Planning a flower garden requires taking into account its light conditions; for optimal results, flower beds must receive full sun.
Experienced flower garden designers also consider year-round color and staggered bloom times to ensure something will always be in bloom and add interest throughout the growing season.
Choose Your Plants
Selecting blooms that thrive in your region’s climate and soil conditions is key to selecting blooms for a garden that are sure to flourish in every way possible. Also consider whether or not you prefer planting perennials (which return year after year), or annuals that must be replanted annually in spring.
Be sure to select flowers with both closed buds and open blossoms when shopping for flowers; this will lengthen their bloom period while helping the plants photosynthesize more efficiently. This also means they have plenty of healthy foliage which is essential to photosynthetic processes and growth.
A beautiful flower garden should not exist as an isolated entity; rather, it must blend seamlessly into its environment like any shade tree or flowering crabapple tree would. Look for ways to incorporate your garden into the overall design of your yard such as using paths or creating focal points; hardscape elements such as pergolas or trellises could provide structure for it as well.
Plan the Layout
Before planting your flower garden design on paper, it’s advisable to outline its overall appearance on paper first. Create a diagram of the area and mark in which plants will reach maturity size when marked into maturity size; this helps determine what their final appearance will look like as they grow; this way you can also assess whether plants are likely to spread or block windows or doors as they get taller. Professional flower garden designers typically create less chaotic visual effects by grouping similar types of plants together into odd-numbered groups within beds – for instance planting three or five pink tall garden phlox together makes more of an impression than planting one alone!
Another aspect of layout that must be taken into account when planning your garden design is its sun requirements and bloom times for each plant you intend on using. A comprehensive list of 60+ perennials (available through Gardening Resource Library subscription) is an invaluable asset. To complete your garden, make sure that it provides color all year long by including overwintering perennials or annual flowers into its mix.
Create a Focal Point
Like real estate, flower gardening requires proper planning. Cowan suggests knowing your USDA growing zone and expected frost dates so you can plant flowers that thrive in your yard.
Keep in mind when planting flowers that their initial appearance may be sparse; over time they will quickly flourish into lush blossoms. Shea advises designing your garden accordingly and making note of each plant’s mature size in order to give each ample room to flourish.
Repetition can help create an appealing, well-organized flower garden by providing visual balance. According to retired garden designer Donna Hackman, repetition helps ground the space with order and provide visual harmony; repetition in terms of colors, shapes, or plants adds visual interest and continuity throughout your garden design. She suggests placing taller showier blooms around the perimeter while filling in your beds with more modest blooms that provide year-round color for added charm – this approach may even attract hummingbirds or butterflies for extra attraction!
Planting
Flower gardens require regular care and maintenance, including watering, weed removal and trimming. But choosing a site with good soil preparation for planting and selecting blooms that thrive in your climate and conditions will reap many rewards over time.
Before digging a new flower bed, conduct a soil test. The results will allow you to make decisions regarding amendment with organic matter or chemical fertilizers; pH level issues; or any other concerns such as low or high pH levels that arises.
Most flowering plants need full sun to reach their maximum bloom potential. Find a sunny location for your garden and avoid placing it where flowers will get trampled during family backyard barbecues. Aside from these unbreakable rules, there is room for experimentation with flower garden design to meet your personal aesthetic – for instance you could opt for formal style straight edges with neat rows, or more natural shapes such as loose clusters of blooms.