Flower gardens are an effective way to add color to your yard. By planting perennials and annuals, perennial gardens can impress visitors as well as bring seasonal beauty right into the home.
Familiarize yourself with your USDA planting zone to select flowers suitable for your garden. Also important is prepping the soil by clearing away grass, weeds and debris while adding compost amendments to improve its quality.
Location
Flower gardens add visual interest and attract pollinators, but getting started may seem daunting for beginners. Where should the beds go, and which varieties should you grow and arrange them in order to maximize beauty?
At the core of any successful flower garden is selecting an ideal location. Watch how the sun travels across your yard throughout the day to determine whether your plants receive sufficient light – full sun varieties may quickly wither in shaded beds while full shade varieties might thrive under harsher lighting.
As most flowering plants require regular access to moisture, your site must also include access to water. Take note of how it drains – any pools left after rain or irrigation could indicate poorly draining soil conditions that hinder flower growth while increasing susceptibility to disease.
Soil
Flower gardens depend on proper soil to thrive. Flowers flourish best when grown in loose, well-draining soil that’s rich with organic matter; adding compost before planting further enhances this environment. If planting seeds, check your seed packet for recommendations regarding depth; generally they need only be covered 1/4 inch (0.6 cm). When transplanting or potted plants are involved, please refer to their tags for watering requirements and sunlight requirements.
Planning a flower garden requires designing beds with wide walkways and access aisles that make reaching and maintaining plants easy. Define the boundaries of each bed with garden edging or rocks to prevent grass or weeds from invading, then add interest by including features like trellises, birdbaths or seating areas into your plan. Keep paths between flower beds wide to reduce trip hazards while protecting flowers from being crushed during maintenance activities.
Sunlight
Flower gardens should be situated in full sun. Many perennial plants need at least six hours of daily direct sunlight in order to thrive; those in shaded garden beds will quickly succumb. Annuals planted there could become damaged from harsh lighting conditions.
If your full sun space is limited, divide up your beds into smaller sections in order to accommodate various flowering plants that need similar conditions in terms of water and sun exposure. Group plants together that require similar care.
Designing a flower garden requires creating an array of shapes, colors and textures. Acclaimed Dutch garden designer Piet Oudolf advises using plant forms like spires, feathery plumes, daisies, bellflowers and umbels in combination with each other to produce an eye-catching display all year round. Also try mixing heights, sizes and colors of plants for additional movement and drama in your landscape design.
Water
Watering a garden properly requires plenty of it; for optimal results, watering should occur in the early morning or evening when temperatures are cooler to allow the flowers to absorb it more effectively.
Plant a mix of colors and heights for visual interest, including perennials and annuals with blooming periods throughout the season. Native plants tend to require less maintenance and be hardery than exotic varieties, offering bee, butterfly, and hummingbird friendly habitats.
Begin by selecting the plants you wish to grow and creating a planting map. Establish the bloom times, heights and sun requirements of each. Group plants with similar care needs together – for instance plants requiring similar amounts of light or moisture. Once complete, select containers suitable for hosting all of the intended plantings; lightweight material will keep them from becoming too heavy when filled with soil and plants.