Before planting a flower garden, take time to carefully consider its location, soil and other aspects that will ensure its success. Doing this will save money in the long run while guaranteeing that your blooms flourish as planned.
One way to add consistent color throughout the year is with perennials. Each perennial has a specific time of blooming – for instance, peonies bloom late spring while mums flourish throughout summer.
Location
Flower gardens are more than mere gardens; they’re part of your landscape! As such, it’s crucial that they find their place within its surroundings for maximum success – be it an elaborate formal design or something smaller and more eclectic. The location can make or break its success!
Before beginning any landscaping project, take time to examine your location thoroughly and ensure it fits your needs. Pay particular attention to sunlight patterns, soil type, water availability and more when selecting a location for planting a garden.
Once you have assessed the area, select a site which will enable the highest possible growth of flowering plants. A south-facing yard receiving six hours or more of sunlight would likely be ideal.
Once you’ve located an ideal space, it’s time to create your design. Consider color, height, texture, and balance when planning your flower beds – plant taller plants in the back while shorter ones fill out your front rows for balance and variety. Also consider planting seasonal bloomers to provide a colorful display throughout the season.
Soil
Planting a flower garden can be an exciting, satisfying endeavor for novice or veteran gardeners alike, but before beginning, there are some key considerations about your soil that could ensure optimal results.
Good soil helps plants thrive by anchoring them, providing water and providing nutrients. For maximum performance, look for dark-hued, high humus soils.
Before planting flowers in your soil, it is essential to conduct an acidity/alkalinity test in order to assess its pH value, which will ultimately dictate which varieties can flourish there. Some flowers thrive best in acidic environments while others need neutral or alkaline environments.
Once you’ve identified your soil type, the next step should be digging a hole a 12-18 inches deep for annuals or perennials respectively.
Once you’ve dug a hole, fill it with Miracle-Gro Garden Soil for Flowers. This in-ground soil is specially pH adjusted to ensure optimal nutrient absorption resulting in more blooms and larger plants as well as moisture control to avoid overwatering issues.
Digging
When creating a new flower bed, the best tools are shovels or spades with rounded tips; however, for difficult soil, garden forks or trowels may also come in handy.
To prep the soil for planting, spread 2 to 3 inches of compost over it with your shovel and work it in, providing essential nutrients and encouraging healthy plant growth.
An effective strategy for maintaining the newly dug bed is adding plenty of mulch. Mulch can help inhibit weeds from sprouting while simultaneously conserving water and avoiding evaporation.
Plant disease-resistant flowers to deter pests and diseases such as mildew or rust, as well as pollen-rich flowers that will attract beneficial insects like ladybugs, dragonflies, mantises and hoverflies.
Planting
Plan ahead when planting flowers suitable to your climate if you want your window box, container garden or flower bed to thrive and save both time and money in the long run. Doing this will save both effort and resources over time.
As part of your research, study bloom time, size and color characteristics as well as any added bonuses such as fragrance or butterfly attraction of plants you wish to include in your garden, according to Dan Cowan from the Garden Center at University of Florida. Lastly, choose flowers suitable for your region’s climate conditions such as sunlight availability and watering needs, according to him.
Mix heights, sizes, colors, and textures to create a more interesting landscape than rows of plants. Place taller plants near the back while smaller ones should be put closer to the front of a garden.