Flower garden
For a bed that looks good all season you need plants that flower in stages: some in April, some in July, some in September. Otherwise you get two weeks of show and three months of greenery. The rest is decent soil and watering on time.
What you'll need
- Potting soil and compost
- Spring bulbs and perennials
- Decorative edging
- Bark mulch
- Gardening set: trowel, rake, secateurs
- Garden hose or drip hose
Step by step
- 1
Spend a day watching the sun
Note how many hours of sun the spot gets. Under four hours is partial shade, and half the plants on the shelf won't flower there however much you water them.
- 2
Prepare the soil
Dig 25–30 cm, take out stones and weed roots, then mix the soil with compost. Loose soil shows in the first year, not the third.
- 3
Arrange by height
Tall at the back, medium in the middle, dwarf at the front. Group 3–5 of the same species together. Blocks of colour read far better than scattered plants.
- 4
Plant and water properly
Respect the spacing on the label, even if the bed looks empty at first. Water straight after planting, then daily for the first week.
- 5
Mulch and edging
A 5 cm layer of bark holds moisture and smothers weeds. The edging goes on last, for a clean outline.
Useful tips
- Deadhead as you go. The plant puts out new buds instead of setting seed.
- Write down on paper what you planted and where. Next spring, when it's all underground, you'll be glad you did.
- A drip hose uses less water than a sprinkler and keeps the petals dry.
