Flower gardens can be one of the most rewarding projects for any gardener. Before diving in and getting your hands dirty, however, there are some essential things you must first keep in mind.
Decide first what your garden’s goals are; are they cutting gardens, low maintenance flowers or blooms that attract pollinators?
Choose Your Site
Planned gardens should aim to draw pollinators, provide cuttings for bouquets or provide seasonal color and texture, so several key considerations need to be addressed when planning them. A site suitable for supporting the plants you intend on growing must receive adequate sunlight while draining properly – having access to an available water source nearby makes gardening even simpler!
If your garden site is covered with grass, first remove it. After doing so, prepare the soil before beginning planting your seeds or bulbs.
Most flowers require rich, fertile soil that drains quickly after rainstorms or the spring thaw. To check the drainage of your soil, dig a hole six to eight inches deep and observe how quickly the hole fills after rainfall; observe whether it dries quickly postrainstorm; if not quickly enough then amend with organic matter and balanced fertilizers before planting flowers there. Furthermore, avoid creating flower gardens in locations which become boggy after heavy downpours or during spring thaw.
Prepare the Soil
To create or modify existing flower beds or prepare new ones, you’ll require a shovel, garden rake and trowel. A rototiller may also come in handy to break up any clumps in the soil and loosen clumped sections; to avoid compacting of soil when working it it must still be slightly wet so as not to compact it further. Add plenty of well rotted compost or native soil as part of your mixture for best results.
Flowers thrive best when planted in loamy, well-draining soil that’s abundant with nutrients. Sunlight also plays an essential role, so find an area that receives at least six hours of direct sun every day.
Mixing bulbs, perennials and annual flowers creates year-long color. Add shrubs for structure and four-season interest. Look for native varieties to provide habitat for bees, butterflies and hummingbirds; furthermore these hardy species require less care than exotic flowering varieties.
Plant Your Flowers
Flower gardens come in all sizes and shapes – from window boxes to full garden beds. Once you choose your site for your flower garden, pay special attention to how much sunlight it receives throughout the day – many flowers need full sun for optimal growth!
When planting seeds, always consult the seed packet for instructions regarding depth. When transplanting or potted flowers into soil beds or pots, dig a hole similar to their container size.
Before planting flowers in a flower garden, loosen the soil using a spade so roots can more easily spread outward. Add several buckets of bokashi compost before you begin so as to enrich your soil further. In rainy areas, water your flowers frequently between rainfall if possible (on a daily basis if possible); otherwise water them on a weekly basis while making sure that deep irrigation occurs to avoid root rot.
Take Care of Your Flowers
Plant your flowers only after all risk of frost has passed and give your garden a thorough watering to ensure a healthy start. A water hose with a fine spray pattern is best to avoid disturbing newly planted foliage and buds.
Your flower garden depends on its contents – for instance, lush hydrangeas and other shrubs thrive in shaded environments while drought-tolerant perennials such as coreopsis or sunflowers require full sunlight all day in order to bloom their best.
Soil quality is of critical importance when cultivating flowers. Most species prefer nutrient-rich environments. When planting time comes around, supplement your site with organic matter such as manure or compost and incorporate into the top six to eight inches of the soil by mixing in an all-purpose balanced fertilizer like Pennington UltraGreen All Purpose Plant Food 10-10-10 and working it thoroughly into the surface layer of soil.