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Tips on Designing a Flower Garden

• Before You Start Planting
  
  • Spend researching the best types of flowers for your area. Some flowers will only produce flowers in certain climates.
  • Make a rough drawing of your garden and sketch in where you want your flowers to go. Straight lines give a more formal look; curving edges have a less formal look and can give your garden bed the illusion of being longer than it really is.
  • Sunlight - Different plants require different amounts of light. Most plants prefer full sun (6 or more hours of direct sun each day). Others need full- or part-shade. Some plants may grow perfectly in the shade but flower better in full sun. The flowers that you choose will depend on how much sun your garden gets.
• Flower Bed Size
  It is better to have a wide garden. You should try to make your garden at least five to six feet wide if you have the available space. This gives you the opportunity to plant in a layered look and include flowering trees and shrubs.
• Plant in Groups
  Plant three, five, seven, or more of the same plant. Planting just a single plant of each type of flower will make your garden look disorganized. Except for the largest plants, plant in odd-numbered groupings (or drifts) or three or more.
• Pay Attention to Height, Color and Blooming Time
  Try to choose plants that flower at varying times (both annual and perennial) of the year and that offer a wide variety of colors, textures and fragrances. A flower garden should have about one-third of its plants in bloom at any given time.
  Also plant taller annuals or perennials in the back of the bed, fillers in the middle of the bed, and the short edgers in the front of the bed.
  
• Space
  Make sure each individual plant has enough space. Place each plant as far apart as its ultimate spread when fully grown. If your plant grows 18 inches wide, it should be 18 inches from its neighbor.
• Use Repetition
  Repeat plants, colors and textures in different parts of your garden.
• Have a Focal Point
  You can have a gate, bench or a statue,