Starting your flower garden requires clearing away grass and weeds to make room for planting. Furthermore, consider how you’ll access your garden to trim, fertilize and treat for pests without treading on its blooms.
Consider planting perennials, annuals and shrubs together for four-season color. Don’t forget that foliage plays an integral part in creating the landscape as well and can fill gaps when flowers aren’t blooming as promised.
Location
Flower gardens of any size should make a visual statement, so it is crucial to understand where and when you plan on planting your garden. Understanding its sunlight exposure will enable you to select plants which thrive best within its environs.
Repeating colors, shapes, and plants throughout a garden adds cohesion. Doing this also keeps it looking fresh while decreasing maintenance needs; for instance grouping odd numbers of similar species is more aesthetically pleasing than planting even numbers; adding mulch keeps weeds at bay and retains moisture levels for better garden maintenance.
Soil
Flower gardens require rich, draining loamy soil that drains well. Before planting your garden, first prepare the area by clearing away any weeds, rocks or debris before mixing in compost or organic materials to add nutrients while improving drainage of the soil.
Experienced flower garden designers know to include plants with staggered bloom times so that when one type of bloom begins to fade, another begins its journey – providing continuous color and beauty throughout the season.
Consider also how much sunlight each planting site receives; many flowers need at least six hours of direct sun for optimal blooming.
Water
Flower gardening can be rewarding and enjoyable! Once you decide how you’d like your flower garden to look, the first step should be choosing flowers that thrive in your climate and soil conditions.
Before planting, incorporate organic matter into the top 6-8 inches of your soil to improve its structure, promote beneficial organisms and make it more suitable for plants. Professional garden designers prefer using odd numbers of plants when grouping them to avoid creating visual interest without risking an odd-numbered garden design that appears disjointed and chaotic.
Sun/Shade
Just like location is essential to a real estate agent, sun and shade are at the core of a successful flower garden. To ensure that the blooms you plant achieve maximum beauty, select a site which receives at least six hours of direct sunlight daily.
To maximize the beauty of your flower garden, select plants that bloom throughout the season and provide a continuous source of color – when some faded blooms faded away, another set was already blooming to take their place.
Repetition of colors, heights, and shapes throughout a landscape adds cohesion and structure. Furthermore, shrubs or hardscape elements such as trellises or pergolas can enhance your flower garden design overall.
Bloom Times
No matter the purpose of your garden – be it beauty, cut flowers or pollinator attraction – it is crucial that it includes plants with staggered bloom times. While initially it may take some practice to learn when certain blooms will appear in your particular setting, eventually it will be like conducting an unforgettable orchestra of color throughout the year!
When planting your flowers, group them together in groups of three or five rather than scattering them all across your flowerbed. This makes it easier for bees to locate what they need when searching for food, while simultaneously helping reduce that weed-smothered and disorganized look often associated with flower gardens.
Hardscaping
As you establish or renew a flower garden this spring, it’s essential to remember that flowers require frequent attention. At minimum, you will need to water the bed regularly while also clearing away weeds and deadheading spent blooms.
Experienced flower garden designers know how to craft beds that offer year-round interest. Choose shrubs for winter structure and perennials for summer color; as well as annuals which will take over in fall. Mixing heights and colors gives a garden more of a natural appearance as well as attract beneficial insects; bees don’t become bored after one kind of bloom disappears quickly after another! Staggering bloom times is also important so they don’t go hungry after eating all they can find at once!