The Best Flowers for Your Flower Garden
Flower gardens can enhance a landscape with bursts of bright color and fragrant blossoms. Although the harvests from these colorful gardens may not put food on the table, they can provide the finishing touches to a yard and delight gardeners and passersby. The best choice of flowers for your flowerbed depends on a variety of factors. Does this Spark an idea?
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Climate
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Your climate is the single most important element in determining which flowers grow best in your area. Annuals are plants that die after just one year, although some varieties reseed themselves, producing more blossoms each year. As long as you wait until after the final frost in springtime, annuals can grow in just about any climate. However, the suitability of perennials relies heavily on how cold your climate gets every winter. Perennials are plants that come back year after year, growing new foliage and flowers from roots that live through the winter. Hardy perennials, such as Shasta daisies, echinacea and yarrow, are best for cool climates, while cold-sensitive perennials, such as wine cup, showy primrose and California poppies, are more suitable for flower gardens in warm climates.
Soil
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The soil is an element that you can adjust somewhat, according to your needs. When choosing the best flowers for your garden, consider the ones that grow naturally in your area. These native varieties are usually the easiest to grow in your local soil. Most flowers thrive in loose, well-drained soil, although some varieties, such as lavender, prefer coarse, sandy soil. When planting numerous flowers together in a single flowerbed, choose selections that have similar soil requirements.
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Sunlight
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Most blossoming plants require a majority of daytime sunlight, although some survive in areas with filtered light or moderate shade. Some of the best flowers for a sunny garden are sunflowers, cosmos and morning glories. The best flowers for areas with shade include lily of the valley, coralbells, wood sorrel and wax begonia.
Design
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The overall design of your landscape plays an important role in determining the best flowers for your garden. Wildflowers blend well with naturalized landscapes, while creeping ground covers and sprawling, blossoming shrubs add to the appeal of a cottage-style landscape. Mounded plants and those with uniform foliage usually look best in a manicured landscape. Consider the size and colors when choosing your flowering plants. Pair together contrasting varieties to emphasize their individual characteristics. For example, plant dainty blue flax in front of bright, yellow sunflowers and grow bright white sweet alyssum beneath red poppies.
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References
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