Design Like A King

When flowers are planted in a bed, they give the garden a neat, clean and pleasing appearance. The beds are an excellent way of segregating perennials from annuals and bi-annuals. The use of shrubs, bushes, or small flowering trees can be used to mark the borders. Following are a few tips that can help one design garden flower beds.

Building a flower bed requires planning. The first thing that needs to be done is to asses yourself as a gardener. Are you ready to get your hands dirty, whether you plan to hire help, or your interest in flowers is a passing thing. Once you are clear, it would be easy to decide the number of beds, and the kind and the variety of flowers plants one wants. Make a rough sketch of the flower bed, which should contain its length and width size, and visualize the arrangement and the type of flowers you are planning to plant.

Choose a sunny spot which has a good drainage system.

Outline the boundary of the flower bed using nylon ropes. Decide on the shape, it could be a square, rectangle, circle, or any other design. Using a small shovel, dig up the entire bed at least 10 – 15 inches deep, and level and demarcate the soil as per the design. If you plan to include designs that have layers, provide adequate support to the soil to prevent soil erosion while watering. One also needs to take precautionary measures to prevent disease and pests in the soil from damaging the seeds or saplings. Use a good measure of organic composite and pesticide while preparing the soil.

Whether sowing seeds or planting saplings, tall plants should be placed at the back of the bed near the fence, while smaller ones should be planted in the front. For beds that have no fences as their borders, shrubs and bushes, or small plants can be grown as border edgings, with smaller plants inside. Plants that require frequent attention, like pruning, mulching, grooming or spraying, must be always grown where they can be easily accessed. Watering a flower bed should be done carefully. Water should be sprayed equally from all sides, and excess water should have place to drain out.

Flower Bed Ideas
A traditional flower bed uses roses that are planted in borders, and also mixed with small flowering trees, shrubs, perennials and annuals. Another rose bed design includes the use of the same variety of roses in different colors, or vice versa.
While deciding flower colors, make an impact with vibrant colors, and never group dull or light colors with each other. However, this requires a good understanding of the type, size and colors of different flowers. One can even grow different colored foliage to create a dramatic effect, or to subdue too many dark colored flowers.
A raised garden bed with layers of trailing varieties of flower plants, like deep purple petunias, followed by sunny yellows, or a spread of blue Viola with yellow and orange Sweet Williams on the borders will have a mesmerizing visual effect. Try growing trailers like sweet peas, nasturtium or morning glory on the fences as the background.

There are many ways one can add beauty to the flower beds. While creating a number of flower beds in a garden, one must take care to create a harmonious flow between them. This is essential to give the whole landscape an aesthetic visual appeal.

It is of utmost importance to visualize the layout of your garden in accordance with the available space. To begin with, you could take a piece of paper and make a rough sketch of the layout you’ve planned for your garden. Having a blueprint of ideas and designs that you could implement in your garden is an aspect that shouldn’t be ignored. Some of the important elements you need to consider in design landscape of your garden should be paths, sitting areas, water features and the growth habitat of plants. If you aren’t too comfortable designing your garden, you could avail the services of professionals in this field. Garden Furniture Sitting areas in a garden are very important. You could choose from a whole range of patio furniture consisting of a table, a few chairs and parasols. The quiet comfort of benches and swings will definitely add nostalgia to your garden. You could choose from materials such as plastics, glass, wood and metals for your garden furniture. You could also use patio heaters that will essentially be helpful in chilly winters. Fencing A garden with proper fencing adds to its charm and beauty. Although hedges are commonly used to form boundaries in various sections of the garden, they soak up a lot of moisture and nutrients from the soil in the garden which may not be good for the other plants. You could use different forms of brick, stone or concrete to complement the various plants that you have in your garden. Lawn The small little expanse of a rich green lawn forms an essential feature in the layout of any garden. The smooth surface of a lawn adds to the relaxed feel and visually supplements the neighboring plants in the garden. Sprinklers and lawnmowers have to be used regularly to ensure that the lawn looks fresh and trim. Pathway Small pathways leading to a particular area in a garden are of substantial importance. They allow different areas in the garden to be easily accessible. They give the garden a symmetrical shape and add to its beauty. Materials such as bricks and stone can be used to mark boundaries of pathways. Ponds and Waterfalls The presence of a waterfall in your garden has a magical effect on people. The sound of water gushing through the rocks brings a sense of calm that you experience in nature’s bounty. The flow of water through the rocks could be thundering or tranquil. In case you choose to have a pond, geometrical and symmetrical designs are preferred. Koi ponds are commonly used in gardens all over the world. Planning to have a pond or a waterfall requires a keen eye for detail, hence it would be appropriate to hand over the job to a landscape designer. Garden Lighting A well-lit garden offers a spectacular view, especially in the after hours. Lighting is an aspect that shouldn’t be ignored while designing a garden. You could choose chrome or copper fixtures to highlight your pathway borders. You could also set up spotlights to showcase your flower beds or patio areas in your garden. Choose from the wide variety of solar lights available, to landscape your garden. Apart from the above mentioned designs and ideas for a garden layout, you could keep improvising on the arrangement of plants on a regular basis to give a new look and feel to your garden.

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