No matter if you are starting from seeds or buying established plants, the first step to creating your garden should always be prepping its location. This involves clearing away grass, weeds and debris from its bed.
Select an area with plenty of direct sunlight; gardens that receive full morning sun while receiving some afternoon shade are optimal.
Know Your Soil
If you have decided to undertake the challenge of starting a flower garden, be sure that the flowers chosen match both soil and light conditions in your yard. It is also wise to check your local growing zone to familiarize yourself with first and last frost dates so you know when best to plant your blooms.
Soil is at the core of any garden and cultivating healthy soil will result in beautiful and productive crops. Knowing whether your garden contains sandy, rocky or clay type soil will allow you to determine how best to build up its organic foundation.
As soon as you’re ready to create your new flower bed, begin by clearing away grass, weeds and debris before tilling to break up the dirt. This will prepare the soil for adding nutrients through compost and other sources later during planting process. Additionally, when handling wet soil avoid digging.
Know Your Plants
If you want to grow your own flowers, it’s essential that you know their requirements. Perennials such as lush hydrangeas and daisies benefit from full sun exposure; annuals like zinnias and impatiens perform better under partial shade conditions. When growing flowers for cutting purposes such as lilies and chrysanthemums can thrive without constant water.
Color should also be taken into consideration, with adjacent colors (like pink and purple) working best together; those opposite each other on the color wheel (such as blue and yellow) tending to clash more. Foliage adds texture and depth to a flower garden as well.
Add shrubs to the flower garden for structure, four-season interest and more room for flowers. Evergreens with colorful fall foliage can also make great additions, while adding structures like pergolas or trellises will help your garden feel more cohesive.
Know Your Space
As with any design project, having a clear idea of your desired results before beginning is of vital importance when planting a flower garden. A plan will ensure you make the most out of your space while meeting all your desired aesthetic criteria such as having enough flowers in terms of colors and textures that complement the landscape as well as an adequate quantity.
Start by choosing a focal point for your flower garden. It could be anything from an impressive grouping of plants to an area where you want an accent of color or simply something interesting in shape or structure.
Light exposure should also be given close consideration, since different species of flowers require differing amounts of direct sun. Also be familiar with your USDA growing zone as this will determine which flowers can be planted in your backyard.
Know Your Budget
Prior to embarking on any gardening endeavor, be it large or small, it’s vitally important that you understand your budget. A garden with good intentions can quickly go off track without proper management and budget consideration, so ensure that you work within it early and often.
Remove any grass in the area where your flower garden will be created to prepare the soil and enhance its overall quality, as this will enable planting to occur more successfully and be rich in nutrients. If needed, add additional commercial topsoil layers for added depth to provide optimal care to your flowers.
Acquaint yourself with your USDA growing zone so you’re choosing flowers suited to the temperatures in your yard, and remember the first year won’t bring instantaneous results; be patient and work within your limitations.