Flowers need regular watering and nutrition in order to thrive, no matter if they come from seeds or purchased as plants. Be sure that the requirements of your flower garden meet its location, soil type and other considerations.
Plan four-season color by pairing perennials and blooming annuals together, such as perennial roses with annual feverfew bloomers that have consistent bloom times. Focal flowers (like roses) pair perfectly with filler flowers ( such as feverfew). Select flowers with predictable bloom times when choosing flowers for four-season blooming color.
Location
At the core of creating any successful flower garden is selecting an accessible location. You must ensure easy weeding, fertilization, and watering without disrupting or uprooting your blooms. In addition, make sure the soil drains well; poor drainage is one of the key causes of plant mortality.
Light is another factor, as most flowers need at least six hours of direct sunlight in order to bloom. Make sure your space receives sufficient amounts of light; otherwise consider creating a shade garden using plants like Heuchera and Hosta.
Familiarizing yourself with your USDA growing zone will allow you to select flowers which thrive in your location and understand when is best to plant them. Also be sure to research when the last frost date in your region occurs to help set an accurate planting schedule.
Soil
As with any garden, soil is the foundation for success in any flower garden. A sunny site provides optimal conditions for blooms to flourish at their full potential. Before digging begins, observe the area at different points during the day to gauge how much direct sunlight there is; generally speaking, your flower bed should receive at least six hours per day of direct sun.
Soil is an ever-evolving mixture of minerals, water, air and organic matter that’s constantly shifting and changing. Five major factors contribute to its formation – climate, organisms, relief (landscape), parent material and time are the ones most responsible.
Planting
Flower cultivation is an intoxicating journey. From selecting seeds to watching them bloom, cultivating flowers is an incredible way to add beauty and value to your home and environment while supporting pollinators biodiversity.
As the first step to starting a flower garden, selecting its location is of primary importance. From window boxes and raised beds in your yard, to areas surrounded by fences that receive at least six hours of direct sunlight per day – select an area where there will be plenty of direct sun.
Once your site has been selected, begin prepping the soil by clearing away any grassy areas and loosening 6-8 inches of top soil using a shovel or rake before amending with well-rotted manure and compost. Always avoid working wet soil as this damages its structure and renders it less welcoming for plant roots.
Care
Flower gardens are an elegant way to add color and draw pollinators into your yard. From small containers around the home or an expansive plot, it requires careful consideration for success of each blooming project.
First step to starting a garden is choosing where and how large to put it. Find an area with ample sunlight that is close to water sources (like an outdoor hose).
First, create the bed. Amend the soil with organic matter and an all-purpose balanced fertilizer before amending with organic compost and tilling to loosen texture. Never work overly wet soil as doing so damages its structure.
Plan out your flowers ahead by researching your USDA growing zone to see when each variety can be planted. As you do so, arrange blooms with similar maintenance needs together (drought-tolerant flowers should go with other drought-tolerant ones), creating visual interest while making foraging easier for bees and other beneficial insects. Grouping bloom times also helps create visual interest while helping bees and beneficial insects find sustenance more quickly.