Attention gardeners: What flowers to plant in a 25 x 40 flower garden?

My husband's father is very sick so he is off to see him every weekend leaving the garden planting to me this year (a first). I want it to be fantastic! We live in Nebraska to help with zones. I love petunias, and am looking for another flower or two to go with them. I really like the "row" look of a bed, not a jungle of flowers. Would appreciate your info as well as sites with pictures! Thanks!
Attention gardeners: What flowers to plant in a 25 x 40 flower garden?
Start a compost pile! Add it each year.

Never let new plants dry out, let them get established before you neglect them! :)



Learn your climate- what zone you're in.



color combination depends on what look and feel you want to create- if it is a front bed and close to the street, plant softer colors as bright colors make a bed stand out more and make it seem closer. i personally like to combine orange and purple, yellow and blue. if you don't want a big mix of colors, make sure your not purchasing a 'mix', get flowers of one color and group them. if you like a row type look make sure you plant the taller flowers toward the back- if it is an island type bed (no wall behind it) plant the tallest in the center.



I personally would start with perennials that are easy care. go to a nursery to get advice on easy care plants. with perennials you get more bang for the buck because they come back every year :) make sure you put the right plant in the right place, i.e full sun, shade, etc. also get plants that have the same needs and group the same plant together in clumps of 3's or 5's. towards the edges I'd put some annuals (one season plant) that way you can put something different in every year for variety, and during the colder part of the year you'd have some color if you use annuals that like cooler weather such as pansies.



whatever you do, start small. start in one corner of the bed add some perennials at proper spacing for when they are mature- and build it every year. pick some perennials that blooms in spring (say columbine) and some that bloom in the other seasons for color throughout the year. don't be afraid to mix it up! put in a small shrub if the bed is big enough.



if it is a new bed- don't dig down, go up! check out a book called Lasagna Gardening.- if you decide to dig down, get some heat wraps for your back :)...before you start!



Go get some books at your library to find what flowers you like and remember a garden is one thing that if you don't like what you've done- start over or redo it! Not too many things in life you can say that about! Good luck and good gardening!



Hope this helps-Have fun!
Reply:A lot of what you plant depends on if your garden is in full sun, partial sun, or full sun. Is the bed out in the open or is one edge of it against the house? If so, you want to plant taller flowers in the back and lower ones in the front. Petunias make a great border flower. Behind that you could add some begonias which are also hardy flowers, but a bit taller and then perhaps some zenias with tall cosmos in the back or sunflowers. If your garden is out in the open with all four sides exposed, you might wish to put the tallest flowers in the center then graduate down in size on the four sides. Whatever you choose to plant, dig a hole, pray and hope mother nature is cooperative and I'm sure you'll have a garden that is absolutely beautiful.
Reply:Petunias are nice, but they are low-growing You will also want other things around them unless you want a low growing garden in total. How about some wildflowers for your area? Rudbeckia, cornflowers, poppies. Easy to grow and also lovely.
Reply:You can mix any number of annuals and perennials as well as bulbs. Right now is the time to plant lily bulbs. These guys will bloom for two weeks in late June -early July. Plant "Stargazer", The cent from these lilies will perfume a room and sweeten up the garden air to knock your sock off. Now is a great time to plant dahlias. They come in mind boggling sizes, styles and colors. Alistromeria's is also called Peruvian Lily and bloom late may - June. I just love zinnias for summer blooms thru the whole summer. The best of all annuals. Get the "Cut and Come", zinnias they will bush out to 2x3 feet by end of summer and bloom till the first frost as will marigolds. Then of course you could go with some huge wispy stripped grasses like zebra stripe and porcupine. Pennistimon for height to give the eye a rest from the long single type rows this red grass would be a nice punctuation rest stop for the eye. Also mixing in viburnums and petunias for ground covers, will look like a river of flowers by summers end, blocking out weeds. Add a few globe artichoke plants for their gray green frilly leaf color, height and vase shape. You'll be glad you did and you can eat them by August.

Also check with your local nursery to see what other plants and colors appeal to your fancy. Visit some of your local public gardens for visualization of rows planted in the style you like. Or try something new and be creative. Remember there is no right or wrong. It's your garden and your the only one you have to impress.Good Luck.
Reply:Hi:

There are many types of flowers that you could put in rows in a garden. Petunias are annuals and will die out after the growing season. Decide if you want a mixture of annuals and perennials or one or the other.



Preparing your soil is as important as planting the garden. I am a landscaper and designer and recommend to my clients the plan - prep and plant method. I will link you to this page of my website. It is an easy method to use for any style garden.



I will link you to the gallery of plants section also. This section has a page on annual flowers and a page on perennial flowers. There are also different plants you could use, including herbs in your garden. Many herbs have wonderful flowers throughout the year. I will link you to the spices and herb section and you can see some varieties that may work for you. I will also link you to the site map, as this page has everything that is on the website. Browse through and see if you can find any other information, tips or techniques that may help you with your first garden. If you need any further suggestions, please feel free to contact me. I am sorry to hear about your father-in-law. Have a great day!

Kimberly



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