The wonders of nature are evident anywhere. In spring, the vast numbers of plants blossom in gardens of many households in Sydney. As you plan to uplift the face of your outdoors, flowers are the best elements to create a vibrant garden that will stop anyone on their tracks upon seeing it.
Planting flowers in your garden promotes an active lifestyle. The multiple sizes and colours of petals never fail to create a relaxing and alluring garden. But incorporating these plants in your garden requires proper planning before the actual planting until its full growth.
Moreover, planting flowers is usually done in a flower bed. Before seeing your flowers bloom, good soil prep is your key to successful gardening. Most importantly, your creativity in matching flowering plants will set the picturesque view you wanted.
On that, this article will guide you on how to plant flowers in a flower bed properly.
Flower Bed Preparation
Before planting flowers, bed preparation is the first step to do. See to it that there are no utility or irrigation lines buried under the location you opt to build your flower bed. You can call your local council to solve this problem.
Here are the steps in preparing your flower beds:
Weeds Removal
If you have an existing flower bed, you don’t need to do this. But when you’re building a new one, it’s necessary to remove the existing vegetation. The common notion of weed removal is by using herbicides. Still, it might remain active in the soil for days after application.
If you’re removing a small number of weeds, it’s ideal to do it manually. Even if you remove these weeds, expect that some of them will grow after planting flowers. On that, you can do the next step, which is digging the soil.
Digging Your Flower Bed
A little moisture on the soil can help you dig it easily. You can use a tiller to turn the ground to a depth of 6-8 inches. If you have a shovel, then you can do a ‘double digging’ to a depth of 18 inches which is better for the plants.
Use Mulch and Weed Barrier
Once you’ve turned over the bed, add mulch or organic materials into it. Opting for compost can add nutrients and improve the soil structure. Spread a layer of compost two to three inches thick over the bed and mix it with the soil.
Moreover, avoid extremely fine compost as they tend to break down quickly. Applying thicker mulching such as bark products over your flower bed deter the growth of weeds. But if compost and other mulching materials are not available, you can use woven landscape fabric as the weeds barrier.
Planting Your Flowers
After preparing your soil, you’re ready to plant flowers. See to it that the land has enough moisture, but not too wet. A soil with poor water drainage can induce the rotting of the plant’s roots. Here are some of the considerations you need before planting your flowers:
Visualising Future Growth
Visualising the full growth of your plants is necessary. Flowering plants need ample space to strive and grow ideally. If possible, consider the spread and thickness of mature plants in providing spaces in your beds.
Light Intensity
Flower beds receive sunlight abundantly. Many flowers thrive well in full sun but not all. Do some research if the flowers your planting tolerate full sun to light shade so that you’ll be successful in creating an impeccable garden.
Seasonal Growth Cycle
The seasonal growth cycle of flowering plants is vital to determine when you should plant them. Aside from that, planting the flowers in the right condition and time will help them bloom fully. Combine these three seasonal flowers to create colourful beds at different seasons:
Annuals
Annual flowers grow, produce flowers and seeds, and die in one year. As they last for only one year, it’s best to know when to plant them before buying and planting the seeds. They are usually planted in summer and fall so they can bloom from spring to late summer.
Planting annuals require a depth of the hole that is at least 6-8 inches while the spacing between each plant is between 4-5 inches. Soil that clumps easily like clayish ones is not good in cultivating annual flowers. Some examples of annuals are petunias, zinnias, coleus and begonias.
With such quick growth, annuals are effective in changing the colours and setting of your flower beds.
Biennials
Biennial flowers take two years to complete its life cycle. In the first season, they grow from seeds to establish themselves. In the second season, they become larger and produce flowers. Some popular flowers that belong in this category are foxglove, angelica and varieties of evening primrose.
Perennials
The perennial flowers take years to establish and bloom in full beauty. When planting these in flower beds, it’s vital to place them in a spot where it will grow for the following years to come. Examples of perennials include colourful varieties of lavender, lobelia and datura that are useful for decorating your beds.
Follow the Layering Technique
The typical colour scheme in beds is the combination of blue, purple and gold flowers. However, matching the colour and texture will depend significantly on your style and taste. Aside from that, the proper planting focuses mainly on layering your flowers from front to back of your beds.
Use Low Plants at the Front
You don’t want to put flowers at the front covering the view of your entire flower beds. You can opt to plant fescue grass and Angelina flowers that grow low enough in the front row.
Use Middle-Height Plants for Middle Row
The flowers at the middle row need to be taller than plants in the front but shorter than the back row. The ideal plants to use here are salvia varieties including Victoria blue, May Night, Caradonna, Blue Hills and Royal Candles.
Plant the Tallest at the Back Row
The tallest flowering plants serve as the backdrop for your beds. You can plant Blue Star juniper, King’s gold cypress and Emerald n’ Gold euonymus shrubs in the back row. You can also grow particular plants at the back that interest you, but with the consideration that it is the tallest in your flower bed.
Water Deeply and Add Mulch
Proper planting includes the correct watering of your flowers. You can soak the soil around your newly planted flowers. If the flowers don’t receive enough rain, you can add 1 to 2 inches of moisture every week. It’s best to water your bed deeply but less often to avoid waterlogged soil which might cause the rotting of your flower’s roots.
Over time, the flower bed will run out of the needed nutrients for proper growth. On that, it’s essential to add mulch or compost twice a year to your flower beds. Adding a layer of mulch will also help slow down evaporation that will reduce how often you should water your flowers.
Conclusion
Flowers are part of the wonders of nature that never fail to beautify gardens. But planting flowers doesn’t end after you stick the plants on the soil. It requires proper techniques and thorough planning to create the perfect garden you wanted.
Moreover, preparing the soil and beds are essential to successful flower gardening. You also need to consider the shading, seasonal growth cycle and layering techniques as part of proper planting of flowers in your flower beds.
At Trees Down Under, we can guide you in building the best flower bed for your home. When you need to clear vegetation in creating beds, our team has the equipment and skills to remove trees and weeds. Our expert team can also tailor the designs and colours of flowers to uplift the scenery that your garden deserves.
Call us at 0475 463 597 today for a free estimate. We’ll help you maintain colourful and vibrant flower beds and garden. We are the perfect answer to all your garden makeover needs.
