Flowers for Gardening
The beauty and color of flowers make them an inspiring addition to any garden. Still, not all flowers are suitable for gardening in groups. Different types of flowers bloom at different times of year, with some only blooming once and others year after year. The art and science behind creating a lush garden that teems with floral life involves selecting flowers for the garden that interact well with one another. Does this Spark an idea?
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Annuals
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Annuals are plants that develop from a seed, bloom at the beginning of season, die and then must be newly planted the next year. Annual plants include the blue poppy, the sweet alyssum, the water lily and lantana. Because annuals grow quickly and complete their life cycle in a year, they are often used as filler in perennial gardens. Annuals, like all flowers, are best grouped with plants that have similar soil and nutrition requirements. The globe amaranth, for example, is well grouped with creeping zinnia, lantana and ice plant.
Biennials
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Biennials are flowers that develop during the first year of planting, like annuals, but do not bloom until the next year, after a period of overwinter dormancy. Flowers such as foxglove, Canterbury bells and hollyhock belong to this group. Biennials can be mixed in with perennials that have like soil requirements, allowing their first-year green development to provide a backdrop to the perennial bloom.
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Perennials
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Perennials, as the name suggests, bloom every year for three or more years, given the proper circumstances. The white mugwort, Japanese anemone, wormwood, daylily and oriental poppy are all perennials and, once planted, can produce blooms in a wide range of color from whites to blues and purples to deep reds. These plants can be raised together with biennials or with green plants that provide a beautiful backdrop to the explosion of color. When planting perennials, plant combinations that have similar bloom times to get the maximum color: English lavender, for example, goes well with cotton candy lamb's ear.
Bulbs
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Bulbs such as the tigerlily, the tulip and the daffodil are thick stemmed, substantial plants that start out as flower buds surrounded by a thick covering that acts as protection as well as a ready food supply. Bulbs can be either perennial or annual and can be planted by alone or with perennial gardens that have similar soil requirements. Virtually all bulbs require full sunlight and well-draining soil to grow.
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References
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