Nothing compares to filling the home with fresh flowers from the flower garden. Whether you want more colors, lots of green, or a combination, there are different types of flowers in the garden to create bright and homely bouquets and display borders and flower beds.
Planting a flower garden becomes a great starting project when you’re ready to start gardening.
This begins in early spring or winter. The key to a complete and healthy flower garden is to set up a flower bed and look for plants that will grow well in the climate zone.
If you want to start a flower garden to add bright colors and a pleasant scent, you need to learn some steps. And here is how to start a flower garden.
How To Start A Flower Garden In 12 Steps
1. Check the light level
Maybe you already know where to grow flowers, but you cannot start planting because different plants require different light levels.
You need to observe your garden throughout the day and check every hour which areas receive full sun (not less than six hours of sun) and which are partially shaded. This can be useful to create a table of the areas to be planted and then mark full or partial for every hour.
Maintenance may be required, including separating and trimming flowers. Leave some space between the plants to help you reach them.
Build the garden with small steps, starting with the small flower beds, say a plot of five feet by five feet or less. A property of this size might contain twenty to thirty flowers with about three annual types and perennials being either one or two.
If you plant the flower garden in the abandoned corner of the yard, you may forget about it, which means it may die without your knowledge. However, if you take it somewhere where you can see it daily, it will likely be reminded to give you the care it requires.
2. Choose a location
Before starting a flower garden, you are required to decide precisely where you need to place it and what you wish to realize. It is also necessary to pay special attention to the house’s exteriors that are best suited for the flower garden, including lighting and placement.
If you already have some flower varieties in mind that you want to grow in your garden, make sure you choose a place where they can bloom.
3. Plan it out
Before choosing the flowers, you need to see what the environment will look like. Begin by finding the center of the garden, perhaps a window or a tree. Also, there may be more than one center. These are the spots in which you will add the flow and the structure to the project.
Do not feel like you want to do everything at once; you can be smart about gardening step by step, see what works, and understand the next step as you go.
Make sure the size is accurate, draw a garden area, and plan the landscape. You can later fill in the details together with natural flower varieties.
4. Test the soil
Carry out the soil test to check the pH level and determine the amount of acid or base in the soil. Some flower plants thrive well in acidic soils, while others do well on an alkaline or more neutral basis.
Knowing what nutrients are lacking in your soil can help you determine which flowers to grow there or what type of fertilizer to use to change its pH.
Soil quality is the essential factor for plant growth because infertile and dry soil filled with rocks has an unbalanced pH, which may not be suitable for the flower garden.
5. Prepare the ground
Whether you have decided to start the flower garden from seeds or start with established plants, you must prepare your garden for flowers. Use the shovel to remove grass from the garden, including the roots. Then break up the soil using a tiller.
This is the crucial step because you need to prepare the ground according to the additional top layer you will add later. Also, it helps to find and remove large rocks that may be hidden under the grass.
6. Add the topsoil
The topsoil can be 12 to 30 centimeters deep. To start the flower garden, you need this layer to have more nutrients as possible.
To do this, many people decide to supplement the natural occurrence of the topsoil by adding organic matter and make sure the sand, minerals, and silt are in the right balance.
If you are unfamiliar with evaluating soil quality, add a commercial topsoil layer to know the flowers required. This should make the garden more fruitful and the efforts more productive.
7. Choose your flowers
Many people are overwhelmed with the options when starting a flower garden. Typically, different flower types can be planted, but not all are suitable for all climates.
What you choose will largely depend on the individual preferences and the design plan, although other vital factors are also important. These include annual versus perennial.
Annual flowers only bloom for one season and need to be replanted each year, while the perennial flowers repeatedly bloom for years and are planted once.
Since annuals are not convenient, they are abundant and produce many flowers during their life cycle. The benefits of perennials, likewise, are apparent.
As long as you keep them well, you will have years of flowering in one growing season. Besides, many flower gardens have a mix of both perennials and annuals.
8. Start planting
The planting protocol depends on whether you have selected seeds or planted plants. If you are growing seeds from your garden, begin by planting them indoors for about 2-3 weeks before planting in the garden.
Various flowers are grown at different times of the season, though in many cases, the right time is after the last frost.
To start with the seeds, fill every hole with soil and then bury the seeds in every hole. Make the soil moist, particularly in the area that receives plenty of sunlight but little temperature change.
If you are using a grow lamp, leave it on for about half a day. When the time comes, plow your garden beds again and then plant the seeds in the ground to give room for them to grow.
If you are growing your garden with established plants, wait until the last frost and use a spatula to make holes in every flowering plant.
Do your research to find out how much space every plant takes up. If the plant is bigger, that means it will require more space. Water it as the roots of the flower start to grow in the soil.
9. Know the watering schedule
A regular watering schedule is different between healthy and thriving plants and dead and limp vegetation. Some flower plants need watering every week, while others only need watering when the soil is dry.
When the plant requires water, it lets you know. There are various ways to see when the plants are underwater. This includes the soil dryness and the state of the leaves.
The underwatered leaves curl and begin to fall. On the other hand, well-watered leaves have strength, and the stalks are rigid.
After the leaves wither, another great way to see if any plant needs water is to stick the hands into the ground some inches and see if it’s dry. If need be, water it or otherwise, be patient.
10. Set up protections
The flowers, seeds, and bulbs can be prone to pests, so equip the garden with wire cages, coverings, or organic solutions such as tea and vinegar to prevent unwanted visitors and some fungal diseases.
Also, you can plant anti-animal plants such as hyacinths in the garden to keep squirrels, deer, and other rodents away.
11. Plant care research
Find out when the plants should bloom and what is required before and after they bloom. Some flowers require pruning at certain stages, watering to a particular amount, constant mulching, or maintaining partial shade exposure throughout the day.
Knowing your garden’s specific needs can help you take better care of flowers when growing them, removing threats or weeds, and keeping the flowers blossom and healthy.
12. Get the right tool
Gloves, rakes, shovels, and secateurs are valuable tools for the garden. If the flowers you choose require special equipment or tools to help cultivate, ensure you keep them close.
Keep the tools clean and sterilized to avoid any contamination and direct sunlight to prevent melting or rusting.
Conclusion
Staring a beautiful flower garden is worth of effort and time. Once you understand how to do it, it is not hard at all. Using the step-by-step guide above on how to start a flower garden, you’ll have fun all season long.
This will make you have a vibrant and healthy flower bed that depends entirely on the quality of the soil, water, and light. Furthermore, these flowers will be more resistant to drought and pests, and the root system will be more resistant to abundant flowering.