Ideas for a Flower Garden
Flower gardens are a thing of beauty. Each one is unique even if you plant the same varieties year after year, no two will be identical. Given the amazing number of flower varieties from which to choose, you can come up with exciting gardens full of color and energy creating a sight of pleasure and tranquility. Consider a few tips to spark your imagination and get the ideas for a flower garden flowing.
What Type of Flower Garden?
Most flower enthusiasts may get stuck deciding just exactly which type of flower garden to put in or how many gardens. Try and focus on designing one at a time, but allow additional space for more gardens. Specialty gardens include bulb gardens, perennial gardens and spring and fall gardens. Many people enjoy traditional rose gardens, wildlife gardens and butterfly gardens.
Let Creativity Flow
You can concentrate on the flowers in what ever type of flower garden you choose, but do not leave out the many other complimentary types of foliage or natural materials that add sparkle, intrigue and round out the garden appearance. Railroad ties or stone retaining walls make each garden stand out with a grand appearance. Logs, stones and ground cover interspersed among flowers look natural and blend in together. Consider adding vining plants such as the hummingbird vine or morning glories in one or two gardens attached to a trellis. Plant contrasting colors next to each other with tall varieties in the back and shorter flowers in the front. Allow yourself the luxury of having one flower garden that you putter in all spring and summer replacing flowers and adding new ones.
Plan and Design
It is tempting just to start digging and amending the soil in your backyard, but you are better off if you design a sketch for each flower garden. Draw out the garden shape and include any retaining walls or borders. Try a non-traditional shape or consider terraced gardens. List each variety of flowers or plants exactly where they will be placed. This helps to give you perspective and consider plant heights and growing seasons as well. Plant each variety of flowers heavily to ensure good color impact.
Select a Location and Soil Conditions
Determine the best location for each type of flower garden. Many flowers need several hours of sun or you may wish to plant a garden for shady areas. Check soil requirements for each variety of flowers and amend soil as needed.
Choosing Flower and Plants
If you are an experienced gardener you already know a lot about which plants are right for your climate. If you are new to gardening look up your planting zone and plant seeds, flowers, shrubs and ground covers that will work well in your climate.