Flower gardens are one of the easiest and simplest ways to transform your yard and impress neighbors. Perennials will stay beautiful year after year while annual blooms bring color quickly.
Before selecting a location for your flower beds, ensure it receives at least 6 hours of sun each day and that it won’t get in the way of regular lawn activities (no one wants trampled blooms!).
Pay careful consideration to the shapes of your plants when selecting them for planting together; doing so can create a pleasing symmetry that will draw out its best features.
Soil
Start building the quality of your flower garden from its core – its soil. Most vegetables and flowers thrive best in nutrient-rich loam soil that contains both silt and sand in equal parts – loam can often be purchased at garden centers.
Mulch material such as bark or wood chips helps suppress weed growth while keeping soil moist, as well as protecting new plants’ roots from extreme temperatures or cold.
Before planting, to prepare the soil for planting, dig or till it 2-4″ deep to loosen and soften it for new plants to penetrate more easily into the ground. Add organic material like leaves, compost or manure as needed for added texture in order to improve its structure.
Sunlight
Flower gardens add color and dimension to a landscape while providing pollinators with shelter. Proper preparation is crucial in order to ensure your flowers thrive, whether starting from scratch or renovating existing beds.
Start by noting how much sunlight or shade your site receives; typically speaking, more sun exposure means greater opportunities for flower-producing plants to flourish.
Cowan advises experimenting with various flowers and colors until you discover those which best complement and thrive in your environment. Also take into consideration their shapes; for instance, tall and graceful sunflowers or cosmos would benefit from having tall plants like spires or plumes planted alongside shorter blooming ones, such as buttons daisies and umbels providing a natural screen effect.
Water
No matter the species of flower garden plants that you grow – perennials, annuals or bulbs – it must be watered on a regular basis to stay beautiful. Watering should take place early morning so the foliage has time to dry before nightfall and prevent fungal diseases from arising.
Before beginning your flower garden project, ensure you understand its planting zone and frost dates; these will determine which flowers can thrive where in your yard. Next, prepare the soil by digging your flower bed deep enough so it reaches a minimum spade’s depth; loosening surface soil by digging down to at least this depth while clearing away rocks, roots, and weeds as necessary.
A layer of well-rotted manure or garden compost can significantly enhance the quality of your flower bed by adding vital nutrients to its soil. When planting seedlings or plants, remember not to pack down too tightly on top of this layer – looser soil allows for deeper root development and greater moisture absorption by plants.
Fertilization
As exciting as it is to watch flower seeds you planted over winter sprout, the first step to creating an exquisite garden begins by preparing its soil. Whether buying seedlings, cut flowers or planting bulbs – creating beautiful gardens begins here!
Digging a flower bed is an essential step that breaks up existing soil into fine particles that can be readily absorbed by plants’ roots, while simultaneously levelling the bed so watering liquid can more readily soak into flowers rather than running off to either side of the bed.
Manure or compost may help improve soil conditions and add necessary nutrients, but do it at least one week before planting so as to prevent shock to your plants. You could also use natural stones to create an elegant pathway through flower gardens – this both looks good and helps pollinators find their way around!
Pruning
Pruning plants regularly is necessary to keeping them looking their best. Remove weeds and diseased areas, deadhead spent flowers, and cut back perennial plants at the end of each growing season.
Select plants suitable to your climate zone and soil conditions, taking note of how each nursery potted plant performs before planting them out to get an idea of its performance in your garden.
Create a walkway through your flower garden to encourage visitors to stroll among its blooms and enjoy the view. A gravel path makes a striking statement in any landscape, while natural stones sunk into mulch or lawn create charming winding paths and protect plants from being trampled on by foot and mower blades.