Flower gardens can add great curb appeal to any home. Before beginning to plant however, be sure to check for underground utility lines and prepare the soil properly before doing so.
Pick perennial and annual flowers with differing bloom times to enjoy color throughout the season, and consider flower shapes to create an appealing design.
Location
Location is one of the key components to consider when creating a flower garden. Make sure your chosen location receives ample sunlight throughout most of the day and allows access to water sources easily.
Flowers typically thrive in soil that drains well, so when choosing your flowerbed location it’s best to choose an area where standing water collects after rainstorms or during spring thaw. Mixing your soil with materials like mulch, compost, sand and volcanic rocks such as pumice or perlite can further aid drainage and promote proper drainage in the bed.
As much as possible, try to plant away from large trees where their roots could compete for water and nutrients, robbing your flowers of necessary moisture and nourishment. Be familiar with your area’s frost dates so you know when it is safe to sow seeds or transplant seedlings or established plants into new locations. Also make sure that any chosen spot can easily accommodate watering the flowers without compacting soil beds too much!
Soil
Soil requirements for flower gardens depend on what plants you wish to grow and their specific conditions, while selecting a location with at least six hours of direct sunlight daily – especially for blooming flowers such as sunflowers that require full sun.
Most flowers prefer a loamy, well-draining soil that’s rich in organic material and essential nutrients. Conducting a soil test will allow you to determine exactly which qualities make up your soil; once frost risks have passed you can plant seeds as soon as the time has come!
Use a combination of perennials and annuals for season-long color, with most perennial flowers blooming in spring while most annuals starting to flower during the summer and continuing through fall. Once you have chosen your plants, create a planting map to locate taller ones in the back while shorter ones in front. After that it’s time to “make your bed.” A shovel, dirt rake and trowel are excellent tools for loosening soil around each plant while making holes for each one – these tools also serve to loosen and make holes as you dig holes for every plant that comes into being!
Planting
An elegant flower garden requires more than planting and watering alone: its success requires careful soil preparation and ongoing upkeep.
As part of creating a beautiful flower garden, the first step should be selecting its location. Once that has been decided upon, select your flowers from seed or transplants – either perennials for long-term returns and four-season interest or short-lived annuals and shrubs with four-season interest can all be included in the selection process.
Next, prepare the soil by clearing away grass and tilling to break up clumps of dirt. Dig the bed at least to a spade’s depth, making sure all weeds have been eliminated. Plant tallest plants first then gradually move outward so you can observe each one as you pass by them; seed packets often provide instructions for growing; transplant or in-ground bloom plant tags may provide similar details.
Care
Flower Gardens add beauty and charm to any outdoor space, be it perennials for repeat blooms or annuals for quick colour changes. Learning how to start a flower garden from scratch will enable you to realize your vision of an outdoor space filled with colourful and fragrant blooms all summer long.
Choose a sunny spot for your garden bed. Flowers that require direct sunlight often struggle in areas with little direct sun exposure; to gauge this accurately, take note of how much light is being received on an average day by tracking its trajectory through various days and locations. If flowers that require full sun have died out or leggy growth is found instead, chances are it was planted incorrectly and must move.
Prepare the planting site by clearing away grass and roots with a shovel and using a till to break up the soil, until it resembles fine breadcrumbs. Place larger varieties to their respective depth in their pots before watering thoroughly to settle the soil and give your plants an initial boost of nutrition.