No matter if you’re planting from seeds or purchasing plants from a garden center, several considerations must be kept in mind when planting flowers or transplanting plants. First and foremost is knowing your climate zone so as to select plants which will thrive there.
Consider working the soil when it is dry as this will improve its texture and make it more suitable for plant roots.
Identify Your Site
As with any form of gardening, whether your goal is cutting flowers for bouquets or simply to beautify your garden, understanding their needs is essential to success. Take a close look at their plant tags or seed packets when purchasing transplants or seeds so you know about flower height, sun/shade requirements as well as watering/fertilizer needs.
Experienced flower garden designers typically utilize a mixture of perennials that thrive year after year and annuals that provide color throughout the season, to ensure that spring or summer won’t leave their garden barren, while providing visual interest even after flowers have wilted.
An unbreakable rule for flower gardens is to choose soil with good drainage and plenty of organic matter, and avoid situating them where standing water remains after rainfall or during spring thaw – this will prevent root rot.
Choose the Right Plants
Flower gardens add color, scent and beauty to a landscape. Their visual appeal depends on many factors – including proper site selection and preparation as well as matching flowers with their environment. Beautiful blooms require consistent water and nutrition sources. If you’re uncertain whether your soil is ready for planting, try working the surface of it with a rake; if it clumps together and doesn’t crumble easily then more organic material needs to be added into the mix.
Once you understand the conditions of your site, selecting flower varieties that will thrive can be easy. When selecting perennials and annuals to plant in your garden, choose perennials with staggered bloom times as well as annuals with seasonal color – and don’t forget the foliage which will remain long after any flowers have faded! When matching maintenance requirements to flower types it helps too – drought-resistant flowers often work well alongside low water users while moist-lovers suit both.
Prepare the Soil
Soil preparation can make all the difference when starting or expanding an existing flower garden. Dig over it to a depth of two spades and remove all weeds before amending with well-rotted manure or garden compost and forking it in while raking the surface until ready for planting.
Get to Know Your Zone
Know the USDA growing zone for your region to ensure the flowers you select can survive in it. Familiarize yourself with first and last frost dates in your area for optimal planning purposes.
Pick perennial flowers like peonies, lilies and tulips to add an ever-evolving layer of color throughout each season – as well as easy annuals like impatiens marigolds and zinnias that bloom quickly all summer – along with annuals that bloom quickly (impatiens marigolds and zinnias are great options!). To extend this all year round appeal add flowering shrubs with colorful bark or twisty shapes like evergreens for four season interest – repeating plants colors or shapes throughout a garden gives it continuity while giving it continuity as a sense of design.
Planting
From window boxes to flower beds along the house, colorful gardens add visual interest. No matter if it’s just one bed or an expansion project, choosing the appropriate plants and taking the time to prep the site properly can ensure a long season of flowers blooming beautifully.
Maintenance requirements for flower gardens depend on their variety and your level of gardening expertise, but at minimum you’ll need to regularly water, remove weeds, and deadhead blooms.
Always choose native perennials and shrubs when planting to attract birds and wildlife, since these species tend to be hardier and require less care than exotic flowers. Color coordination is also key; plants near each other on the color wheel, like pink and red hues, look best together. Foliage provides color when flowers die out as well.