Flower garden plants require well-drained soil. Therefore, before beginning any digging up of turf, evaluate the location and its growing conditions carefully.
Be mindful of sunlight. Most flowers require six or more hours of direct sun daily in order to thrive, so pay special attention as to where and how the sun moves throughout a given day.
Location
Location is of utmost importance when choosing where to plant a flower garden, not only because it will determine what you can grow but also because its impactful presence will have on your landscape. For instance, if you want your flower bed to add pops of color along a pathway or driveway, make sure it can easily be seen from inside your house.
If your goal is to attract pollinators, make sure your location is sunny and warm enough; many flowering plants like hydrangeas, roses, iris lilies phlox daisies require full sunlight all day to thrive in their gardens. Also familiarize yourself with your USDA growing zone as well as any first or last frost dates so as to know which flowers and vegetables will thrive best in your garden.
Planting flowers that bloom at different times allows you to take full advantage of your flower garden for as long as possible, adding color variety while reducing maintenance. Paths between the flowers not only add visual interest, but can help prevent you from accidentally trampling on them which would crush and wilt them quickly.
Sunlight
Your garden’s sun exposure or shade levels will determine which flowers flourish there. Plants that prefer direct sunlight will die in an otherwise shaded garden, and those thriving under low light levels could suffer damage as their roots cannot support themselves as much.
Gardeners frequently depend on perennials, spring-flowering bulbs and annual flowers as the backbone of their flower beds, with ornamental grasses, shrubs, herbs and vegetables providing structure, texture, fall color and winter interest. Perennials come in an array of colors and forms called habits; many feature delicate sprays of bloom or tall stems bearing bell-like heads like those found on Echinacea or Hydrangeas that serve as focal flowers in their gardens; others boast airy blooms or spiked petals for texture contrast or fillers in between rows in flower beds.
Based on your flower garden design, you may opt to stagger plantings according to height. As a general guideline, place taller plants towards the back while shorter ones closer to the front for easy access.
Soil
Finding a successful flower garden design requires more than selecting plants; success relies on taking into account factors like soil, climate and other attributes of its surroundings.
Know Your Flowers: Understand their requirements, such as sunlight or moisture requirements for optimal growth. Cowan suggests consulting the USDA Growing Zone Map to ascertain if perennial plants suitable for your climate are available; otherwise they could die or fail to bloom the following season.
Design with Repetition: Repetition provides an essential sense of peace and visual unity, according to Wiley. She recommends repeating certain colors, shapes or species across your garden to achieve continuity and an attractive balance in design.
Water
Your flower garden design should reflect your personal tastes. While there are certain necessities, such as proper soil preparation and choosing flowers that complement its environment (more on both later), many aspects of flower garden design are ultimately up to you and personal taste.
Expert garden designers use a mix of plant heights, colors combinations and bloom times to ensure that the flowers always look their best and are blooming at any given time. This ensures your flowers remain blooming all year round and stay looking vibrantly fresh!
Plant tall plants at the back and shorter ones at the front to achieve an easy gradient of heights, then fill in any empty spaces between perennials and shrubs with colorful annuals for added contrast and visual interest. It is important to plant odd numbers; this creates a more visually appealing, less jumbled look in flower beds and containers. Also try not to place your garden where tree roots or large evergreens may be growing as these areas usually don’t support many flowers well.