How to Design Commercial Flower Beds
Flowers add color and appeal to all environments, including commercial ones. Office buildings, shopping centers, businesses, industrial parks and other similar locales can benefit from the inclusion of flower beds. Flowers add a splash of nature and softness to areas that could otherwise seem impersonal, bland or overrun with concrete. While the average home gardener might let her personal preferences guide her when planning a residential flower bed, a commercial flower bed designer has other factors to consider besides personal taste. The following guidelines will help you design an attractive and functional commercial flower bed. Does this Spark an idea?
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Instructions
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Create a palette. Decide which colors you want to include in the flower bed. Examine a color wheel, a circular diagram of colors used in color theory, for inspiration.
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Determine whether you want to use annuals, perennials or a combination of both. Your decision will influence the amount of labor and time needed to maintain the flower bed. Annual flowers last for a single growing season, while perennial flowers last for many growing seasons.
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Consider the environment. The climate where you live will play a strong role in determining which flowers will be easiest to grow and maintain. A United States Zone Map divides the country into regions and can be used to determine which flowers thrive in certain areas.
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Remember the birds and the bees. Certain flowers attract more birds, bees and butterflies, as well as larger species of wildlife, than others. Keep this in mind when planning a commercial flower bed. It may be desirable to attract birds or butterflies to the area, but not necessarily bees or deer.
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Decide whether you want to incorporate fragrant flowers. If the flower bed will abut a building and lie beneath windows, you may opt against including flowers with strong smells. Some people can be highly sensitive to fragrant flowers.
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Envision and sketch the layout of the flower bed before you begin planting. Note which flowers you will plant where. Consider incorporating walking paths that people can use to stroll among the flowers, as well as benches and even picnic tables, all of which may be appreciated by the public in a commercial environment.
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Tips & Warnings
Choose native flowers for ease of care. Native flowers are those that are indigenous to the area and, consequently, have an easy time surviving and thriving there. A commercial flower bed made up of native flowers may require less water and attention than one planted with non-native varieties.
