What is a flower bed?
A flower bed is widely considered the most attractive garden component. Flower beds are filled with vibrant annuals that bloom for just one season.
What is the best base for a flower bed?
Soil is the foundation of your garden, and you want it to be healthy so you can set your plants up for success! We recommend buying high-quality, nutrient-rich soil in bulk. Or, you can make a soil mix with equal parts topsoil, organic materials (leaves, composted manure, ground bark), and coarse sand. Add compost to the bed The single best thing you can do for your soil is to consistently add organic material. This will enrich the soil and help you grow better plants. Once again, you only want to work the soil when it is moist, not wet or dry.Fill up the bed A general potting mixture of three parts organic matter (such as garden compost, leafmould or well-rotted manure), two parts sharp sand and seven parts topsoil is sufficient for most raised beds.If you have bedrock, water, coarse gravel, or very poorly draining clay within 1-2 feet of the soil surface in your garden site, then your garden plants will probably benefit by having raised beds filled with good quality soil.This is particularly the case if you put lots of plants into one pot, as you do when planting up bedding plants in summer. In this case, you need a growing medium with a bit more ‘oomph’ – more organic matter, more nutrients, and possibly a slow-release fertiliser as well. In this case, you’ll need to buy compost.
What should I put in my flowerbed?
Incorporate a mix of perennial plants as well as annuals. And your evergreens are important for some green in the deep winter. Once your flower beds are planted, regular maintenance will ensure they thrive. Use mulch, which will help plant roots retain water and deter weeds, weed your garden and water as needed. Choose hardy annuals such as sunflowers, poppies, cornflowers and pot marigolds – they all germinate quickly and are easy to grow. Bees and butterflies love them too!In addition to perennials flowers like coneflowers, black-eyed Susans and daylilies, plant perennial herbs, ornamental grasses and flowering shrubs for added height and texture. You can pop in annual flowers for extra color in-between bloom time.
What’s the best time to plant a flowerbed?
Generally speaking, spring-flowering bulbs should be planted in the fall (a few weeks before the first frost), while summer-flowering bulbs should be planted in the spring (a few weeks after the last frost). Early spring is the best time to fertilize flowering perennials, shrubs and trees. Fertilize again in midsummer when the plants are growing vigorously. Do not fertilize in late summer or fall.