Tips for Designing a Beautiful Landscape
Flowers make any landscape more beautiful. But there are a few things to know about how to design a planter for maximum impact. With these concepts in mind, even beginners can create a flowery yard that's dependable.
1. Examine the characteristics of the flower
Great flower garden designers incorporate a variety of flowering plants, including long-lived perennials, short-lived (but long-blooming) annuals, seasonal bulbs, ornamental grasses, and vines. Before starting your flower garden design, research which plants grow best in your area, their colors and flowers, and the special care they require. Your local extension office or public garden is a good starting place.
2. Choose your style as a flower garden designer
Your personal preferences (or the architectural style of your home) can help set parameters for the style and size of your garden. Also, different flower garden design ideas and techniques lend themselves to different types of plants. For example, a contemporary-leaning landscape might take a minimalist approach and clearly define flower beds with hard lines. Or a cottage-style garden like the one pictured here encourages a mix-and-match approach with curved paths and bed patterns.
3. Determine the shape and size of the garden
Flowering plants can be arranged in beds of almost any shape and size, from wide rectangles to small corner beds. Use a garden hose to outline the edges before you start digging to get an idea of how your flower bed fits into the rest of your landscape. Then, walk around the bed; See the proposed garden from every vantage point. Check if you can access the plants in the middle or if you need to add a path.
4. Choose flowering plants
Once you've decided on the design, shape, and size of your flower garden, it's time to put your plant research into action. Determine the show-stopping plants you want for a focal point, flower sizes, year-round interest, bloom time and color combinations. Also, consider bonus attributes such as fragrance and whether the flowers attract butterflies, hummingbirds, and other pollinators.
5. Estimate plant size
Consider the full height of a plant when making your selection. For example, if you want to grow a colorful basement garden at the front of your house, the tallest plants should go to the back, but they shouldn't be so tall that they block windows or doors.
If your flower garden design is an island, the tallest plants should go in the center. Also, keep in mind the mature overall size of a plant and make sure it has enough room to grow without crowding its neighbors or outgrowing the bed.
6. Bloom Times Review
Experienced flower garden designers always include a variety of plants with year-round interest and staggered bloom times. Evaluate both factors before selecting plants. You don't want to create a garden that's full of color in the summer, but bare in the fall. This is another reason why combining different types of plants is essential: it's easy to cover all seasons. For example, you can rely on shrubs to provide spring flowers and winter structure, summer perennials and fall-blooming annuals.
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