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Whether you’re designing a small backyard or designing your front yard, planning the perfect garden – or expanding an existing garden – is both exciting and overwhelming.
Maintaining a garden is like painting: you start with a blank slate and apply colors and textures. But unlike painting, no garden is ever truly finished.
Like all living things, your garden needs regular care and will evolve and change over time. Whether you’re looking to plant a brand new flower bed or have a more mature garden that could use some sprucing up, there are plenty of ways to update your garden with our flower bed ideas.
How to start planning a garden bed
The first thing you need to consider is what type of light you have so you can choose the right types of plants. Observe your garden throughout the day and determine how much light the areas you want to use each day get. Most plants are listed as requiring full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight per day), partial sun (about half), or full shade (little or no direct sunlight).
Of course, this changes slightly over the course of the growing season. Sunny areas in spring may be shaded by deciduous trees later in the year or receive more sunlight as the days become longer and the sun is higher in the sky. Also remember that the morning sun is milder, while the blazing afternoon sun is the most intense.
When choosing a garden plan, remember that you can and should think about how the space will look in all four seasons. One way to achieve this is to combine annual flowers that bloom at different times with perennials. (Learn more about the differences between annuals and perennials here.) Adding shrubs and small trees can take your flower bed from average to stunning.
Don’t forget to layer your plants too! Placing taller plants at the back and lower plants at the front will add depth and privacy to your garden.
