Blooming Year-Round: How to Plan an Annual Garden

While 50% of surveyed gardeners say that gardening helps them relax, it’s easy to be intimidated by the thought of planning an annual garden when you’re just a beginner and your thumb is hardly green. But designing an annual garden is nothing to be scared of even if you have a minimal amount of garden supplies. Annuals make for a great addition to any flower garden, and you don’t have to be intimidated choosing which ones to plant.

To help you through the planning process, here are some of the key steps involved in creating a gorgeous annual flower bed every year.

Know your soil and sunlight

One of the reasons why beginning gardeners become overwhelmed when starting their gardens is because there are so many annuals available to them. You might feel torn between certain colors or plant sizes.

To help you narrow your focus when choosing annuals, consider your soil. Different flowers bloom in different soil types. That said, make sure you’re testing your soil before you plant anything whether it’s an already-grown plant or a seed. By planning ahead of time and knowing your soil, you can properly amend it to balance nutrients for plant growth.

It’s also a good idea to consider the amount of sun and rain that your area gets. Certain plants, like roses, thrive in direct sunlight while others shrivel up and die. You want to choose the plants that will thrive the most in your local climate.

Know which colors you want

Now that you’ve narrowed down the types of annuals that will grow well in your soil, you can narrow down your options even further by choosing the colors you like. Some gardeners like to plant only warm colors like red, orange, and yellow. Others prefer to plant only cool colors like green, blue, and violet.

But it’s worth your while to consider planting both warm colors and cool colors. By planting both, you create a sense of balance when guests look at your garden. It’s recommended to plant larger amounts of cool-colored plants to balance out warmer colors. Plant smaller amounts of warm-colored plants to subdue them.

Add height and interest

Now that you’ve chosen the colors that you like for your annual garden, you can get started on the actual layout of the garden. By layering your flowers from the tallest to the shortest, you can create greater interest.

If you’re aiming for flowers that grow in vines or bushes, it’s best to plant these flowers towards the back. Plant shorter flowers such as pot marigolds closer to the front.

Looking for garden supplies to get your annual garden started? We’ve got you covered. Schwartz’s Greenhouse garden center is open, so stop by, and you’ll find all of your gardening supplies so that you can get everything you need whether it’s annuals, perennials, or vegetables. For more information about what you need to start an annual garden, contact Schwartz’s Greenhouse today.