Thinking about planting a garden? There’s inspiration everywhere! From magazines to Pinterest pictures and even your neighbor’s front yard, checking out the gorgeous gardens around you can really help get the creative juices flowing.
When you’re ready to bring that inspiration to life, this blog post has you covered. Keep reading for all the flower gardening tips and tricks you’ll need for your DIY flower bed.
Plant options are endless when you’re starting up a flower bed, which can be both exciting and challenging. On the one hand, having an array of flowers to choose from means you’ll get exactly what you want. However, searching for the right plants can be overwhelming. Should you go with elegant hydrangeas or showy rhododendrons? What about the ever-popular mums?
You can narrow down your options by reading up on planting zones and growing conditions for flowers you like and then choosing ones that work best for your yard.
Looking for blooms that provide longer color displays? Try these flowers:
The joy of planting perennials is having a staple look for your flower garden year after year. Some popular perennials that come back every growing season are:
Annuals bring a fresh look to flower gardens with every new growing season. For beautiful blooms that you can switch out every year, read about some popular annual flowers here.
The trick to creating a vibrant and inviting flower bed is: planning. Read these flower bed tips before you get started.
Designing a flower bed that’s aesthetically pleasing is all about the right groupings. Install your plants in groups of 3 or 5 –odd numbers create the best look! And, group flowers based on bloom times. If you use flowers that bloom during different seasons, no areas will lack color when a particular plant is done blooming for the year.
OK, you’ve got a vision, now bring it to life! To prep your flower garden:
Planting flowers in good soil is an absolute must if you want them to thrive. But what exactly does “good” mean? The answer is in a soil test!
Soil tests tell you what nutrients are in the soil, the pH level, and the amount of organic matter. All that affects flower growth.
Test results will help you determine what amendments or nutrients are needed for the soil before starting a garden. For example, say you have your heart set on rhododendrons. They thrive in moist, well-drained, acidic soil (meaning, soil with a pH level under 7). A test will tell you whether or not your soil makes the cut before you spend the time and money planting the flowers. With a test, you’ll know what to add to your soil to get it to the right place.
Here’s how to perform a soil test. And then...