Flower gardens add beauty and fragrance to any yard, but for them to truly flourish it’s crucial that you understand which species thrive in your climate zone and how best to prepare the soil.
Locate a spot with full sun for your flower garden. Flowering plants thrive best under direct sunlight conditions.
Choose Your Plants
Flower gardens are an effective way to add vibrant splashes of color and vibrancy to any landscape. Perennial blooms will dazzle year after year while annuals provide seasonal bursts that stop passersby in their tracks.
An effective flower garden begins with solid soil preparation. When starting from scratch or amending existing beds, start by digging to at least the depth of a spade’s blade, forking well-rotted manure or compost into the soil, then levelling and leveling again before forking it level again once frost danger has passed.
Choose flowers suitable to your growing zone. While many prefer sunny locations, shaded locations also have many flower choices like caladiums, impatiens, pansies and petunias that you could add. Easy-care shrubs such as lilyturf, distylium or nandina can add structure as well as four-season interest while adding grasses and deciduous trees can further anchor and provide texture contrast in the flower garden.
Pick Your Location
No matter if it’s in a window box, raised bed, or your whole yard – finding the ideal spot is crucial to creating a successful flower garden. Look for areas which receive at least six hours of direct sunlight daily in order for flowers to flourish and bloom properly.
Make yourself familiar with your USDA growing zone to ensure that you plant flowers that will flourish and survive in your climate. Knowing when the first and last frost dates are will enable you to properly time when to plant them.
If you don’t have time to tend to perennial gardens, annuals provide quick color and easy maintenance. Perennials add year-round interest by stagger their bloom times for an ongoing display of color throughout the season. Include native flowers as they will likely attract bees, butterflies and hummingbirds and provide food during their breeding seasons.
Prepare the Soil
No matter if you’re starting from scratch or expanding an existing flower garden, soil preparation is of utmost importance. Most flowers flourish best in loamy, well-draining soil; conducting a soil test will let you know exactly which amendments may be needed for optimal success.
Starting a flower garden requires planting only after all risk of frost has passed and without compacting soil too heavily; otherwise it could restrict plant roots from spreading freely and make growth slower than intended. If possible, try not to walk on your bed as this compacts soil further and prevents plants from developing their roots fully.
Selecting an assortment of annuals and perennials is key to keeping your flower garden blooming all season. Petunias, geraniums and pansies are easy to care for and provide short-lived color bursts while dahlias, zinnias and other perennials will come back year after year – make sure faded blooms are removed to encourage their energy towards foliage and winter survival. Repeated shapes and colors also contribute towards creating an appealing aesthetic in your flower garden.
Plant Your Flowers
Once your flowers are in, water them on an ongoing basis to ensure the best blooming results. Flowers require regular irrigation when growing for the first time or the weather becomes very warm; larger gardens or those planting perennial flowers (which tend to last) may require daily watering sessions in order to look their best.
Be wary of weeds as well, since they rob your blooms of nutrients and space they require to thrive. If weeds appear, pull them right away to stop their takeover of your garden – they are also unsightly and may reduce its visual appeal.