Walking in or even gazing at a flower garden is the perfect beginning to a fine spring day, with vibrantly-colored blooms peeking out from a field of green, landscaped walkways and perfectly pruned bushes. With just a little effort, some planning, and a lot of patience, the perfect flower garden can be yours.
When planning your flower garden, take time to look at the big picture. There is much more involved in a flower garden than just flowers, although the soft blooms are usually the most visually exciting part. Trees can serve as focal points, can give the garden dimension, and can act as a border, blocking the garden from the rest of your yard. Trees also offer shade and a home for birds and other small animals that will fill your garden with life.
Another important part of any flower garden is seasonal interest. Planning spaces for evergreen bushes or trees is a must if you live in an area with cold, snowy winters. Nothing brightens up a dreary winter day like a splash of green peeking out from under a pile of snow. Let ivy grow over a garden wall, fence, or potting shed for more winter greenery. There are many varieties of evergreen plants to choose from, and they will help to give your garden structure, which will help when you’re rebuilding the garden in the spring.
Since most flowering plants, especially perennials, have short flowering cycles, your flower garden will look sparse and boring once the flowers die off. To keep this from happening, fill your flower garden with ornamental long grasses and choose perennials that have interestingly shaped or colored leaves. This will give your garden a full, planned look, even when the flowers aren’t in full bloom.
After all of this, it’s time to pick your flowers. Flower gardens can be full of vibrant reds and yellows, exciting to look at and popping under the bright summer sun or muted pastel colors, delicate and sophisticated. Avoid mixing too many colors together if possible, especially all in one area. This leaves the admirer confused and disoriented. Stick with a few similar colors and choose flowers that bloom at different times in the season to enjoy color all through the spring and summer. Annuals can be planted to give extra interest, but they must be replanted every year.
A flower garden is the perfect way to add color and beauty to your home’s landscaping, and with careful planning and some tender loving care, you can enjoy your garden for years to come.
