Hi friends, today I'm sharing my top tips for planning and planting a gorgeous spring flower garden. Fall is officially here, which means it's time to start planning for a beautiful spring flower garden. Spring is my favorite season in the garden, and I spend many autumn days planning, preparing and planting next spring flower show. But before ordering my bulbs, here are a few things that I always think about in order to guarantee great results the following spring. My first tip is to pick a color palette. Interior designers often work with a color palette, which is a selection of colors chosen to give a room or home. A particular look, mood or style. This technique is equally effective in gardens and landscapes. One option is to choose a single color scheme, such as all pink, all white, or all purple. The effect is simple, and always has a big impact. You can also build your garden design around a pair of colors, such as pink and white, red and yellow, or my personal favorite orange and purple. Another approach is to use the color wheel to choose a harmony of several related colors, such as pink, lavender and burgundy, or yellow, orange and red. Last year I did two color palettes in the main flower walk. I started with early blooming, pink, triumtulups, and followed that with a show of midseason, orange and deep purple tulips. This year my color palette is purple and white, so I'm planting flaming flag, necum, negrida, and blue beauty tulips. Tip number two is to include different bloom times. From early blooming crocuses to late blooming aliums, the spring bulb season can stretch for as long as eight to ten weeks. When choosing your bulbs, be sure to include a few from each bloom time. Early midseason and late season. This way you'll have flowers and bloom for as long as possible. My spring gardening goal is to always have new blooms each week from early April through late May. So I plant early mid and late season daffodils which bloom first. The late daffodils overlap with the early tulips and the late tulips share the stage with the early aliums. This is a big investment. So I try to add a few new varieties each season as they work toward my goal of always having new blooms each week. Tip number three is to plant in large groups. Spring blooming bulbs look best when the plantings are generous and the bulbs are grouped together. Small bulbs such as sila or crocus could be planted in groups of 25 bulbs. But in my personal opinion, they look even better when planted by the hundreds. Tulips look best in groups of at least 12 bulbs. Daffodils and aliums can be planted in threes, but they can also be planted in groups of 7, 9, 11. That always looks fantastic. If you're just getting started with flower bulbs, plant more than what you think an area will call for. I order 400 tulips bulbs for the main flower block each fall and I fill each of my 4 by 8 raised beds with 450 tulips bulbs per cutting. You can push the space in closer than what's recommended on the package for bulbs that you plant a treat as annuals, but it's important to give perennial bulbs the space they require. Tip number four is to repeat shapes and colors. Landscapes are more pleasing and cohesive when the same plant or grouping of plants appears in multiple locations. Our eyes connect these similar shapes and colors into one scene rather than a collection of separate elements. Formal setting, plant and squares, rectangles or circles, for a more natural or informal look like what you see in my garden, try ovals, triangles, kidney shapes or a free form shape that fits the location. Tip number five is to plant both annual and perennial bulbs. Many spring bulbs including daffodils, sila and aliums and even mascara can be considered perennials. As they will return and bloom again every spring. In fact, most of these hearty bulbs will naturalize and multiply over time. However, tulips are often treated as annuals because they usually put on their best show the first spring after planting. Now in the right growing conditions which is full sun, well draining soil and a hot dry summer, some tulips such as Darwin hybrids will re- bloom for several years. However, if your goal is to have them most dramatic and beautiful spring flower display, plant new tulips every fall. Tip number six is to start with healthy large bulbs. As someone who heavily invest in their spring flower garden, I've seen my fair share of healthy large bulbs. Unfortunately, I've also seen and thrown out mushy, smelly and clearly diseased bulbs. So start with healthy bulbs from a reputable supplier. Generally speaking, the bigger the bulb, the bigger the plant and the more flowers you can expect from that bulb. I personally use long-field gardens as my flower bulb source. They've been the most consistent in terms of quality and size. And there's nothing worse than going to all the trouble of digging ditches and planting thousands of bulbs only to be disappointed in their performance the following spring. The moral of the story, healthy bulbs, healthy plants and flowers. Those are my top tips on planting and planting a beautiful spring flower garden. Please let me know what's your favorite spring color palette, what's your favorite tulip variety, or your favorite spring flower garden to visit. Tell me in the comments section below. If you've never been to long wood gardens in the spring to see their epic flower bulb display, please try and visit this year. Or if that's not possible, I'll put a garden tour I film there in the comments section below. I hope you have a wonderful day and I'll see you sometime soon. Bye!
When it comes to spring gardens, the selection of bulbs is crucial. Choosing the right bulbs can really transform your garden into a vibrant paradise. I remember planting tulips last year, and they brought so much joy to my front yard. It's like painting with nature's brush!