Planting a flower garden is not only a great way to spruce up your backyard, it’s also a calming outdoor hobby that can help relieve the stress of day-to-day life.1 In the southern states, planting a garden full of perennials is a great way to keep your yard looking beautiful and in bloom all year long.
Preparing Your Flower Garden
Before you begin your garden, you’ll have to prep an area of your yard for planting. You can use a garden hose to help define the edges of your garden while you prep. Depending on what you’re clearing out of your garden, it may be most cost effective to clear the area by hand, but it will take some elbow grease! If you use this method, make sure you’re removing as little soil as possible. The first couple inches of soil are the most fertile and beneficial for your new garden. You can also choose to use an herbicide or a method of smothering grass and weeds, but these processes can take weeks to months before the ground is ready for planting.2
Pentas
If you’re looking to plant something that is low maintenance and easy to grow, then pentas is the flower for you! Its flowers bloom in colors of red, pink, lavender and white, and is known for attracting butterflies and hummingbirds. Plant pentas in sun or light shade in well-drained soil. It will grow up to 4’ as a rounded, sprawling shrub and is very drought tolerant. 3, 4
Mexican Heather
This flower is a great for an edging flower in your garden, as well as for providing groundcover. These small, lavender and white flowers attract both bees and butterflies while providing a shiny green accent to your garden. Mexican heather will grow approximately 18” tall but can spread out as much as 30” over time. Be sure to plant this flower where it will get plenty of sun and heat in well-drained soil. 3, 4
Blue Daze
Another beautiful groundcover for your garden is Blue Daze, or evolvulus. These beautiful blue flowers need little maintenance and watering outside of normal rainfall. They grow upright anywhere from from 6”- 2’ in a wide range of soils and thrive in the sun. You’ll enjoy these flowers if you are a morning person, as they open in the morning and are mostly closed by noon. 3, 4
Blue Salvia
This violet flower is known to bloom mostly in spring, summer, and fall, but also has some winter blooms. You’ll want to plant this flower in well-drained soil in a hot, sunny location. These flowers can grow from to 2-5’ and attract bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds. 3, 4
Verbena
This colorful flower can be found in varieties of red, purple, white, blue and pink. Also known as “Tears of Isis,” verbena is happiest with lots of sun and well-drained soil. It can be planted as an annual or a perennial and attract bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds. Some varieties can grow as tall as 3’, though most will grow from 6-8”. Be sure to give these flowers the care they demand to keep them from burning up. They require approximately 1” of water a week and need cut back at least twice each season.3, 5
2. https://www.bhg.com/gardening/landscaping-projects/landscape-basics/how-to-prep-a-flowerbed/
3. http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/mg035
4. http://www.costafarms.com/get-growing/slideshow/best-flowers-for-florida-gardens
