Flowers for a Nice Flower Bed

Use a colorful flowerbed to accentuate walls or fences.

A well-planned flowerbed makes a good addition to yards and landscapes. Use flowerbeds as borders or accenting a background, such as a building or fence. Plan your flowerbed in advance and select a variety of flowers that bloom throughout the year to maximize color and fragrance.

Annuals

Annuals complete their whole lifecycle in 1 year, so they need to be replanted every year. Despite their short lifecycle, annuals are beneficial for flowerbeds. The large number of annual flowers provides versatility for garden conditions. Annuals also have longer blooming periods than perennials, and some varieties stay in bloom from early summer into late autumn.

Perennials

Perennial flowers live for at least three growing seasons, which is an immediate benefit for flowerbeds. Flowers don't have to be deadheaded as frequently as annual varieties. They require careful soil preparation. As noted by the University of Arizona Cooperative Extension, perennials have a much shorter blooming period than annuals with flowers bloom for two to four weeks. By combining a variety of perennials with long-lived annuals, you can create constant color and fragrance in your flowerbed.

Biennials

Biennial flowers live for two years. During the first year of their life cycle, they form their root systems and foliage but do not produce any flowers. They then go on to bloom during the second year. For this reason, you might want to transplant second-year biennials into your flower bed for quicker results. (See Reference 5) Care for biennials is very similar to annual flowers. According to the University of Arizona Extension, there are some early-blooming varieties available that will bloom in the first year. (See Reference 6)

Bulbs

Add bulbs to your flower bed for dramatic blooms and ornamental foliage. Bulb flowers do not grow from seed, and require well-drained soil. Some bulbs are hardy and live underground through the winter months, while others need to be planted after the threat of frost. A major benefit of bulbs in flower beds is their early blooming period. Some bulbs will bloom as early as January, well before both annuals and perennials. Other bulbs bloom during the summer months. Most varieties also have a long blooming period.

References

• University of Arizona: The Flower Bed
• Backyard Gardener: Annual Flowers and Garden Designs
• University of Arizona: Annuals
• University of Arizona: Perennials
• University of Arizona: Biennials
• University of Arizona: Bulbs

Resources

• Kansas State University Extension: A Perennial Flower Bed
• eXtension: Flowers: Annual, Biennial and Perennial