Establishing a new flower garden from scratch requires some forethought. You should carefully consider each of your plants’ requirements for light, soil type and watering needs before beginning this task.
Flowering plants typically thrive when exposed to full sun exposure for six or more hours each day. You should also know your planting zone in order to choose perennials which will thrive in your climate.
Prepare the Soil
An excellent flower garden begins with properly prepared soil. Before planting, clear away weeds, rocks and debris from the area before loosening it with a shovel or spade while adding compost or organic material such as manure to loosen it further.
Most flowers thrive in loamy soil with good drainage. A soil test will help determine which amendments would best benefit your particular planting situation.
Before creating a new flower bed, be sure to do a careful investigation for buried utility lines. Most areas provide phone numbers to call in order to locate these lines.
If you’re planting perennial or annual flower gardens, make sure they receive at least six to eight hours of direct sunlight each day to allow their flowers to flourish and avoid disease or wilting. Also try selecting an area away from tree roots that could compete for water and nutrients and consider frost zones in your region as it’s important that plants chosen can withstand local climate. Finally, locate any potential frost zones. Knowing your first and last frost dates ensures your selections can survive the climate.
Choose Your Plants
Flowers make your garden beautiful, so selecting the appropriate plants is crucial to its success. Perennials bloom during spring and summer while annuals add color from summer through fall.
Full sun is best for flowering plants, so ensure the area in your yard where you intend to plant receives at least 6 hours of direct sunlight daily. If it doesn’t, still create a garden of sorts – you may just have to settle on shade-tolerant varieties instead!
If you’re in search of an easy flower garden, start with repeat-blooming perennials like lilies, iris, roses and astilbe. Or add in shrubs like easy-to-grow roses and twisty evergreens that add structure and four-season interest. Mixing heights and colors will create more of an organic effect in your design; world-renowned Dutch garden designer Piet Oudolf advocates pairing plants based on shape for optimal design results.
Plant Your Flowers
Many flowering plants are easy to cultivate from seeds or transplants purchased at a garden center, provided you follow their label’s growing instructions closely. Most blooms require loose soil with plenty of organic matter for proper development.
Consider carefully where to locate your flower garden. Make sure the planting area receives full sun throughout the day, taking note of how sunlight moves across its space from day to day.
Combine perennials and annuals for all-season blooming. Staggered bloom times ensure that perennial flowers remain looking vibrant while colorful annuals fill any voids created by faded perennial flowers. You could also consider including some shrubs such as Heucherellas or Cleome for foliage color and structure, providing extra blooms!
Once flowers are planted, provide regular watering and fertilization as indicated on their plant tags or seed packet instructions. Check regularly for signs of weeds to pull before they take root, remove any dead blossoms and trim back spent blooms so as to encourage energy into growth and reblooming of blossoms.
Care for Your Flowers
Flowering plants require regular care with respect to both watering and fertilizer application, according to their plant tag or seed packet information. A full-sun perennial will wither away in an shade garden while hydrangeas rely on consistent moisture levels and rich soil conditions in order to thrive.
Choose flowers that complement each other for maximum impact, combining color and texture to add visual interest throughout your landscape. Consider combining annuals, perennials and shrubs together for four-season color.
Use the color wheel as a tool for guidance, remembering that brighter hues tend to catch our eye while soft colors (blues, lavenders, mauves and subdued pinks) fade into the background. Remember also that foliage plays an integral part of a landscape design by adding variety with leaf shapes and textures that add contrast and interest among your flowers.