Flower garden ideas

Whether to provide a bright display of multiple colors or a subtle background for the surrounding landscape, there are a variety of flower garden ideas that can help create just the right space for your home. Taking some care in choosing the plants and flowers that will produce the colors you want and at the times you want, will go a long way in producing your dream flower garden.

Choosing appropriate plants

• Flower gardening works best when plants with similar needs are grouped together. Flowers should be grouped based on water, sun, and nutrient needs.
• Flowers should also be grouped together based on how quickly they grow. Flowers that are very vigorous will overgrow others that aren't so they should be separated for best results.
• Another good flower gardening idea is to group plants that propagate similarly together. That way if you have to dig up the bulbs for some, you won't disturb the roots of others.

Types of plants

• Bulbs: These will usually require lifting every three years or so but can typically be established if the right conditions are present in the beginning. They are often more expensive than annuals as they will continue to grow year after year.
• Annuals: These are easy to grow once established but are short lived, usually lasting for just one season. They provide a great deal of color quickly and can be replaced as soon as the complete flowering. Annuals are usually very inexpensive and can be purchased in packs of seeds or as seedlings.
• Perennials: Perennials typically grow quickly and flower frequently. Many become dormant in the winter but re-sprout in the spring or as the weather warms. Some self seed while others can be lifted and divided during the cooler season.
• Woody plants: Wood plants usually live a very long time and become larger. Correspondingly, they are typically more expensive to purchase and make take multiple years before the first flowers are produced. These are usually left in place permanently and for long periods of time. Rose bushes are an example of a woody plant.

Choosing flower colors

• Try not to pick bloom colors that will clash or distract from the other blooms that are in the flower garden. Some color combinations that are may look out of place in a flower garden, right next to each other, are blue and orange or mauve and yellow.
• Flower garden ideas are typically built off of one color scheme that runs throughout the flower garden. Shades of primary colors, using hot colors (yellows, oranges, and reds), or cold colors (pinks, whites, and blues) are all colors schemes that can be applied to your flower garden.
• The colors of your flowers should also fit in with your home and the surrounding landscape colors. For example, cold color blooms should be used near a house that is painted light blue while hot color flowers would be more appropriate for a house painted in a shade of yellow.

Whatever flower garden ideas you use, the most important rule is to make sure you choose something that you will enjoy and that will be pleasant for you to look at throughout the year. Your flower garden should be a reflection of your personality and accommodate your tastes and styles. Choose locations and colors based on plants that appeal to you, but be sure you understand how to care for them properly.