Plant a flower garden to bring color into your landscape. Select annuals and perennials that bloom throughout summer for maximum impact.
Stick with flowers native to your USDA hardiness zone; these plants will adapt more easily to local conditions and are likely to thrive. Choose a sunny location; sunlight plays an integral part in flower care.
Location
Location for your flower garden depends heavily upon its type and size, with sunlight being of primary concern as most varieties need at least six hours of direct sun each day to produce optimal blooms.
Create an aesthetically pleasing garden by selecting plants suited for your climate zone and selecting those which thrive there.
Once you’ve selected your plants, draft a landscape plan. Take into account bloom time, foliage color and size as well as any special attributes like fragrance or whether your plants attract butterflies and hummingbirds. Aim for a balanced garden that incorporates perennials for year-round color as well as annuals as fillers; consider each plant’s maintenance requirements carefully so they complement one another: drought-tolerant flowers go nicely with water-wise ones if applicable, etc. Prepare the soil by digging deeply before adding organic material such as compost to it before making plans to plant!
Soil
Flower gardens require healthy soil. Loosen the existing soil to a depth of at least 8 inches and mix in plenty of organic matter for added nourishment, as this will provide your blooms with essential nourishment.
Plan and plant according to when flowers will naturally flower for an exquisite and colorful garden that features perennial blooms like lilies and peonies as well as annuals blooming constantly. This will ensure a full bouquet every time they emerge – be they perennials like lilies and peonies or vibrant annuals.
Consider both the height and spread of your flowers when designing their arrangement, which will allow you to determine how much space to leave between each one and which kind of path to create to keep everything looking neat and tidy.
Make sure to include foliage and filler plants that will hide unsightly items in your yard, such as electrical boxes, HVAC units or trash cans. Incorporating curved lines rather than straight ones in flower beds as these will lead the eye around the landscape more naturally.
Digging
Flower beds can take any shape or size imaginable and construction. Common examples include rectangular ones beneath windows or long rows lining front entryway walkways as well as organically-shaped areas nestled into corners of properties.
Before beginning to dig, become familiar with the USDA growing zone in your area and focus on choosing plants that will flourish there. Also note the first and last frost dates so as to know when you should plant.
Your flower garden soil should be loose and crumbly when squeezed between your fingers. If the soil is too dense, amend it by mixing well-rotted manure and compost into it; this will improve drainage while improving structure. It is wise to dig your beds a week ahead so that these amendments have time to break down into the soil structure.
Planting
Flowers thrive in sunlight, and one way to make their blooming easier is with garden beds. These beds come in all forms: long beds along a front entrance walkway, rectangular beds under windows or circular ones in the center of a yard.
Get soil that’s rich in organic matter. If the plants you intend on growing require additional nutrition, amend the soil with compost or manure before digging your planting area. For potted flowers, select loamy soil that drains quickly.
Check your USDA growing zone to identify which plants thrive in your area, avoiding flowers that cannot tolerate your climate as they may not return next year. Plan for season-long color by including annuals – these flowers provide quick, easy and inexpensive blooms in your garden! Lastly, when choosing colors keep the color wheel in mind: vivid hues tend to stand out, while soft ones such as blues, lavenders, mauves, subdued pinks and apricot yellows tend to recede further back.