The idea of starting a flower garden does not occur naturally to all of us, but we all can agree that flowers add a pop and natural sleek display to a home that would otherwise be impossible to achieve.
The sight of the verdure all fresh and healthy, flowers in full bloom, and the scent of fresh flowers that permeates the air breathes a springtime feel to your home, shaking off the dullness and transforming your outdoor space from boring to “wow!”.
But a flower garden does more than just boost your curb and give your landscape a kick. What it also does is increase the value of your home. And we’re not speaking small figures.
Landscaping is one of the home improvement projects with some of the best return on investment, able to add up to 12.7% in value to your home, which amounts to thousands of dollars, according to SF Gate.
And unlike other projects like overhauling the roof or adding a swimming pool, a project like flower gardening doesn’t have to cost a fortune.
So, if you’re done with the hassle of settling after your interstate or local moving exploits and planning to start a flower garden – or maybe you’ve decided to spruce up your old abode – we have some great, simple ideas to kick you off.
- Flower garden bed around the house
A flower garden bed around the house has been one of the most common ideas over the years, no matter where you go. And for good reason.
A flower garden bordering the house wraps your home in a joyful atmosphere that lifts the spirits every time. To achieve that, though, you need perennial flowers as they bloom throughout the summer and always come back each year without fail.
Pink begonias make for a nice pick, ideally with a serpentine border and smaller white begonias edging them. You can add some tall orange canna lilies and barberries to break the monotony of pink, as well as miscanthus grass and boxwood, albeit discreetly.
But feel free to play with designs and colors of your choice depending on what most appeals to you. It’s your garden, you should do it as you fancy!
- Large oblong flower bed
If space is not a problem, you can go it big with a huge, oblong flower bed.
This is one of the flower gardens that can add significant value to a home, but given the size of it, it’s usually advisable to let a professional handle it – unless you’re pretty good at the craft yourself.
- Hanging flower bed garden
But who said only those with sprawling spaces can add a flower garden to their outdoor spaces?
A hanging flower bed garden doesn’t take up ground space – other than on the walls of the external sides of your home, of course – which makes it a feasible idea for most types of homes.
These “hanging gardens of Babylon” (sorry, couldn’t resist that one!) can involve a mix of your favorite flowers that do well in planters. When it’s bloom season, you’ll absolutely love what you see.
- Blend tulips with annuals and perennials
The good thing with this idea is that it can be used in both large and decent-sized spaces, although it works best in the former due to the need to space things out – not to mention, the larger, the merrier in this case.
Lay a base of short, low-growing annuals and perennials (salvia, catnip, daylily etc.) and blend them with differently-colored tulips (red and yellow, for instance, or black and white) spacing out the flowers so that the tulips stand taller.
This idea is perfect for those who want great aesthetics (and who doesn’t!) but with little maintenance.
However, warmer climates may not favor the tulips.
- Flower garden along the window
Lastly, this idea is another that anyone should find workable, whether you’re short of space or an abundance of it.
It involves hanging planters attached to your windows, a look that slicks up the house, with the flowers making for nice lower borders when viewed from the inside.
You can find planters at your local hardware store at good prices, but make sure to fix them well.
As well, when deciding the type of flowers to place in your planters, consider the direction the sun will be facing as you don’t want them to take a battering.