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A beautiful flower bed, which pleases with a richness of colors and a designer flight of thought, is the fruit of the gardener’s thoughtful efforts. Perennial flowers for a flower bed will help in creating such a work of art. The variety of colors, shapes and heights of flowers creates a limitless field for combinations. It is important to properly place and sort the flowers so that they grow beautiful. Flower beds of perennial flowers require careful maintenance, but at the same time they return the invested efforts a hundredfold.
Color arrangement
Speaking about the arrangement of flowers in a flower bed, you should pay attention to favorable conditions for their growth. Some species do not get along with each other, for some you need to create a certain environment. Of course, it is worth remembering the height of the flowers, so as not to accidentally plant high-growing varieties in the foreground.
In order not to confuse gardeners, there is a classification of garden flowers according to growth height. Ground covers rarely overcome the mark of 20 cm. Short ones grow up to 30 cm. Medium-sized ones – up to 70 cm. Finally, tall ones easily overcome a height of 80 cm.
When planning where it is better to plant shade-loving plants, remember that they are not suitable for lawns. In addition, they tend to grow at an incredible rate, so it is better to limit them naturally or artificially. These flowers include violets, bluebells, euphorbia, phloxes, that is, mostly undersized and ground cover. Flowering perennials prefer the sun, but do not like drafts or strong winds. For mixed beds where shade-loving and sun-loving flowers will grow at the same time, create areas of shade or partial shade. If there is no separate well-lit area, feel free to plan a flower bed under fruit trees. Distribute flowers that require sunlight from the south side, at a distance of 50-60 cm from the trunk.
It is better not to create flower beds close to the wall of the building. During the rains, the water will wash away the ground, exposing the roots of the flowers, which will lead to their death. This option is only possible if you make an extensive drainage system so that rainwater does not pour directly onto the flowers, but moistens them in a dosed manner. If you still decide to arrange a flower garden near the wall, shade-loving plants that like an abundance of moisture will help you.
Video “Selection of varieties of perennials”
Video selection of perennial varieties for gardens.
The most beautiful perennials
What perennials should be planted in order to get constantly blooming flower beds is a question that worries many gardeners. It is recommended to combine them with each other so that blooming in spring are replaced by blooming in summer, and then in autumn. With this sequence, already faded plants will create a beautiful frame for those just about to bloom.
In spring, bulbous flowers bloom, which quickly fade. Due to the fact that they do not leave the most beautiful stems after flowering, it is better not to put them as the main element of the composition.
Snowdrop, or Galanthus, is a garden flower listed in the Red Book. One of the first to bloom in spring, decorating the garden with snow-white bells. An extremely unpretentious plant, with no pronounced aroma, easily tolerates wintering and requires almost no special care.
Hyacinth – blooms in early spring. First, the leaves appear – thick and pointed, then the inflorescence. One inflorescence can contain up to 30 flowers with a pronounced aroma. Narcissus – able to decorate any flower arrangement with its large yellow or white flowers with a very pronounced aroma.
Iris is an incredibly hardy plant that blooms in late spring. The richness of colors and shapes of buds will allow you to fit it into any composition. Peony – fell in love with many gardeners for their large pale pink, burgundy or white buds. There are two varieties of peonies – herbaceous and tree-like.
Bluebells bloom in early spring, but with proper care they continue to delight with beautiful buds until late autumn. There are medium-sized bells up to 60 cm, but there are also real giants that grow up to 1 m in height. Perennials that bloom in summer are mostly shade-loving, so try to arrange the composition of the flower bed so that they are in shade or partial shade for most of the day. Muscari, or dwarf hyacinth, can grow from a bulb to a whole carpet in one season. For them, soil with permeability is important, since wet soil leads to rotting of the bulb. Muscari has small blue buds collected in a cone-shaped inflorescence.
Daylilies are light-loving plants with yellow, pink, and white buds. But varieties with red, purple or purple buds, on the contrary, prefer shade. Pansies, or Viola, is a tricolor violet that perfectly frames any flower bed due to its short stature.
Primula is a medium to tall flower with dense dark green leaves, from which a flower or inflorescence emerges. Rose is the real queen of flowers. The wealth of varieties, species, forms allows you to form real labyrinths from rose bushes that will delight you with flowering until the end of autumn. Phlox is an unpretentious undersized flower that will easily overwinter and will delight you with flowers all summer and autumn.
Lavender is a fragrant plant with beautiful blue or purple candle buds. It is extremely unpretentious, so you can plant it anywhere. Gladiolus is a medium-sized flower with xiphoid leaves and spike-shaped inflorescences. Its funnel-shaped buds come in a variety of colors.
Some flowers continue to please the eye with juicy buds in autumn, but there are those that only begin to bloom in autumn. They can balance the early spring varieties, which by this time have long faded. Chrysanthemums are late-flowering plants with buds of various shapes and structures. They do not tolerate cold very well, so it is especially important to give them as much autumn warmth as possible.
Dahlias – are divided into two large-scale subspecies: collar and needle. Collar – with large petals along the outer radius and rolled into a tube near the core. Needle – with thin petals twisted into a tube. The richness of colors and color combinations of dahlias makes them an indispensable element in any autumn flower bed. Asters, thanks to their lush buds and richness of colors, are welcome guests in flower arrangements.
Lilies are considered to be the most delicate flowers in the garden. They grow tall, delight with large fragrant buds. But at the same time they are incredibly whimsical in care. Shade-tolerant low-growing flowers go well with medium-sized and tall neighbors, as they create partial shade. These include: geranium, impatiens, arizema, hellebore, lilies of the valley, tiarella, trillium, astilbe, lungwort. Some shade-loving ones bloom throughout the summer season, some ripen for this only by the middle of summer, but the wait is worth it.
Flowerbed organization
The filling of the flower bed and the distribution according to the artistic combination depends on what plants you are going to plant. From this will depend on the place that will be needed for landing. If you went the other way and first chose a place, then think about what flowers would be best to plant so that they get plenty of sun or shade. Think about the practicality of planting – it is more rational to make one large flower bed than several small ones. And after that, take paper and pencil to draw up a plan for the location of all the selected plants.
Traditionally, for simple flower beds, tall plants are placed in the center. If one of the sides of the flower garden overlooks outbuildings, it is worth “fencing off” them with tall or medium plants. Or you can put a decorative net to make climbing plants create a hedge. If you plan to plant bushes, then divide them into groups in order to increase the flower mass around them. It is best to grow flowers in medium to large groups, so they will show themselves in full glory. Single rare plantings require much more care and rarely create a harmonious picture of a flower garden.
The type of flower garden will depend on which flowers you have chosen. Conventionally, they are divided into: classical compositions, natural areas and accent flower beds. In glades, along paths or fences, it is preferable to place classic options. Natural areas are used to cover empty spaces in the garden. But for the central zones of the garden, accent plants are used.
You can organize a flower bed by combining flowers of different heights, decorating it with stones and mounds. Another option is garden trellises, which become the basis for the future composition.
Care
A perennial flower bed requires careful care, despite the fact that most plants require transplantation only once every 3-4 years. Low-growing flowers tend to grow, which means you need to regularly thin out plantings so that they do not “clog” neighbors. The soil must be loosened and fertilized so that it does not turn out that your flowers were left without watering, mineral replenishment, or simply could not break through the stone soil.
Cut back plants that have faded, especially if they have a single stem. Thus, you will get rid of the sadly protruding dried stem that spoils the appearance of the flower garden. Do the same with dried or yellowed leaves or at the end of autumn, before wintering. After pruning, the flower bed should be insulated with lutrasil, laid out in two layers.
Video “A selection of several options for a flower bed”
Video compilation for gardeners.
