How to Design a Divider Flower Bed

Flower beds help break up large sections of lawn space.

Well-placed flowers will create a beautiful border between two yard sections. Use a flower bed to divide a patio dining space and nearby driveway, for instance. A flower bed can provide a type of privacy space in certain situations, too. For example, a wide flower bed between neighbors makes a simple statement of where boundaries lie. The spacing itself is very important to defining any type of boundary. Using flowers to create this separation is a friendly way to make this happen.

Instructions

1. Measure the overall space where the flower bed will fit. Look through backyard living magazines to see how others have used flower beds in large spaces to divide up a lawn. Notice interesting shapes that include curves, for instance. Sketch the exact dimensions, so plantings and mulch will be easy to design. Figure out how many plants will be required to create a certain pattern or fill in a certain square footage.

2. Figure out the physical work needed. Will you have to dig up hard soil or rocks, for example? Will certain older shrubs need to be extracted from the soil? Choose wood framing, such as cedar boards, to outline the flower bed's perimeter. Plan to work the soil to a powder, dig a small trench around the flower bed section, and tamp the cedar boards into place end to end.

3. Plan all steps of bedding preparation, plus the types of plants. List fertilizer, seeds, bedding plants and straw or mulch. Design the bed with a couple of inches of straw or mulch. Use this to hold moisture in the flower bed areas and keep down weeds. Sketch the exact pattern of begonias, petunias and ground cover, for example. Create a three-season flower bed by incorporating flowers that bloom at various times of the year, which might include crocus bulbs for early spring and mums for late fall.

4. Design all color. Don't buy plants until you give a lot of thought to colors of blooms. Should you alternate purple petunias and yellow pansies in rows, for example? Would the bed look nice with red and yellow begonias with a border of white petunias? Plan to mix lots of tulips in various colors for early spring blooms, followed by the blooming of several colors of day lilies in the same bed.

5. Use small shrubs to make a strong boundary. Incorporate shrubs or rose bushes around the flower bed to enhance the divider visually. Use this type of border on the flower bed to make a bold statement in making the space stand out. Plant larger bushes as well to let passersby know the yard space of flowers is steering them away from walking through a lawn area.

Tips & Warnings

• Use large rocks or stepping stones to outline a flower bed dividing lawn space. Install a short fence around the flowers to create another type of boundary.

• Don't mix too many kinds of plants within a flower bed, if it's large. It's difficult to manage various needs of plants that are crowded into one bed. Keep the bed of plants simple, so it will largely remain maintenance free. A high-maintenance flower bed can quickly made a yard look unruly.

References

• Gardening Know How: How to Build a Flower Bed
• Rose Gardening Made Easy: Design for a Small Garden
• Backyard Landscape Ideas: How to Build a Flower Bed

Resources

• Universiity of Illinois Extension: Designing Flower Beds
• The Home Depot: Creating a Flower Bed
• Hancock: Have Fun Creating Annual Flower Beds