Repetition is key when designing flower gardens; repeating colors, shapes, and species across your space creates a cohesive look that’s easy to care for.
Always pay attention to each plant’s bloom time, selecting flowers that will provide season-long color. Experiment with textures by including plants with fine leaves alongside coarse ones.
Location
Location is of utmost importance when creating an effective flower garden design. Consider choosing a location where the flowers can make a statement, such as bordering a sidewalk or lining a walkway, while making sure it gets enough sun and has suitable soil conditions; if unsure, perform a soil test – its results will give an accurate idea if your soil can support your desired plants.
Stick with flowers that thrive in your climate zone; otherwise, they won’t thrive and could even die quickly.
Consider adding flowers that bloom throughout the season for added visual interest when one type dries up and fades; when that occurs, another variety can fill its place. Don’t forget foliage in your design. Experimenting with texture — such as pairing fine-textured marigolds with coarser ones such as canna lilies — provides visual interest even when flowers aren’t at their full bloom stage.
Plants
Once you know where you want to plant, think carefully about what statement your flower garden will make. Is it an explosion of colors along a driveway or walkway, a sprawling bed full of blooming blooms, or do you prefer more intimate cottage-style garden filled with detail and rustic charm?
Stick with flowers that flourish in the conditions where you’re planting, familiarize yourself with your USDA growing zone, and select plants that can tolerate frost and heat in your region.
Experienced garden designers use repetition throughout their space to create an integrated design. A few core colors, shapes and plants repeated across the garden provide continuity without overwhelming the eye. Remember to include foliage such as ornamental grasses and ferns for four-season interest and native perennials rather than hybrids to attract bees, butterflies and hummingbirds as they produce the most nectar and pollen for pollinators species that often go unnoticed.
Color
Think of flowers as your canvas and use color schemes like an artist would when selecting their palette for painting a picture. Petals, anthers, stems, foliage and berries all contribute towards forming one unified look in a garden planting scheme.
Repeating elements within a design can create an effective garden. Too many different plants with differing shapes, sizes and colors can become visually distracting; experienced garden designers understand this principle well; groupings of odd numbers of similar plant species tend to be more pleasing on the eye than even numbers.
Flower gardens can remain vibrant year-round if they feature perennials with staggered bloom times and annuals to fill any gaps in color schemes. For instance, you could pair red and pink roses with pink annual geraniums, then add burgundy coleus leaves as accent colors. Alternatively, consider opting for monochromatic color schemes instead for an understated effect.
Focal Point
Garden designs require an eye-catching focal point to draw visitors in and keep them interested. This may be in the form of an eye-catching flower, plant grouping or hardscape element; even something small such as a vignette can act as an eye-catcher! Ensure your focal point has long bloom periods to provide year-round interest.
Consideration should also be given to a flower’s mature size when choosing where it should go in a bed, to ensure it doesn’t overcrowd its neighbors or be trampled by the mower. Also keep foliage diversity in mind by trying different textures (fine leaves vs coarse) and shapes (round vs upright) of leaves for added visual interest in your garden.