Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Gardening

How to plant flowers like a seasoned gardening pro

By

Gardening can be a bit intimidating with all of the soils, plants, fertilizers, seeds, and more. So, when it comes to starting a flower garden of your own, there can be a lot to consider. Luckily, with some tips, tricks, and planning, you will be a gardening pro in no time. From lush flower gardens to intricate potted plants, you’ll have no problem growing and caring for all kinds of beautiful, lively blooms.

How do you start a flower garden for beginners?

Growing a lush, vivid flower garden right in your own backyard can be a truly rewarding experience. With all of the different options available, it is definitely a time to be creative and let your personality shine. So, if you’re ready to create a beautiful flower garden, check out these tips and methods for the best results.

How to plant flowers
Iryna Inshyna/Shutterstock
  • Stock up on the right tools. Having the right gardening tools can make a huge difference when you’re ready to get down in the dirt. With each one having its own purpose, these essential tools can be a game changer when it comes to gardening: Trowel, spade shovel, bow rake, hoe, hand rake, watering can or hose, and weed eater.
  • Pick flowers that make sense. Although it is easy to get distracted by the stunning beauty of a certain flower, it is important to ensure that it makes sense in your garden. If there is a particular flower that is a must have, you should select that flower and then choose other flower types that will complement it and work with it. A key thing to note is that flowers planted in the same garden bed should have similar needs when it comes to sunlight, soil type, and watering patterns.
  • Find the perfect spot. If you select a certain type of flowers that love full sun, full shade, or part sun, it is important to put them in an accommodating location. When finding the ideal spot you should consider exposure to sunlight, soil type, and the sightline from your windows for the best view.
  • Prep the ground. Most of the time, the soil that is already existing in your yard is not the ideal soil type for your flowers. Topsoil is the best type for most flower varieties, but you can do research on your specific plant types for the best soils. To prep the ground, you can dig a deep hole outlining your garden bed. Fill the hole with a fertilizer and soil mix to create the perfect living environment for your flowers.
  • Introduce your plants to their new home. Once you pick the right spot, the right flowers, and the right soil, you are ready to plant your flowers. For most perennials, you can typically plant them during any time of year, with the best times being in the fall or spring. For annual flowers, the best time to plant is late spring or early summer.
  • Get the watering schedule down. Once your plants are in the ground and flourishing, it’s helpful to have a consistent watering schedule to ensure they have enough. You can either use sprinklers with timers or hand water with a hose or watering can.
  • Maintain all of your hard work. After you spent so much time and energy getting your flower garden looking beautiful, it is important to maintain it. To do this, you can change out mulch, pull up weeds, and water your plants for an efficient flower garden.
Recommended Videos

What months are best to plant flowers?

Timing is everything when it comes to planting flowers. It can mean the difference between a failed crop and a flourishing one for many flower types. While some flowers are hardy and can withstand planting during any season, most do best when you stick to these general rules.

Related

Perennial flowers that return each spring with vibrant blooms do best when planted in the spring or fall season.
Annual flowers that flourish once during the year and then die, do best when planted in warm months like late spring or early summer.

When in doubt, springtime is the most successful period of time for planting most flowers.

Kostenko Maxim/Shutterstock

How long does it take to grow flowers from seeds?

Though it differs slightly based on the type of flower, most flowers take about 95 days or about three months to grow from a seed.

If you are looking for flowers that grow a bit quicker, say around two months, you can check out these options:

  • Sunflowers
  • Petunias
  • Poppies
  • Cornflowers
  • Nigella
  • Sweet alyssum

What are the easiest flowers to grow from seed?

While pretty much any flower can be grown from a seed and turned into a vivid, bright bloom, these top options are easy and quick to grow, making them great picks for your homegrown flower garden:

  • Calendula
  • Columbine
  • Cosmos
  • Four o’clocks
  • Morning glories
  • Marigolds
  • Sunflowers
  • Sweet alyssum
  • Moss rose

As you can see, growing your own flower garden isn’t as intimidating as it may appear. You can enjoy a variety of stunning colors all spring and summer with the right tips, tricks, and methods. Staying prepared and planning ahead is always the best way to ensure a successful garden. With the right tools, soils, flowers, and locations, you’ll see that creating your own flourishing blooms is highly achievable.

Editors’ Recommendations

Topics
HappySprout Contributor
HappySprout Contributor
How to find the best grass seed for your yard’s needs
A guide to choosing the right grass seed for a healthy lawn
Green grass lawn

If you love the look of a lush green lawn but don’t have one, the easiest and most affordable way to get one is with grass seed. There are tons of options, from classics like tall fescue and Kentucky bluegrass to more interesting ornamental grasses. Which type of grass seed should you choose, though? To help you find the best grass seed for you, we’ll break the answer down to three categories: Warm-season grasses, cool-season grasses, and nontraditional grasses. No matter what type on environment you live in, we'll set you up for a successful lawn with this guide!
Give grass the right growing conditions

Light
All lawn grass needs sunlight to grow into a thick, healthy, deeply rooted lawn. Most grasses need a minimum of six hours of direct sunlight. Even the types sold as “shade tolerant” require at least four hours. Consider other alternatives, like shade-loving ground covers or low-growing perennials, for densely shaded areas.
Moisture
Grass also needs adequate moisture. During the growing season, it needs about an inch of water per week combined total of rainfall and irrigation. Some grasses are considered drought-tolerant, which simply means they will turn brown and go dormant when there’s not enough moisture. In arid locations, dry climate alternatives to traditional grass lawns are a more sustainable landscape choice.
Soil
Soil conditions are equally important to growing healthy lawn grass. These grasses grow best in an aggregate mixture of sand, silt, and clay. This type of soil drains excess water easily, but it retains enough to act as a reservoir between rains. Marginal soils can be improved with organic matter by leaving the grass clippings on the lawn after mowing and occasionally top dressing the lawn with compost. Fertilizer and lime help to supply the required additional nutrients.
Which brands offer the best grass seed?

Read more
What to plant in Zone 10a: A complete gardening guide
Plants and their growing schedules for this zone
Woman reading book by plants

Consisting of the southernmost parts of the U.S., zone 10a is a rich region for a wide range of plants. While you might need to keep an eye out for your tender herbs and cold-loving plants, many flowers, succulents, and plants can thrive in zone 10a's warm temperature outdoors. That doesn't narrow things down much, so how do you choose the best plants for your garden, and when should you start planting them? This zone 10a planting guide will answer all your questions so you can successfully plan the garden of your dreams.
What is a climate zone? 

With the Plant Hardiness Zone Map, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has divided the country into 13 different climate zones based on average annual minimum temperature ranges. Zone 1 has the coolest temperatures, while zone 13 has the warmest ones.

Read more
5 incredible plants for rock gardens: Consider these options
Start your rock garden with these fun plants
Stonecrop in a rock garden

Rocks gardens are a simple way to design a garden with visual interest, especially if you live in an area where keeping a lawn full of grass alive is challenging. Rocks gardens are often home to drought-tolerant plants, as they most commonly mimic desert or mountainous environments. Easy to set up and simple to maintain, the only question left is what will you plant in it? There are many options, but if you want to know where to start, then you’re in the right place! This list of a few of our favorite plants for rock gardens will help you start to plan your very own gorgeous rock garden.
What types of plants grow best in rock gardens?

Rock gardens are best suited for drought-tolerant plants that can grow in poor, rocky soil. While you can grow other types of plants in a rock garden, it will take more effort on your part. Mixing compost into soil that’s full of rocks can be tricky, for example, so growing plants that need rich soil is more challenging.

Read more