Flower beds require careful thought when starting from scratch or changing up an existing garden design, with these simple tips helping ensure both beauty and health for your flowers.
Start by learning the basic needs of flower plants, such as their sunlight and soil requirements, as well as when their bloom times occur. Grouping flowers that bloom at different seasons creates an eye-catching display.
Location
Flower gardens require some care, with maintenance levels depending on what types of blooms are planted. Hydrangeas tend to prefer shade and morning sun exposure while sunflowers enjoy full direct sun all day. If your goal is cut bouquets or pollinator habitat, choosing native blooms from your region tends to make maintenance simpler as these require less water and fertilizer than exotic hybrid plants.
Experts advise arranging plants of similar heights together when designing your garden design, to give your flower beds a more harmonious aesthetic. Select plants with staggered bloom times so that as one group fades, another comes into its own.
Sunlight
If a portion of your yard does not receive sufficient sunlight to support grass, it might make for an ideal setting for creating a flower garden. Most perennial flowers require at least six hours of sunshine each day to thrive and can thrive even in low light levels.
As well as considering color when designing a flower garden, consider plant shape and foliage texture when making design decisions. For instance, spire-shaped roses may look best among plants that share similar forms rather than pairing with plants of wider or rounder shape.
Strive for a well-balanced flower garden by selecting plants that bloom at various points during the season. To do this, choose early, mid and late bloomers as well as evergreens to provide winter interest. Also consider placing tall plants nearer the back while placing shorter ones nearer to the front in order to add height and depth.
Soil
Your garden’s soil type can have an enormous effect on its health and the types of flowers it supports, making a soil test essential for making informed decisions about where and how you place plants. A comprehensive analysis can reveal whether it has the nutrients and water-holding capacity required to host an assortment of blooms.
First, remove any grass or weeds from the planting area, followed by loosening up the top layer of soil with a garden rake to improve its structure and facilitate root development more rapidly.
When planning your garden, take into account the sun and water needs of each flower you intend to plant. Furthermore, pay attention to their foliage color and texture: gladiolus’ sword-shaped foliage makes an excellent partner with bleeding heart’s delicate textures for creating a stunning display in any garden.
Height
Finding plants can be an intimidating task, but visualizing what your flower garden will look like at maturity is important. Check out professional designed gardens or other landscapes as inspiration, paying particular attention to plant colors, textures and heights.
Most flowers should be planted after your region’s last frost date in autumn. To reduce seed waste, measure and map out your garden site on gridbed paper before laying out your seeds. Mark out areas of full and partial sunlight as well as any fixed items like trees or buildings you want to leave standing; consider steep slopes which may need terracing as they could result in soil erosion. Finally, compile a list of plants you wish to incorporate into your garden design.
Color
Flower gardens require significant care, from watering and weeding to trimming and pruning. Soil type, pH level and temperature all play key roles in whether flowers flourish in a given garden – for instance acidic clay soil makes growth challenging for certain varieties of blooms.
Consider what mood you would like your garden to project when selecting its color palette. Gardens meant for stimulating users may feature high-contrast color combinations while those designed to relax might opt for pastel shades instead.
Experienced flower garden designers know to select plants with staggered bloom times to make the garden appear lively throughout spring, summer and fall. Additionally, they select plants with various heights and foliage colors to add visual interest; repeating certain plants in odd numbers throughout a flowerbed can help make the space seem less chaotic.