Flower beds?

Question

I want to have a small flower bed in my garden but am useless at gardening.

I'd like some low maintinance colourful flowers therefore to brighten things up. What can you recomend?

Answer 1

I am seriously disabled, and the following are the very low maintenance plants that have won me over.

"Hardy" geraniums (pinks,blues,white) you can't go wrong with them. Long flowering periods, winter hardy, pest free and drought tolerant. They benefit from cutting back in autmn, but it isn't strictly necessary. They can be split and will self-propergate readily, so ask around and you may get some freebies.

Pinks are very reliable, (dead heading will encourage more flowering). They are aviable in different colours and have some lovely scents.

Coreopsis, (yellow). If they like your garden they behave like pinks, but its a matter of luck. Cheap though

Chives(purple) and oriental chives(white). When the chives have flowered, just top the whole plant. They will spread and flower at least once more. The whole plant is edible as well.

Wallflowers. (all colours, reds are most hardy) If your bed is shaded and has some wind protection wallflowers are excellent. May need a littlte watering in summer.

Polyanthus, front of the borders only.

Ornamental nettles. Quicker growing than geraniums but less colourful and less predictable.

Feverfew. (daisy-like flowers and bright leaves). Prefers some shade. Self-propergates.

Poppies. Scatter seed and then they'll seed themselves.

You could also fill the border with a couple of small shrubs. Hebes, hydrangeas and tree peonys are what I grow. They will take a couple of years to reach a good size.

Pineapple mint. For its verriagated foiliage.

French Marigolds are a good annual, if you put slug pellets down occassionally as well. Again pinch off any dead flowers to encourage more.

The most reliable daffs/narcissus are minature ones called "tete a tete". They've produced beautiful classic yellow flowers every spring for over a decade, for me.

Answer 2

I am from the Northeast so, no, it is not too late up here, maybe a little tooo early. I have 5 flower beds. I mix in a few evergreens so the beds look good all year round. I mixed in nice top soil, with peet moss and a little manure (the kind you buy at a home supply store does not smell as bad) ALWAYS WEAR GLOVES WHEN MIXING SOIL... A little tip I put in some potting soil also as it makes things grow bigger and feeds a little better. Read all the packages of the flowers or bulbs you buy, the package will tell you when to plant and when to expect blooms. To help with the weed control, before planting spread the black plastic weed control landscaping fabric. It does not cost a lot and it is SOOO time saving rather than picking weeds all the time. Then cut a large x where you want to plant the flowers/schrubs and plant then put mulch all around the plants and water, water, water and feed with fertilizer. It sounds like a lot, but it really does not take that long, and the rewards are SOOO worth it. Also, a great family project. My 11 year old son loves to help and my daughter is only 8 months old and I have had her out in things already. Good luck and happy growing :-)

Answer 3

Always put down a black cover so the weeds will be next to nothing. Try some bulbs for early flowers like hiacinths, daffodils, tulips then after they go some good perinniels that always come back such as pintas, vinca, daisies, miniture canna lillies, day lillies, even miniature sunflowers are fun. For a good filler use some cedar chips or pine chips or even colored rock. If you are in hot climate try the succulent family and some cacti with the white rocks or colored rocks or mix.
Annuals only bloom for that season but are fun if you have time to plants every year or add something different each season. Mondo grass is a good border plant. The miniature mondo grass if flower bed is small.

Answer 4

It depends on what growing zone you live in. I think you could do a search online and find your zone and probably lots of info, but if not, go and find The Sunset Western Garden main book that costs about $25, and sit down in the store and handle it with care and look up info about your zone, this book is like the gardeners bible Without good soil nothing grows much, so if you don't have good soil consider pots and raised beds

Answer 5

What you could do is clear the grass away, then see what grows naturally. I know this seems like it won't result in anything particularly wonderful - but if you concentrate on keeping thugs at bay - remove two-thirds of anything that looks like it wants to take over, and all of anything that's spiky or poisonous, or which you think 'lowers the tone' - you'll probably end up with a decent mix of plants that are native or naturalised.

We have vetch, clover, self-heal, sorrel, buttercups, daisies, dandelions, dock, fox and cubs (the flower, not the fauna!) at the moment - all we do is keep the grass from taking over again, pull up thistles, and trim anything that's gone over, to make room for the next month's stuff to flourish.

Helen

Answer 6

Pansies, marigolds, lobeliaand petunias are all low mantinance flowers which should brighten up your garden and they are bedding plants so they wont grow huge

Answer 7

Begonias, petunias, pansies,bizzie lizzies, allysum, lobelia, marigolds, daisies,roses,
I got all these in my garden, i keep forgetting to water and feeed them and they all seeem to be doing well, except where the puppy dug them up!

Answer 8

Go to your local garden centre and they will advise what plants to buy.

Answer 9

Fuscias and geraniums are really nice to look at but not too difficult to look after.

Answer 10

Bizy lizzies are not hard to look after and they come in all nice shades.