How to Arrange a Flower Garden

When it comes to arranging a flower garden there are only a couple of considerations. One is color and the other is size. There are a number of software programs that allow you to arrange your garden and I have tried one or two of these. They are not to my taste mostly because the time I spend installing and trying to figure out the program I could have been pulling weeds... I prefer getting my hands dirty over sitting in front of a screen any day of the week.

The first thing you need to do is consider color. This is a totally personal thing, but I prefer flowers in shades of the same color so I try to arrange my garden so that the colors are the same or complementary. For instance, I have yellow begonias that bloom more or less all summer. I put yellow and blue pansies in the same garden for ground cover. The pansies are annuals and the begonias have to be dug up and taken inside in the cooler months. So for the perennials, I have white and yellow tulips that come up in a mass in the spring followed quickly by daffodils and then by other yellow flowers that come up in rotation all summer - lilies, potentilla, and daisies.

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Arranging this garden is fairly easy. The tall plants are in the center flanked by the lower plants with space for the begonias to be replanted annually. The rim of the bed is filled with pansies.

How to Arrange a Flower Garden

The choices for colors range from the single color bed (with a splash of white in the case of the one I just described) to a multicolored bed to a bed that comes up in waves of colors. A neighbor has a bed that starts with red tulips then is filled with blue and pink William and Marys (officially known as Pulmonaria and unofficially known as lungwort, Bethlehem sage, Jerusalem sage, Joseph's Mary, and spotted dog).

Once the William and Marys lose their bloom their leaves remain green with nice white spots so they make a nice low greenery look in the garden. Then she has purple irises appear along with bleeding hearts. These are followed by orange tiger lilies. The only thing she plants annually are kale (or ornamental cabbage). She tucks these in under the taller plants and when the bleeding hearts die down and the irises and lilies are ready to be trimmed, there she has her cabbages popping up as if by magic.

The beauty of these kinds of gardens is that they are very low maintenance. You keep weeding them and in the divide any that are getting too overwhelming but you don't have to do much in terms of digging and planting and yet the color just keeps on coming all summer.

The size of the plants can provide lovely texture to your garden if they are mixed properly. Mix high and low plants so that they can all be seen and mix thin plants with bushy ones so that the graceful stalks of the thin ones can be seen and the bushy ones have room to expand.

How to Arrange a Flower Garden

Esmee McCornall is a 'Gardoholic' publisher and writer. One of her best known projects is website about Flower Gardening. Her love for flowers also made her start a project called Fresh Flowers. It is a project that will grow over time, covering hundreds of flower varieties. Including daisies of course.

Flower Garden Design With Concrete Fountains

A concrete fountain is a great addition to any backyard, since it can transform yard into an entirely different outdoor living space. They can be placed into almost any garden setting, giving your garden the theme or perhaps time period you envisioned. Concrete patios can also put a lot of charm into a small space, making it easy to create an amazing living space in even the smallest of backyards.

Types of Concrete Fountains

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Concrete fountains come in two different types. They can either be wall fountains or standing fountains, both of which look amazing in garden settings! Wall fountains are ideal for spaces that have a wall to place them, such as a small backyard or patio area. Because they work best when in a viewable area, having them close to a sitting area is the best place for them. Standing fountains are great for gardens that do not have wall space for a hanging fountain, and can work great in a number of different settings. You can use your fountain as the center of a landscaped garden design, or even place it near your garden sitting area for optimal viewing. You can set one next to a pond or area of water you may have near your garden, or even tuck it inside a beautiful flower bed to draw more attention to it.

Concrete Fountains: Styles and Colors

There are a number of different styles and colors of fountains that you can use in your flower garden, all of which can offer a different style to your space. You can opt for an outdoor fountain to stick with the theme of your outdoor garden, or even go for a more classic look made out of brick if you have a country theme going on. While the majority of fountains are made out of concrete, you can find various finishes that will look great in almost any setting.

If you plan on designing your garden around the fountain you choose, there are a number of different possibilities you can pursue. The type of plants and flowers you should include in your garden will depend on the time of year or you can even choose those that are in bloom all year long. Standing concrete fountains work great with luscious flowers that are packed full of color, since the various colors can actually bring attention to your fountain. If you are going for a softer look, you can try adding small palms or trees near your water feature to bring attention to that area of your garden.

If you decide on installing wall fountains you'll want to make sure your landscape design brings attention to them as well. Planting tall plants on either side of the fountain will help to draw attention, while smaller and spaced out flowers will actually make your fountain the center of attention in your entire flower garden. Rose bushes work well when planted next to a hanging fountain, and you can even wrap the vines from the plant around your fountain once the vines have grown long enough.

Including concrete fountains in your garden area can make it a charming welcoming area, transforming your garden with an entirely different look and feel. You can choose to purchase your water feature and then plan your landscaping around it, or you may even consider placing wall fountains to an already existing patio garden, for example. No matter what you choose, a fountain will look great in your flower garden space.

Flower Garden Design With Concrete Fountains

Elizabeth Jean writes water fountain and related topics for Garden-Fountains.com, the Internet's premier destination for wall fountains, indoor fountains and distinctive water features for your home and garden.

Perennial Flowers - Tips For Growing Your Perennial Flower Garden

So, you are thinking about starting a new flower garden, but don't know where to begin? Perennial flowers make an excellent choice for a beautiful flower display, but in order to create a garden with the most impact, there are many factors to consider before planting your perennial flower garden.

Site Selection

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When selecting a site for a perennial flower garden, you should be certain that it receives enough sunlight. Most perennial flowers thrive on six hours of sunlight a day or more. If you are stuck with a shady place, however, you can still grow some perennial flowers. You will just need to be careful of which varieties you choose, and make sure they are shade tolerant.

You also need to consider soil quality and drainage in your proposed perennial flower garden site. Avoid planting in areas with an abundance of weeds, as they will compete with the perennial flowers for needed nutrients and water. You should also avoid areas that have poor drainage. While perennial flowers will be able to survive in a wet area for a short period of time after a rain or watering, they will not survive in an area where there is standing water for long periods of time. Ideally, the soil in your perennial flower garden site will also be fluffy and rich, but if not, try to incorporate sufficient compost into the soil before you plant your flowers.

You should also consider foot traffic and children and pet play habits in the area you are considering establishing your perennial flower bed. Try to avoid planting your perennial flowers in an area where they will be trampled underfoot.

Flower Selection

Perennial flowers come in a wide array of colors, shapes and types, and the perennial flower gardener may quickly be overwhelmed by choices. One tip for making your flower selection is to consider how colors combine. Try not to choose flowers whose colors may clash (such as orange and pink), and instead focus on complementary colors in your garden (pinks and blues often make a beautiful combination).

You should also consider the height of different flower species. Try to make sure a tall perennial flower you have selected does not hide a smaller one behind it.

Finally, pay attention to the blooming period of the perennial flowers you are selecting. Most perennial flowers have a short blooming period lasting from two to four weeks, and for maximum impact you should coordinate the blooming periods of different perennial flowers.

Growing Habits of Perennial Flowers

If you are starting your perennial flowers from seed, you should be aware that it is unlikely you will see any flowers during their first year of growth. This is because most perennial flowers will put all their energy into root and plant growth during the first year, but during the second year (and future years) you can expect a beautiful display. If you do not think you have the patience to wait a full two years to see flowers, consider planting some annuals with your perennials so that you will have some color in your garden during the first year.

You can also try using transplants you first year, in order to get your perennial flower garden off to a quick start. If you decide to use transplants, try to select plants that are not in bloom when you plant them, since this is not a good time to establish them in your garden. Also avoid transplants that have pale or yellow stems and leaves. Try to do your transplanting on a day which is relatively cool and overcast for the best results, and be sure to water the plants well after transplanting and continue watering until the plants have become well established.

Although starting a new garden can be a challenge, by following the few suggestions outlined above, you should be well on your way to creating a beautiful, and long lasting, perennial flower garden.

Perennial Flowers - Tips For Growing Your Perennial Flower Garden

Michelle Day is an avid gardener currently living in the Pacific Northwest. You can read more about perennial flowers on her Perennial Gardening Blog.