Choosing to create a flower bed in your yard can bring a pop of color, variety and interest to your home’s landscape. We’ve created a six-step guide to help you build a new flower bed without having any previous gardening experience. Follow along to become a pro flower bed do-it-yourself-er!
Step 1: Determine the location
You want to add some colorful plant life and beauty to your yard, but where do you start? First pick a location that will enhance the overall curb appeal of your home. A few suggested locations include bordering porches or steps, surrounding trees, along fence lines, near your mailbox or framing decking. You could also pick locations that will break up the monotony of large patches of grass or cover unsightly items like air conditioners or pool equipment.
Once you’ve selected a location, lay out a garden hose or rope to calculate the length of the perimeter as well as the total area of the bed. This will help you determine what plants to purchase and how many you’ll need to fill the space. It’s also a good idea to check the amount of shade and sunlight the area receives throughout a typical day.
Step 2: Pick out your plants
Using the above area calculations and shade-to-sun information you’ve gathered on your planting location, start doing your research on the types of plants that will thrive best in your local climate. You can do a quick web search or visit your nearest garden center. We suggest shopping local for your plant material, as garden experts at these locations will be happy to assist you with plants bred and suited for your particular area.
With the help of a garden expert, you’ll want to pick out a variety of styles, heights and colors to make the best use of your garden plot. The taller plants should be considered for the back of the flower bed, or up against the tree, fence or deck. The lower-growing and hanging plants will show best at the front. Fill in between with mid-sized plants. This is where you get to use your imagination and personal preference on color and variety to make your flower bed your own unique creation.
Step 3: Choose your border
While at the garden center, determine what kind of border you will want to include for your flower bed. You can always start simple, with a basic plastic lawn edging, and then add to it as you go. Or you may have a certain aesthetic to match with stones or bricks that are already used in your home, deck or other landscaping.
Be sure to purchase enough edging, pavers or stones to equal your entire perimeter, plus two additional feet for necessary adjustments. It’s also a good idea to purchase a bag (or more, depending on the size of the location) of top soil or planting soil at this time. We find it’s easier to buy it all at once rather than having to go back to the garden center for multiple trips!
Step 4: Prepare the space
If you’ve chosen an area that has existing turf, you’ll need to do some digging. Using a shovel, wedge the tool under the grass to expose the topsoil. Grass can be re-planted if you have an area to cover up patchiness or re-sod a well-worn area. This will just take tilling up that location for transferring the sod.
Once all of the turf and existing plant material has been removed from the space, it’s time to add the border. The simple plastic edging needs a shallow trench for the material to sit upright in, and will protect your garden from erosion. For added appeal to your flower bed, more elaborate borders can be created by stacking pavers or bricks, or by leaning larger pieces of natural stone up against the edging.
Step 5: Place & Plant
The tough part of selecting the plants will make this step relatively simple. Lay out your plants with the appropriate distance in between to ensure you have enough plant material and ample spacing. Once placed, begin planting from back to front.
Dig your holes slightly larger than each container. Carefully remove the plant from the container, gently disturb the roots, and place the root ball into the hole. Use the top soil purchased from the garden center to fill in around each plant.
Step 6: Mulch, Water & Enjoy!
Once you have placed all of your plants, add a 2-inch layer of mulch to help keep moisture in and weeds out. Then thoroughly water in each new addition to your flower garden. If you want to add a boost to your plants’ growth, use a bloom-enhancing fertilizer at this time, and regularly feed your plants every 2-to-4 weeks during the growing season.
Planting your own flower garden can be extremely satisfying and rewarding. As your garden begins to grow, you may also see that you attract more beauty in the form of butterflies or even humming birds.
If you need help maintaining your flower beds, trust OneNeighbor’s weed pulling service, where landscape experts carefully remove all of your pesky flower bed weeds by hand. We can also assist with mulch installation, fertilization and weed control and regular lawn mowing. See how OneNeighbor makes all of your home services easier and more affordable in Dallas/ Fort Worth, TX, Tampa Bay, FL and Houston, TX.
