5 Tips to Maintain a Gorgeous Flower Bed

As one beauty fades, another bud starts forming. From early spring to late fall, maintaining a gorgeous flower bed takes a little planning. Not sure how to proceed? Not to worry! In today’s article, we bring you some useful tips and tricks for a perfect, easy-to-maintain dream flower bed.

Plan Before You Start

A beautiful flower bed is something you can enjoy year after year, from early spring to late fall. All it takes is a little planning, plants that thrive together and the desire to create something beautiful in your garden. Start by choosing the location of your bed. Is it a sunny, south-facing spot? Shade or partial shade? Dry or moist? Choose plants that are appropriate for the situation. Also, think about the different bloom times to get a beautiful bed from spring to fall. For best results, sketch and plan well from the start.

Choose the Best Possible Soil for Your Plants

You may think soil is soil, but the fact is that soil is the key to your plants’ well-being. By gaining knowledge and choosing the right soil for the right plant, you’ll have even more success with the plants in your beds. Start by turning over the soil and removing all weeds. Mix the potting soil with cow manure. If the soil is muddy, add bark mulch. If the soil is sandy, you will need to top it off with lots of soil and mulch. Each year or when you plant something new, add new soil and cow manure to improve the soil in your garden.

Choose the Right Plants and Create Your Own Oasis

Regardless of the size of your flower bed, you can find plants that will give it the look you want. This can range from perennials, like hollyhocks and columbines, to garden roses and large, ready-made plants. Perennials are a collective name for plants that come back after the winter rest, year after year. There are many different varieties and with a little planting, you can create a bed that blooms from early spring to late fall. Remember to plant them as early as possible, they need to get into the ground to feel right.

Plant in Clumps for Success

Plant the plants as you plan, preferably in groups of three to five of the same variety. Mix colors and varieties to give the bed a calm, harmonious look. Remember that taller perennials look best at the back of the bed. For most perennials, there is information on planting distances so you can calculate how many plants you need per square foot.

Water and Care for Your Plants

Water immediately after planting and then as needed. About three to four weeks after planting, it is time to fertilize again. Remember that early summer is often dry and plants need a lot of water during this time. The time of day is also important to consider when watering. Late evening or early morning is the best time to water, as water evaporates less compared to mid-day when it is warmer. Thoughtful irrigation solutions will make your plantings even more beautiful and easier to maintain.

Do you plan to grow roses in your flower beds? Those delicate blooms needs special care and attention. Below, we give you some additional tips on how to properly care for your roses.

Here’s how to make your garden roses thrive:

• Location and Lighting

Roses need a sunny location with at least six hours of sunlight per day. Some varieties can cope with slightly less sunlight.

• Watering

Roses grow best in evenly moist soil. Be aware of this if you are planting near a house wall where it will be hot and dry because natural rainfall is not available. Water regularly to compensate.

• Protecting Roses

Protect rose branches from the strong spring sun with a shade cloth.

• Pruning Bed Roses

Grouped and large-flowered roses are cut back to about 15 cm in the spring. Wait for the buds to swell. Shrubs and climbing roses are thinned by removing dead, damaged and thin branches from the bush. If you want stronger growth from the bottom up, you can also cut the shrubs and ramblers completely. Use sharp pruning shears.

There you are! With those tips, you should be able to maintain a fabulous flower bed. How about you? Which flowers would you prefer to grow in your bed? Let us know in the comments below.