Creating Flowerbed Masterpieces

Flowerbeds are one of the most common features of a garden. Easy to create and maintain, you can arrange and add any sort of annual, perennial and shrub, limited only by your imagination and, of course, the climate zone you reside in.

Here’s a couple tips to turn a regular flowerbed into the showpiece of the neighbourhood! When designing your bed, you will want to plan ahead, thinking of when flowers bloom, the heights, the spread and colors.

Stagger the Bloom Times of Your Plants

The first plants to show in the garden in spring are the spring bulbs and forget-me-nots, followed by wallflower. Many people buy pansies to plant early in the spring, as they can withstand some frost. Early perennials such as peonies and iris will also poke their heads through and create a showy, colourful display when your lawn is still brown.

When summer arrives, an option is to build up strong, upright and spiky shapes. Traditional favorites include lupins, delphinums, campanula, astilbe and achillea.

When summer drags into fall, have a succession of autumn-blooming plants ready to renew your flowerbed. Daylilies, hollyhocks, monarda, sweet william and gaillardia will reliably take you through the fall.

The Structure of Your Flowerbed

If you have a herbaceous border, you will want to plant the tallest plants at the back of it. Plant medium-height plants in front, and short ones as edging. If you have an island bed, plant the taller species in the middle. This type of bed is easier to maintain, as you can get at it from all sides.

Annuals should also be added to your flower beds, as they will keep your garden in color all summer long. Petunias, geraniums, poppies, marigolds and salvia are a few great suggestions.

For a border, you can use short annuals, but have you considered vines? Try running sweet peas along the ground, or have clematis winding its way through the border to create a striking and creative effect.

Maintaining Your Flowerbed

To keep your borders or beds in good shape, remember to dead-head plants where the flowers have faded. This makes way for new blooms, rather than seeds. Pinch out new growth to allow plants to get bushier, and get to know what plants do best in given situations. For instance, impatiens do best in the shade but will grow in sun if well watered. Foxgloves do best in the shade, and petunias thrive in full sun.

Watering is another necessity, especially if the summer is dry and hot. If you have hanging baskets, you can water them by placing ice cubes on the tops of the baskets. This allows the plants to be watered slowly throughout the day, which is better than blasting the plants with the hose.

Picking flowers and building your materpiece is a wonderfully creative experience, so have fun and enjoy your garden!

By Ena Clewes, master horticulturalist and contributor to Goorganicgardening.com. Learn how to create an organic garden and read composting basics. Ena has also written an organic gardening book, available on the site.