Choosing the Best Flower Garden Location

For large home estates and businesses, flower gardens are as much as part of the landscape and design as are the buildings. Some large corporations and sprawling manors pay landscape nurseries to tear out and replace entire flower gardens each season, in order to maintain consistent color schemes and patterns.

Most single-family dwellers do not have the luxury of replacing flower gardens every season. Knowledgeable gardeners save time, energy, and money by gathering information about the types of flowers that will grow best in their garden. Part of that research includes finding the best location for their flower garden, before buying plants or seeds, or turning the first shovel of dirt. If you choose the best location of your property to grow flowers, then you will most likely never have to relocate your flower bed. Some things to consider when choosing the best location for your flower garden are:

• Sunlight. The amount of sunlight your flowers require differs among species. If you are going to plant roses, then you need to choose a site that gets at least six hours of direct sunlight each day. If you like ferns or Hostas, they require at least 50% shade to grow optimally.
• Soil drainage. Knowing the rate at which your soil drains is crucial when planting a flower garden. If your soil is sandy, it will drain very fast. It will drain very slowly if your dirt is full of clay. The leading cause of death for flowering plants is poor soil drainage. When choosing a location for your flower garden, test the soil before planting and correct any issues.
• Water location. How far away is the water hose from your garden? Save time and energy by choosing a garden site close to a source of water, else you will find yourself trucking water to the garden by bucket or sprinkler can. If you plan on growing a very large flower garden, you could invest in a water irrigation system.
• Soil quality. Flowers grow best in slightly acidic soil, with a pH within the range of 6.5 to 7.2. Purchase a soil test kit from your garden center and follow the instructions to test your soil. If your findings determine that you need to adjust the pH levels of your soil, add lime to reduce alkaline or add sulfur to reduce acid. Retest your soil in two weeks and then adjust again, if necessary. Add compost to your soil regardless the pH levels.

Starting a flower garden can be fun and exciting. You can save yourself many hours of frustration, however, if you plan carefully and choose the best location to plant your flowers.