Flowering plants captivate us. Perennials bloom year-after-year while annuals provide quick bursts of colorful beauty.
Plant selection should be enjoyable. When selecting flowers, be mindful of sun and maintenance needs as well as grouping them according to needs; such as grouping water-wise plants together with drought-tolerant ones.
Choosing Your Plants
As you choose the location and size of your flower bed, take into account which plants require full sun or partial shade; those requiring full sun should be planted at the forefront while those preferring shade should go towards the back.
Once you know the size and shape of your bed, choose plants based on color, bloom time, show-stopping focal points and bonus attributes such as fragrance or whether they attract butterflies or hummingbirds. Don’t forget to include perennials, annuals and shrubs for year-round interest as well as factors unique to your yard like USDA growing zones and sun requirements – and include perennials in all combinations!
When choosing your plants, look out for any with holes, sticky leaves or wilting foliage. Additionally, inspecting the soil prior to purchasing is vital; hard or clay-like conditions should be amended before planting begins. When digging begins, prepare an area of loose, well-draining soil using a light spade depth as the foundation.
Soil
At first, establishing a flower garden requires hard work. Therefore, it’s wise to have several tools at your disposal – shovel, garden rake and trowel would come in handy to dig out existing grass and weeds, loosen the soil, add compost or well rotted manure as well as prepare the bed for planting.
Flowers typically thrive in rich, loamy soil with good drainage. If the soil in your garden is sandy or heavy clay, amend it by adding compost and organic material such as mulch to increase texture and drainage. Conducting a soil test is also highly recommended; this will determine how much fertilizer to apply.
Plan an array of annual and perennial flowers to provide season-long color, from annuals that bloom and die after one growing season, such as petunias or geraniums, to more established perennial varieties that come back year after year. Add fast-growing annuals like petunias or geraniums as fast-growers will give the perennials some relief from seed production.
Watering
Once you’ve planted flowers, ensure they receive sufficient water. Aim to water either early morning or late afternoon as more moisture will evaporize during the heat of the day and runoff can occur more easily than soak into the soil evenly.
Be mindful of height and spread when selecting plants for your garden; taller flowers should go at the back while smaller shrubs and ground covers should occupy front space. A color wheel can help with choosing hues. Also keep height and spread considerations in mind: taller plants should go towards the back while smaller shrubs and ground covers can go at front for added visual interest.
Choose perennials over annuals to create a low-maintenance flower garden that returns year after year, including native varieties for bee-, butterfly- and hummingbird-friendly planting. Don’t forget the evergreens as structures for privacy, shelter and structure!
Pruning
No matter if it is seeds, seedlings, or cuttings that you are planting – all flowers require holes for them to flourish in. When watering your flower bed it should absorb any surplus rather than flow off and cause erosion.
An ideal time for starting a flower garden is during spring or fall, prior to your area experiencing its first and last frosts, ensuring the plants are fully protected against cold and heat that could harm or kill them.
Before embarking on your gardening endeavor, become acquainted with your USDA growing zone and which species of flowers thrive there. It’s also helpful to have an idea of your climate; many flowers cannot tolerate extremes in temperature or cold. Finally, be mindful of maintenance requirements; plant like-minded flowers together (drought-tolerant varieties can go with drought-sensitive ones), mixing in foliage that will remain interesting when blooms have died away – this way your four-season garden will provide four unique seasons of interest!