An attractive flower garden requires careful planning and ongoing upkeep. From soil preparation and plant selection, to careful pruning and care in its caretaking, all are crucial aspects of success.
Opt for native flowers to create an environment conducive to bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds. Combine annuals with perennials for seasonal color, as well as shrubs for structure in your garden.
Location
Finding an appropriate location for a flower garden is paramount. Many blooms thrive under full sunlight, while there may also be species that do well under shade conditions. When searching your yard for suitable spots that receive full sunshine most of the day, keep this in mind as an initial step.
Many flowers, like tulips and daffodils, prefer partial sun conditions while others, such as astilbe and alchemilla, perform best when planted in shaded environments. Be sure to include both types of plants so your flower garden stays looking its best throughout its growing season!
Before planting flowers in any area, clear away all grass or weeds that have established themselves and carefully dig your soil to a depth equivalent to approximately three spade blades, adding plenty of organic matter for improved soil quality and flower blooming.
Soil
Flowers thrive in soil that’s rich with nutrients and drains freely, so to get ready for planting dig over an existing garden space or new bed until you reach spade depth, pulling weeds as you go.
Once you’ve chosen a spot, consider what types of flowers you wish to grow – and ensure they’re hardy enough in your USDA growing zone.
Plan for color by including perennials (peonies, lilies) that bloom throughout their respective seasons (peonies and lilies) along with annuals that bloom consistently from summer to fall, planted together as perennials and annuals respectively. Their repeated shapes (spires spikes daisies) create visual harmony. Use the color wheel as a guide when pairing hues since bright hues tend to dominate while soft ones (blues mauves subdued pinks apricot yellows etc) play supporting roles.
Water
Flower gardens require regular watering. When choosing plants that will thrive in your climate and soil type, as well as choosing locations where water drains off well.
Make sure that your gardens receive adequate sunlight. Many flowers thrive under direct sunlight while those requiring partial shade will succumb to harsh light conditions and produce beautiful results.
Combine annuals and perennials for added season-long color. Annuals bloom, produce seeds, and die all within one growing season while perennials only produce flowers temporarily each year. Annuals also provide more abundant displays of color throughout their growing cycle than perennials do!
If you decide to plant flower seeds or nursery plants, follow the package directions for depth and spacing. Soak seeds before sowing in garden beds; dig up potted plants prior to transplanting into garden beds; do not work soil when too wet as this damages its structure.
Fertilization
When planting your flower garden, it’s essential that you start on the right foot. Begin by prepping your soil by clearing away grass and weeds.
Make sure your flowers get enough sunlight. Most species need full exposure; however, some varieties thrive under partial shade conditions.
With either a hose or sprayer, apply liquid plant food directly into the soil. Take care not to get it on any plant foliage as this could damage it and lead to burnt foliage.
Next, design your garden by considering shape. According to world-renowned Dutch garden designer Piet Oudolf, flowers with similar shapes can help enhance each other and further bolster the overall appearance of your garden. Try pairing spires with spiky tulips or daisies as examples; and don’t forget to clip faded blooms to help give energy back into their foliage!
Pruning
An appealing flower garden requires more than the careful soil preparation and matching of plants with their site; design style also plays a key role. A good rule of thumb for creating visual interest in any design style should be mixing heights, colors and textures of different heights for visual interest. A formal look might include straight rows of beds with wide paths to protect trampled flowers; while natural looks might include irregular clusters of plants with sweeping curves or irregular clumps of plants arranged irregularly around an irregularly shaped path or curves of plants arranged irregularly around sweeping curves for visual interest – while repeat blooming rose shrubs provide structure as well as four season color in four-season color!
To save yourself the work, select perennials with multiple blooming cycles such as heleniums, chrysanthemums and echinacea; choose plants with pleasing scents and remove faded blooms promptly. To add additional colors, consider including annuals such as petunias or geraniums to expand your choices of perennial bloomers.