inspiration of flower garden

You will be happiest with a garden that is designed well for maximum impact. The flowers will be better placed, chosen and planted. Learn how to design a flower garden that you can enjoy in your own backyard. Bring in the butterflies and birds, take cut flowers inside and have three season interest with a well thought out and planned garden.

The most important factors are your hardiness zone and the sunlight conditions. It's possible to use perennials that are outside of your zone, but they should be considered annuals and won't last more than one season. Whether you have dug the garden out yet or not, make a note of where the sun shines in the yard, especially which areas get full sun and which are shady all day long.

Now is the time to decide what you want from your garden. Are you looking for a cozy, cheerful cottage garden or a balanced, peaceful Japanese garden? Do you want plenty of space between your flowers or will a crowded look be what you need? Is there a specific purpose to your flower bed, such as an herb garden for the kitchen or a way to attract birds and wildlife to your yard? Putting the goal of your garden at the forefront of your thoughts will allow you to make better choices and have a more satisfactory design.

Plant size makes a big difference when learning how to design a flower garden. When you're starting a bed from scratch, you may be tempted to fill every spot in an effort to have maximum impact in the first season. This will backfire and cause you much more work in the end. Space out your perennials following the instructions on the plant tags and fill in the gaps with annuals. You'll have color and beauty for the first year and leave your perennials plenty of room to grow into their spot next season.

Normally you will plant taller flowers at the back of border beds and in the center of island beds. As you go towards the edge of the garden, the flowers will get shorter until ground covers and border plants surround the outside. This rule can be altered by placing early spring flowers along the back or in the middle as a burst of April color. Then when the later blooming plants grow in, the decaying foliage will be covered and your summer garden will be in full swing.

Most gardeners aim for a three season show, with something blooming from April to October and even into November if possible. Choose your plantings with bloom time in mind and group flowers that will follow each other together. Spring bulbs like tulips and daffodils are covered well by daisies, perennial geraniums and other summer bloomers. Then aim for those late fall bulbs or colder weather bloomers, such as the obedient plant or English asters.

Bring in the hummingbirds with trumpet shaped blooms like the annual petunia. Butterflies love flat, open faced blossoms such as Echinacea and daisies. Research which flowers grow well in your area and attract different wildlife, then enjoy the beautiful visitors when they fly in.

With some attention, careful choices and research you will have a flower bed of your dreams. Now that you know how to design a flower garden, go out and get growing.