Flower gardens are integral parts of landscape design and must fit seamlessly into it. From purchasing full grown plants at garden centers or starting seeds from seedlings, to considering how each will fit into the overall design of your landscape plan.
An ideal garden features layers of plants with taller plants in the background and shorter ones in front, to allow flowers to open fully and look their best.
Location
Starting a garden from scratch or renovating an existing one requires taking a critical view of each plant and eliminating those which don’t meet your standards for color, height, bloom time or ease of care. This also presents an opportunity to clean out and add compost for new growth in your garden.
Consider how much sunlight your area receives each day before selecting plants to fill it. Full sun is ideal, while shade- and part-sun tolerant options should also be considered when making this decision.
Include plants with different bloom times throughout the season so that even as some flowers fade and wilt, there will still be something new to enjoy. Plants with eye-catching foliage can also add visual interest when flowers aren’t in bloom.
Soil
Preparing flowerbeds requires layering them with organic matter and loosening their soil, but beyond these key points, its design is entirely up to you.
An effective starting point is creating an array of colors, heights, and textures in a garden design. Group plants with similar maintenance needs together – like drought-tolerant flowers or water-wise perennials. Plant shrubs with twisty shapes or colorful bark for year-round interest while planting berries as fall color or winter food for birds.
Lighting conditions at a planting site are of equal importance; many plants prefer full sun in the morning with shade during afternoon hours for optimal conditions. Staggered bloom times should also be taken into account when selecting flowering plants.
Lighting
Every garden requires an inviting focal point that draws the eyes of onlookers in. This may be as simple as an eye-catching grouping of plants or as elaborate as an eye-catching piece of garden art. Experienced flower garden designers also incorporate shrubs to add structure and four-season interest, as well as flowers with staggered bloom times so when one plant dies off or fades out there are always new sources of color emerging elsewhere in the garden.
At the core of every good garden design lies shape: spires, wavy petals, daisies, buttons and globes are all excellent shapes to combine together in your designs. Furthermore, mixing heights is another effective way of adding interest: taller perennial plants should go toward the back or center while shorter annuals should fill out front rows.
Height
Flower garden plants require space to thrive. Experienced landscape designers advise keeping paths wide to avoid trampling blooms and unnecessary pruning.
Location is key when selecting flower gardens: full-sun perennials require at least six hours of direct sunlight per day for proper development, while shaded varieties will wither quickly in direct light.
Add visual interest and variety to your garden with a combination of heights. Focus taller plants towards the back, then gradually incorporate medium-height perennials and shorter annuals as you progress forward or around it. Don’t forget different foliage textures: gladioli with their distinctive flower spikes or sword-shaped iris blades make an impactful contrast against lush ornamental grasses’ lush greenery.
Color
When planning flower garden layouts, there are a few essential points to remember. These include creating a focal point, selecting suitable plant sizes and designs, considering year-round interest, color combinations and whether or not you wish your flowers to attract pollinators insects like butterflies and bees.
As a starting point for creating your color scheme, start with a color wheel. Next, choose plants in all shades of your chosen hue to create an harmonious planting design. Complementary colors appear opposite one another on the color wheel – for instance rosy-pink Joe Pye Weed (Eutrochium maculatum) can pair nicely with soft-pink garden phlox (Phlox paniculata ‘Bright Eyes’). Or try an analogical color scheme by choosing three adjacent colors from within it on the color wheel – similar to how complimentary colors sit opposite one another on this scheme!
Framing
Flower gardens require an eye-catching backdrop to draw the visitor in and capture his or her interest. Fencing or walls of your house make excellent choices; other garden art such as trellises can also serve to set it off from its surrounding environment.
Once the area where you plan to plant has been cleared of grass and weeds, add simple plastic edging or something more decorative like pavers or bricks for edging your flowerbeds. Consider creating a path through it so as not to trample upon those beautiful blooms!
Add flowers that bloom at different times to ensure that as one set fades, another one is ready to take its place. Additionally, try pairing plants with different textures for added interest.