Saturday, May 2, 2009

Creating Your First Perennial Flower Garden

If you are considering beginning a new garden with perennial garden flowers, there are many factors to consider before planting your flowers in the ground. With some simple preparation, your perennial garden flowers can produce spectacular flower displays for years to come.

Selecting a Site

When considering a location for a perennial flower garden, you need to ensure that there will be enough sunlight for the flowers to thrive. Most perennial flowers will need at least six or more hours of sunlight a day, although there are some varieties which are shade tolerant. Just be sure that the selections you make are appropriate for the amount of light your garden receives. Ideally your soil will have already been well prepared by digging in compost and other needed amendments prior to planting your perennial flowers.

You should also take note of the quality of the soil and the ability of the soil to drain in the area you are planning on develop your perennial flower garden. You should avoid planting in areas with poor drainage, or that have many weeds that will compete for water and nutrients in the soil. You should also avoid planting where there is considerable foot traffic. You do not want your young seedlings or transplants to be trampled underfoot by pets or children.

Selecting the Right Flowers

Perennial flowers come in a multitude of sizes, shapes and colors. It is easy to become a bit overwhelmed by the variety of selections you can make when shopping for perennial flowers. There are three factors you should consider carefully before making your purchases:

  1. Color Combination. Try to choose perennial garden flowers that have complementary color schemes. Some color combinations do not go well together – for example, pink and orange perennials clash, while pastel blues and pinks look quite beautiful together.

  2. Height of Flowers. Be sure that you are not hiding a beautiful, but short, perennial flower behind a taller variety.

  3. Blooming Period. Perennial flowers bloom for shorter periods of time than most annuals, and it is important to pay attention to the blooming cycles if you want to ensure color all season long.

By taking these elements into consideration when creating your perennial flower garden, you should have no problem creating a beautiful space for your enjoyment.