Create a flower garden to bring vibrant hues into your landscape. Select flowers that thrive in your USDA growing zone and are compatible with soil conditions at home.
Consider planting both annuals and perennials together for maximum color year-round. Stagger bloom times so that when some plants fade, others are ready to step in.
Location
Your goal and size of space should determine where you put your flower garden. For optimal success, your garden should receive at least 6-8 hours of direct sunlight every day; make sure access to watering and mowing is easy too.
Gain knowledge of your USDA growing zone to identify which plants will flourish in your yard and when to plant them. When planting from seeds, read and follow the directions on their seed packets as to how deep and far apart each seed should be planted; when purchasing nursery plants from a nursery store, read through each label for similar instructions.
Experienced flower garden designers design gardens to provide year-round interest, with staggered bloom times so that flowers are always in bloom. For instance, use perennials for spring and summer blooms while colorful annuals take over in fall. Incorporating shrubs that provide winter structure or fruit, or foliage plants with unique colors and shapes as visual interest when flowers aren’t blooming is another effective strategy.
Soil
Flower gardens can add tremendous curb appeal and draw pollinators into your yard, as well as increase its beauty. However, for optimal success it requires proper soil.
Flowers typically flourish best in soil that drains well and contains plenty of organic matter. You should conduct a soil test prior to planting flowers, and amend as necessary if needed.
Soil can generally be divided into three types – sand, clay and silt – with sandy loam soil often providing optimal conditions for flower cultivation. This type of soil allows sufficient air circulation whilst still retaining enough moisture to support healthy roots.
As rocks, manmade waste and decaying wood can block the flow of nutrients and moisture to roots, choosing screened soil is ideal as this allows plants to easily establish roots while receiving nourishment; plus the sifting process guarantees there’s enough oxygen present for their roots to flourish.
Water
Flower gardens need the appropriate amount of water in order to remain thriving, which means its best placement should be near a water source such as a hose or rain gutter in order to easily water their flowers and keep them well hydrated.
An attractive flower garden begins with soil that’s rich and fertile. At planting time, boost its quality with an all-purpose balanced fertilizer and layer of organic material; avoid working wet soil as this compromises its structure and may harm new plant roots.
As you prepare to plant, learn about each flower’s maintenance requirements. Group plants with similar requirements together – drought-tolerant perennials should go with moisture-loving varieties, while shade-lovers like hosta and heuchera go well together. Flowers whose colors complement one another such as shades of the same hue (like purple and yellow ), as well as when juxtaposed across from one another on the color wheel like purple and yellow (for example). Foliage will add structure and add needed texture once blooms have faded
Fertilizer
Flower gardens require regular fertilization to foster plant health and encourage blooming season success. Aim to add balanced fertilizers at planting time and once buds start forming. Granular feeds like bone meal are ideal for providing sustained levels of food throughout the growing season while liquid feeds mixed with water are great options to provide fast boosts of nutrition for immediate blooming success.
If your flower garden is part of an overall landscape design, when planning its color scheme take bloom times into account when designing the overall scheme. Plan for flowers that bloom at different times so when one set dies off another will have just begun to come alive again. Also take into consideration which plants and foliage types you want to include so when blooms have gone the plants provide pleasing structural backgrounds; repeating shapes or colors add visual unity.