Beautiful flower gardens require some upkeep in order to remain at their best, regardless of whether they consist of annuals or perennials. Beautiful blooming plants attract passersby while brightening up any yard they adorn. However, keeping flower gardens looking their best requires dedication and hard work on your part.
Before planting your garden soil, prepare it properly and select flowers that require minimal care and upkeep. A color wheel can also help with choosing complementary shades as certain ones clash and others pair perfectly together.
Location
Many popular flowering plants need direct sunlight for optimal growth, so ensure the spot you intend to plant them receives sufficient sun throughout the day before making a decision about where you want to place them. If it doesn’t, try to find another site instead.
Experienced flower garden designers know how to select flowers with staggered bloom times for year-round color. Shrubs provide additional structure and foliage contrast that adds another element of interest in your landscape design.
Before planting, prepare the site by clearing away grass and other weeds while adding plenty of compost to increase soil quality. Furthermore, rake the bed so it will be easier for trimming, fertilizing and treating with garden chemicals.
Numerous perennial and annual flowers prefer loose, well-draining soil; however, this varies by variety. To determine whether amending is needed in your soil, purchase a soil test kit from your garden center to assess pH levels in your garden’s soil; add lime to alkaline levels while sulfur may help acidic ones; aim for 6.5 to 7.2 for ideal results.
Soil
An ideal soil is essential to ensuring the success of any flower garden. An ideal choice would be one rich with organic matter, as this helps with water retention and nutrient levels. Sandy or dry conditions could kill flowers.
Add organic materials such as compost, manure or sphagnum peat to the mix if you desire. It is up to you whether to include peat harvesting as some believe that harvesting can damage the environment.
For maximum color, plant an array of annuals and perennial flowers together for four-season interest. Don’t forget shrubs for structure and height! Native species over exotics also support bees, butterflies and other pollinators while being hardier, low maintenance options that offer more color than Fancy hybrids. When adding winter interest consider including some fruiting shrubs – mixing heights, colors and textures creates more visually appealing landscapes than regimented rows!
Sunlight
Select a location for your flower garden that receives sufficient sunlight. Most blooms thrive under direct sunlight; planting them somewhere that doesn’t provide enough sun may result in less blooms being produced or an unattractive appearance.
Strive to get at least six hours of direct sunlight each day in your chosen location. Otherwise, additional irrigation may be needed and root rot may develop over time.
Donna Hackman, retired landscape designer and author of Furrow & Flour suggests creating a pathway around your flower garden for easier navigation, trimming, watering and fertilizing your plants without accidentally treading on them – it also looks more appealing!
When designing your flower garden, pay careful consideration to both color and shape. Repetition of key shapes (spires, bells and umbels) provides visual continuity; colors next to one another on the color wheel look harmonious together according to gardening expert Moly E. Williams; she suggests using an assortment of annuals and perennials for maximum bloom power.
Water
For easy garden maintenance, position flowerbeds near a water faucet or garden hose to avoid overwatering which can harm delicate stems. A watering can or hose attachment on your faucet should make rehydrating the soil as needed easier without disturbing root systems.
Ideally, when planting perennials it is best to select an area which receives six to eight hours of direct sunlight daily. Full sun flowers require full exposure while partial sunlight varieties become leggy quickly in harsh light environments.
At planting time, prepare your soil by adding an organic matter layer and an all-purpose balanced fertilizer. Never work wet soil as this damages its texture and structure. When selecting bloom colors using a color wheel to identify analogous and complementary hues. These hues complement each other and help guide visitors around your garden easily. For easier pruning work reduce pruning efforts by planting in drifts rather than single plants so bees can find what they need for pollination purposes.