An exquisite garden brimming with colorful blooms brings beauty and charm to any home. To ensure its success, a well-planned flower garden should take into account each plant’s individual requirements; full-sun perennials should not be planted in shaded gardens while water-wise plants should be placed together that require similar maintenance requirements.
Begin by familiarizing yourself with your growing zone and researching which flowers thrive in it. Once you have an idea for your flower bed site, remove all grass.
Location
No matter if it will be contained within a container on a patio or established flower beds, its location must be carefully considered. Take the time to walk around your proposed site and observe how much light it receives throughout the day; this will enable you to select flowers which thrive in that environment.
Hydrangeas and sunflowers require full sun while drought-tolerant perennials do better in shaded sites. Furthermore, most plants won’t survive if planted under mature tree canopies as their roots compete for moisture and nutrients with any that come their way.
Experienced flower garden designers typically create year-round interest with staggered bloom times by planting flowers with differing bloom times, adding shrubs and ornamental grasses as anchoring features, evergreen and deciduous flowering trees for winter interest with their colorful bark or bare branches.
Soil
Flowers bloom most vibrantly when their roots thrive in soil that contains plenty of essential nutrients. When purchasing soil, be sure to find one with large rocks and debris removed, with an ideal pH balance between 6.0-7.0 for most flowering plants.
Plan your flower garden so the colors evolve with each season. Perennials with staggered bloom times ensure there’s always something blooming; while adding shrubs with colorful bark or berries add four-season interest.
Choose native flowers if you want to create an environment suitable for bees, butterflies and hummingbirds. Not only will native varieties be easier to care for than their exotic hybrid counterparts, they will be less susceptible to being damaged by weather and diseases – best to seek advice from a plant nursery as they know which varieties thrive best in your location.
Planting
As part of your flower garden creation experience, it can be easy to be overwhelmed by all the possible choices for seeds. However, fast-growing and low maintenance options will prove rewarding right from the start – creating your garden should become an enjoyable experience rather than an overwhelming one!
Before embarking on any plant purchases, become familiar with your USDA Growing Zone so you can select flowers which thrive in your local climate. Furthermore, knowing the date of your first and last frost can help determine when best to plant the flowers you select.
Select flowers that reflect both your color preferences and purpose for creating a flower garden. Consider whether you want a cutting garden with long stems for flower arrangements, or an easy-care pollinator garden filled with native species to attract butterflies and bees. Be sure to choose flowers that thrive under both full sun or partial shade conditions, including perennial blooming perennials that stagger their bloom times so as to complement the overall palette of your garden.
Care
Gaining maximum benefit from your flower garden requires time and dedication, starting by understanding their needs.
Sun and soil types play an integral part in determining which plants thrive in your garden. Learning the USDA growing zone designations for different flowers is also critical, since different ones thrive best under specific climate conditions.
Consider both your maintenance requirements and desired color scheme when selecting plants for your garden. Flowers that bloom at similar times work well together while drought-resistant varieties work best with other water-wise varieties.
Don’t be shy to include annuals as they add quick color and can supplement perennials and shrubs beautifully. Incorporating a wide range of hues is key, though remember to incorporate soft tones such as blues, lavenders, mauves and subdued pinks for balance. Furthermore, consider fragrance and movement when designing a flower garden as these aspects often get forgotten when designing one – they add depth and dimension!