5 Questions To Answer When Planning A New Flower Bed

Before you start digging that new flower bed that you have been planning all winter, there are a few questions that you should ask yourself before you begin.

1.  Is this spot that I have in mind the right spot for the flower bed I want?

• The main consideration for the flower bed location is will it fit.  Double check the dimensions of the location with any blueprints or schematics that you may be using.  If you are just eyeballing the spot, then you can always increase or decrease the size as needed by adding or eliminating plants. 

• You should also check on how big the plants you want to incorporate will grow.  You don't want to have a plant that will become so large that it takes over the whole bed.

2.  Do I have the necessary conditions for the plants that I want to use?

• Specifically, you need to make sure you have the correct amount of sun or shade exposure.  You can monitor your planned location for a weekend to see how many hours of sun and shade that the location gets.  Plants that need full sun should get at least 6 hours of sunlight per day.

• Also check to see what growing zones your plants are rated for.

3.  Is my soil good enough to grow flowers?

• Very few soils are so poor that they will not grow anything.  If you are concerned that your soil is not good enough, you can take a sample to your local County Extension Office and have it tested.  When you get the test results back, it should include a course of action to correct any problems.

• The biggest problem you will probably face is poor drainage caused by hard packed dirt.  To fix this you should add in some organic matter (peat moss or compost) to improve aeration and drainage.

4.  Do I have the right pH and fertility?

• Again, if you are worried about the soil's pH you can have your soil tested.

• The soils fertility can be improved by adding a chemical fertilizer or by adding an organic fertilizer (well decomposed manure, barnyard or compost).

5.  What kind of plants do I want to plant?

• Annuals:  the good thing about annuals it that they are colorful, bloom quickly and for a long time; the downside is that you have to plant them every year and sometimes twice a year.

• Perennials:  the good thing about perennials is that you only have to plant them once; unfortunately, perennials typically require more maintenance and have a shorter bloom window.

• Having said all that, the two above bullets are generalities and there are exceptions to both.