center and filler flowers such as feverfew towards its edges, creating an arrangement that makes your garden appear full while providing all plants enough sunlight. You could also arrange according to growth habit and structure: place taller plants such as lilyturfa closer to the back while lower ones such as snapdragon nearer its front edge.