Before you plant any flowers, do you draw a flower garden bed design or do you simply plant the flowers?
Flower Garden Bed Designs
- Thread starter LouisFerdinand
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- Birmingham, AL USA
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I have given way to changing a low light area in my front yard into a bedding area. I have been mulching leaves and spreading them in the leeward shade of a large magnolia where other deciduous trees also contribute summer shade, leaving no grass. I let the shape of the area be dictated by the lack of grass, and soon I will need to choose plants this spring after the bedding area settles some and I mix in some compost and old garden soil. I used a light meter to gauge December foot candles for minimum light levels, and measured as low as 170 Fc and as high as 670 Fc. I will measure again in Feb before comitting to anything but now I have a range of lighting to consider while winter seasons the bed. The bed exists between the house and the lawn and will have 3 primary viewing "fronts". From the street at the longest range, from the driveway at the close range and from the house at the midrange but elevated angle. It is these viewing angles that have my interest now. The limitation of lighting intensity and the primary viewing front will take awhile to sort out. The area will have to be a raised bed to some degree as it ponds when spring rains down. Being a moist area upon clay, a border of non spreading liriope transplants from other areas will survive nicely as a border. Stone or other masonery will be used to some uncertain degree as paths, which will have mondo grass and moss filler. I will draw a planting plan, but only after some time goes by where movement trails through the garden are established. Walking on low light plants results in bare earth around here so the functional ease of wheelbarrow and cart movements has to be considered in the design To some degree, or even just walking to service bird feeders or bird baths. That is about as far into it all as I have gotten so far.
@sander474, Do you use perennials or annuals?
When I plant a mixture of April and May tulip bulbs for customers, I write down the names of tulips.
Raised flower bed design ideas
How to design a Flower Bed
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- Oct 7, 2020
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