Whether you are creating a new area in your garden or replanting an old one, here are six tips, we have put together to help you get started. These simple tips hopefully make it easy for you to approach starting such a project.
Access The Area – To get started you should determine what the location of the flower bed you are creating looks like when there are no blooms. Is there a container, a tree or evergreen, or a fence in the location you will be planting your flower bed? This will help you decide how you will lay out your flower bed and incorporate these elements into the design. It also allows you to decide if there are things you want to add to this area. You might want to incorporate a container or solar lighting into your design. You also may want to add an evergreen plant to give more life to this area in the winter.
Determine The Light In The Area – Knowing if your designated flower bed location is in full sun or full shade, or only gets sun in the afternoon is very important as it will guide you in figuring out the best plants to add to your flower bed. Keep in mind if you have a tree in this area, it may block the sun on some of the plants. All of this information starts you on the road to success.
Develop A Water Plan – The best way to ensure proper watering of your plants is to incorporate an irrigation system. Run soaker hoses in the flower bed before you get started with your planting. This way you will not have to work the tubing around the plants. Using a system like this will help you out in the summer. You don’t want to be a slave to watering.
Diversify Bloom & Foliage Color – Even if you are working in a small area, you want to make sure the area looks great throughout the year. Look to incorporate plants that have different bloom times, giving you year-round color. Add colors that contrast each other so they each stand out on their own. You do want the colors to complement each other as there might be some overlap in their bloom times. Using perennials also makes it easier as you will not be planting again the following year. Keep your plant selections to around to 2 -4 different varieties. If you do too many, it may get distracting.
Layer Your Plants By Height – Most flower beds have a natural back to them. They are either against a fence or a building or they are the back part of your yard. When planting your garden put the tallest plants in the back and then go down in size by height. This will allow you to see all of the plants without any of them being blocked. If you have a flower bed that you can see on multiple sides, put the tallest plants in the center and go down in size on both sides of the center plant.
Use Mulch – After you have finished adding all your new plants to the flower bed, the last step is to mulch it. Using mulch will help suppress weeds and will also keep the soil moist. This is especially helpful to the plants during their first year of growth. Mulch also helps make the area look nice and fresh.
If you have any additional tips, please let us know.
