Flower gardens add vibrant splashes of color and variety to any backyard, and creating and tending one is both difficult and rewarding. Soil preparation should be the initial step when beginning this endeavor.
Choose a location with at least six hours of sun daily, keeping an eye out on how the sun moves throughout a typical day, to make sure that your plants receive sufficient light.
Location
Location for a flower garden depends on its purpose. Full sun gardens are popular; however, sunflowers and drought-resistant succulents thrive under partial shade conditions. If your goal is harvest cut flowers for bouquets, erect hedges around each bed to frame its spaces clearly so your blooms can shine!
Be mindful of a plant’s mature height when placing it. Taller varieties should go at the back while shorter varieties should go nearer the front of your garden space. By mixing up plant heights and colors throughout, your garden remains exciting in every season!
Add four-season interest by planting shrubs that provide structure and foliage color when the flowers fade. Evergreens, fruit trees and even some berries can add structure and keep your garden alive throughout winter. Hardscape elements such as pergolas or trellises can tie the landscape together into a flowing design; make sure that flower beds are close enough to your water source for easy watering!
Soil
Flower gardens bring life, color and beauty into any home landscape. Not only can they beautify the space but they can also act as habitat for beneficial pollinators such as birds and butterflies. No matter whether you opt for select species or mix-and-match flowers – creating a blooming garden is rewarding and not challenging at all.
Start by finding an appropriate location for your flower garden. Most blooms thrive in full sun; however, some varieties such as lush hydrangeas and drought-tolerant succulents thrive well even with less direct sun. Consult your USDA growing zone to ascertain which flowers will thrive best there.
Now, prepare the soil. Loamy, well-draining soil is ideal for most flowers; to achieve this effect, simply rake away debris and rocks, break up large clods with your hands, add compost to improve drainage, enriching and increasing drainage of the soil, perform a soil test to determine any additional nutritional needs, water to moisten but be cautious not to overwater as overdoing it could drown root systems!
Plants
When planting your flower garden, look for flowers that thrive in your region and take into account the mature height of plants and how they will fit into your landscape. Some prefer climbing structures like trellises and obelisks for climbing purposes while others may prefer being planted directly into the ground.
Experienced flower garden designers tend to employ a mixed approach when planting, grouping together similar types by shape and color. They may rely on bulbs for spring blooming flowers, perennials for summertime blooming flowers and colorful annuals for fall blooming displays.
Once you’ve chosen where to plant, start by clearing away the grass in your designated area. One way of doing this is covering it with several layers of newspaper that will slowly decompose into compost, enriching soil. Finally, consider adding rock, brick or prefabricated edging materials as borders to your flower beds for extra nutrient richness.
Care
Flower beds require water and fertilizer depending on the types of flowers being grown in them, along with regular care to eliminate weeds, deadhead spent blooms, and cut back perennial flowers at the end of their season.
As part of your garden maintenance routine, familiarize yourself with the first and last frost dates in your region, as well as the USDA growing zone designation. Many popular flowers require full sun (6 hours a day); therefore it’s advisable to check on light conditions in your planting site prior to investing time or money into their care.
Consider creating a mixed garden by mixing perennials and annuals together for year-round color. Perennials with staggered bloom times (peonies, tulips and alliums) add spring color before other flowers fade, while fast-growing annuals like zinnias, impatiens and cosmos provide summer through fall hues. Add visual texture by choosing plants featuring fuzzy, prickly or glossy leaves such as lamb’s ears or cleome; planting scent-generating species will enhance your garden fragrance further!