“Earth laughs in flowers.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

 Hello, my friends.    Let's talk about flowers today.  

A couple of weeks ago, we talked about getting your beds ready for the season.  Hopefully you've done so, and if not, go back and read the blog from March 21, to give you ideas on how to have a super healthy bed.  

Now you want your beds to be weed free, so make sure you prepare before you plant.   The problem we are going to run into is that for any chemicals or organic, safe weed killers we do use, they run the risk of killing your flowers and plants instead.   The best way to keep weeds out of your garden is to prevent them from getting there in the first place, and then keeping an eye on the bed.  

After your bed is ready, put down a good landscaping fabric.  You can buy them in different thicknesses, and the thicker your fabric, the better deterrent they are to weeds.  Now don't just plop the fabric down on top of the weeds and hope that the lack of sunlight will kill them.  Some weeds are far too sneaky, and far too aggressive for that.   Make sure your weeds are gone first, then lay the fabric.  Also - don't assume that you're finished with weeds.  You'll need to keep an eye on your garden, and if you do see weeds, you can pluck them out.   

Next is the fun part - flowers!   We here in north Alabama are in Zone 8A.  Look for flowers that do well in our zone.   I'm going to give you a few ideas, but please - either ask me or do your own homework.  Don't rely on big box stores with garden centers.  They are usually told what to sell by corporate, and they don't take into consideration our screaming hot sun in the dead of summer.  

You want to slope your flower bed height, starting with taller flowers in the back, and the shorter ones in the front.   I'm going to give you a couple of examples, but these are not my beds.   These images are used to give you an idea of what I'm talking about. 

This image is an example of sloping the taller flowers in the back, down to the shorter ones in the front.   You obviously don't want to put small flowers in the back, because you'll never see them! 

Now this is an example of a free-standing flower bed, set apart from your house.    The same rules apply, but this time, the taller flowers are in the center, sloping down to the outside, where the smaller ones are. 

When choosing flowers,  there are so many things to keep in mind.   First of all, do you want perennials?  They come back every year.   You may just want annuals, which usually last only one year.  

Good examples of perennials that do well in our climate? 

Irises

Lupine

Peonies

Russian Sage

Yarrow

These will come back every year if they are taken care of.  These guys do well in full sun, and also have varying heights, so you can build a flower bed with these, and it will look fabulous.  

Let me add my favorite flower - it's a perennial called hyacinth.  It's beautiful, and comes in pinks, purples, whites, and blues.  It's very tall, so it would do fabulously in the back of your flower garden, and the scent will knock you out!  

These are just a few examples of flowers that will do wonderfully in your bed.  

OK now once you have your fabric laid down, and your flowers planted, next you want to mulch.  Mulch also helps tamp down your weeds.  Also, make sure you (or your lawn maintenance professional) edge well around your beds, if they aren't hardscapes.  Edging helps keeps the weeds at bay as well.  

And that's it - that's the beginning of what could be a beautiful flower bed that will make your neighbors jealous!    Just make sure your plants stay well watered (early morning or late evening), and keep an eye out for any weeds.

Feel free to email me at grumpytoadlawncare@gmail.com if you have any questions about what will or will not work in your bed.   I'll be glad to help you!

Happy planting, y'all!  🎕