Flower gardening design, ideas, and tips
Introduction:
What is a flower garden? A flower garden or floral garden is any garden where flowers are grown & displayed. Planting flowers add color & visual interest to any landscape. A splash of color among trees increases the appeal of outdoor spaces. Additionally, throughout the blooming season, planted flowers provide gardeners with flowers suitable for cutting & bringing indoors saving money that would otherwise be spent at a florist. Flowers planting have environmental benefits. Plants help to remove pollutants from the air. During the process of photosynthesis, the flower’s leaves absorb carbon dioxide & release oxygen. Additionally, planting flowers can help to hold soil in its proper place, reducing erosion & flooding. Growing a flower garden is a beautiful way to explore the world of gardening & create a beautiful landscape for your home. So setting up a flower gardening at home is not that tough.
Flower garden design:
What is the purpose of a flower garden? While the reason for having a flower garden can be nothing more than for enjoyment & enhancing the landscape, having a focus or theme can create the design process easier. Some possibilities include cut flower, butterfly, moonlight, oriental, water, fragrance, and woodland, a collection of one type of plant or a particular season such as autumn.
Steps for flower garden design:
Select a location:
The best site will be one that gets a lot of sunlight, has rich soil & drains well. Other considerations for sites contain sunny spots along the back boundary, in a corner that hasn’t been planted or behind or beside the garage. Small spaces can hold a set of plants. The basic kinds of flowering plants are Annuals and perennials; As far as gardens are concerned, these are the two basic types of flowering plants. Annuals go through their total life cycle in one growing season. Sprouting from a seed, increasing leaves and roots, producing flowers, creating the seeds and then dying. They are popular with gardeners since, with reasonable care, they bloom their heads off all season. Perennials are plants whose root structures stay alive underground for several years or even decades. The part above the soil may go dormant & die back in winter, but the plant is still alive and will sprout again in spring.
Soil quality for flower gardening:
Annuals can develop in poorly prepared soil (while a healthy soil contributes to optimum growth), but perennials seldom survive more than one year if the soil is not properly prepared. A rich, black loam high in organic matter is chosen. In the fall prior to planting, incorporate compost, leaf mold, or peat moss to develop soil quality. Spread 4 to 6 inches of the material on the garden & spade it in. In the spring season, before planting, spade the soil again.
Soil fertility and pH requirements:
Generally, flowering plants require a complete nutrient supplement containing nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium to grow well. The source can be an organic or rock powder produce or a synthetic fertilizer. Some annuals, perennials, and wildflowers will bloom mainly prolifically in rather poor soil. A soil pH range of 6.0 to 6.5 is desirable for most plants.
Bed design:
Using graph paper to design the bed lines & plant placement is the most efficient way to plan the garden. Flower beds can be created by laying flexible garden hose or twine on the ground until the suitable form is obtained or by using a dribble of limestone. Bed lines can be straight or rounded, but curved lines are further interesting. Planning the design with the correct spacing between plants will assure that there is the right number of plants for the design. Stay taller plants to the back of the border, and those that are low in the front. The color choice is personal preference. There are many vibrant primary & soft pastel colors available, so many combinations are possible. Warm reds, pinks, and yellows make a garden appear larger and closer.
Read: Ideas for Urban Gardening.
Propagation:
Flowering plant propagation through from seed, cuttings, or division depending on species. Consult a dependable reference for information on individual plants.
Planting:
When should you plant flowers? You can start seeds for these and other cool-season plants indoors through early February. Seedlings should be ready for transplant outdoors in March month, depending on the variety. Beginning your year by starting seeds for cool season flowers can effect in a colorful spring garden.
Seed:
Follow seed packet instructions for distance apart, correct depth of planting & proper timing. Timing important because some seeds are not frost or cold tolerant & must be sown when the soil is warm. Seeds sown in the fall or early spring may need freezes to break seed dormancy. Cover the seeds with fine soil & water thoroughly. Biennials & many perennials will not bloom the first year from seed. The fastest-growing flower seeds are those that germinate in 14 days or less & flower within 70 days. These include marigold, nasturtium, annual phlox & sunflowers.
Bulb Planting:
Plant as soon as the bulbs are received from the supplier to prevent drying out, or plant as soon as conditions permit. The ideal time for spring blooming bulbs in September and October month, but bulbs can be planted until the ground freezes. Bulbs found in a forgotten bag can be kept in cold storage, and then planted through a midwinter thaw. Spring-blooming bulbs are planted in the fall so they will have time to form a strong root structure before the ground freezes. Summer blooming bulbs are normally planted on or after the frost-free date in spring.
Depth of planting is generally 2 1/2 to 3 times the diameter of the bulb measured to the bulb’s shoulder. A small deeper in sandy soil, shallower in heavy soils. Individual recommendations for tubers, tuberous roots, & rhizomes do not follow this rule.
Water requirement for flower garden:
All plants require water to grow. For most flowers, one inch on clay soils to 1 1/2″ on sandy soils is enough water for garden beds each week. Use a rain gauge to verify how much rain has fallen, and reduce irrigation by that much. Ideally, water must be applied in the early morning. Water thoroughly so the soil is moistened to at least eight inches deep. Frequent, shallow sprinkling encourages shallow root systems & disease development. Some plants are tolerant to very tolerant of dry rising conditions once established.
Read: Compost Making From Kitchen Waste.
Mulching:
Organic mulches such as grass clippings or inorganic mulches such as black polyethylene weed barrier with slits cut from plants, help maintain even soil moisture and temperature & deter weeds. A small extra fertilizer when using wood mulches offsets the nitrogen used up in the decomposition of the mulch. Sometimes organic mulches harbor pests, such as earwigs and slugs, but this disadvantage is generally offset by the advantages of using organics. Mulch depth must not exceed two inches.
Growing methods:
Lightly scratch the soil surface to check to the crust. Remove weeds to reduce competition for water & nutrients. Take care not to damage the rising roots of desirable plants.
Flower gardening ideas:
Flower bed with clay pots:
When it comes to convenience, nothing beats flowers planted in clay pots half-buried in a flower bed of gravel. Bulbs do fantastically well with this scheme, with these party-colored tulips.
Flower shaped floral garden layout:
Why not have a flowerbed shaped like a flower? Plant pink begonias for the petals, blue forget-me-nots for the center & a prostrate green plant such as Hacquetia for the curving stems. Make sure to maintain everything trimmed and tidy.
Tile deck with built-in flower beds:
A homeowner who is thinking of adding a deck must think about one with built-in planters. In this case, the deck has a tile floor, but planters can be built into decks made of wood. These beds delight the eye with pure white roses contrasted with purple, lavender & butter yellow sun drops.
Raised block flower and plant bed:
A raised bed made of pre-cut blocks & pavers makes tending to the plants easier, especially if the gardener is getting on in years. Plant some ornamental grasses, turf lily, chrysanthemums, asters, thrift & perhaps a small, ornamental tree.
Perennial flower bed for summer-long blooms:
A flower bed filled with perennials is now the thing for blooms that last the entire summer then returns year after year. Try a flower bed with a serpentine border dominated by pink begonias edged with smaller white begonias. Break up the pink & add height with discreet plantings of boxwood, barberries, daylilies and tall, orange canna lilies.
Gravel yard with plant bed:
A bed in a gravel yard lets the gardener indulge in all kinds of colors, heights & textures provided by aloe and agave plants, ornamental grasses, sedges & a rosemary plant allowed to grow to shrub-size. Blue gravel used both to separate the bed from the yard & as mulch brightens the colors of the plants.
Flower gardening design tips:
Some of flower garden design tips are given below;
- Most plants are best kept outdoors where they can obtain the most direct sunlight.
- Flower bed size: Make your flower beds wide enough to include flowering shrubs such as hydrangeas or rhododendrons, and even small flowering trees. Try not to maroon woody plants in a sea of lawn they look better incorporated into the planting beds.
- Wider beds that are at least five to six feet wide are more attractive & give more planting opportunities for that lush, layered look you’re after.
- Give individual plants enough space; Place plants about as far apart as each plant’s final spread. For example, a perennial that grows 24 inches wide must be about 20 to 24 inches from its neighbors.
- Choose a potting soil that includes an organic nutrient source whenever possible. This provides plants with a slow-release source of nutrients throughout the gardening season & skips the synthetic chemical fertilizers that can burn tender roots or lead to leaf tip burn.
- Add fresh mulch to flower gardens every year. A two to three-inch layer of mulch keeps weeds from sprouting and helps the soil retain water, so you’ll be weeding and watering less often.
- To keep container gardens from looking too busy, stick with just one or two main focal points per container & surround those featured plants with simpler textures, colors, & forms.
- The potting soil and compost mixture you used to fill the pots contains nutrients, should still add supplemental fertilizer every 3 to 4 weeks throughout the growing season.
That’s all folks about beautiful flower gardening at your home, keep gardening!.
Read: How To Grow Lettuce In Pots.