Incorporate Flowers into Your Yard in 5 Creative Ways

Flowers add more than just color to your yard. They can bring texture, drama, sophistication, charm, elegance, or intrigue to your landscape, so it’s important to choose plants that reflect your style and taste. With the multitude of choices available, it can be hard to figure out where to start. Keep reading to find out how you can increase the flower power in your yard with our garden landscaping ideas.

Finding the Right Flowers

It’s easy to get inspired by the images of gardens lush with colorful flowers and plants, but realistically, you may not be able to successfully incorporate those same plants into your yard. The best strategy is to first determine your hardiness zone, which can be done by using the United States Department of Agriculture’s Plant Hardiness Zone Map. Simply enter in your zip code, and you will be given the hardiness zone number that corresponds to your area.
Once you have your hardiness zone number, you can then determine which plants are most likely to thrive in your area. To do this, visit the National Gardening Association’s website, which has a Plant Finder search option that allows you to search for different types of flowers based on your hardiness zone. You can also change the search parameters to fit your yard’s light level and moisture requirements.

Creating a Stunning Landscape

The beauty of a well-manicured yard bursting with perfectly placed flowers is undeniable, but how do you turn your ordinary plot of land into a picturesque garden? You’ve already taken the first step—knowing which flowers thrive in your area is essential for determining what you can plant—but before you reach for a pair of gloves and a spade, you should learn more about the different types of flowers you can add to your landscape.

Annuals, Biennials, and Perennials. If you’ve walked through your local nursery, you are bound to have come across annuals, biennials, and perennials. As the names suggest, annuals have a life cycle that lasts for a year, biennials live for two, and perennials last for more than two years. To learn more, check out our blog Annuals vs. Perennials: What’s Best for Your Yard?. The flower types below will come in annual, biennial, or perennial varieties. Make sure that you pick the right variety for your garden.

1. Bulbs. Perhaps the most popular varieties of bulbs are tulips and daffodils. They are available in annual, biennial, and perennial varieties, and they flower in the spring, summer, and fall. Bulbs come in a variety of colors and species, look best when planted in clusters, and serve as a great complement to other flowers.

   Best places for bulbs: containers or along walkway or garden borders

2. Vines and Climbers. Flowering vines and climbers can add an element of romance and charm to your yard and help to soften hardscapes. Morning glories and sweet peas produce beautiful flowers in a number of different colors. Honeysuckles produce a sweet fragrance and are great for enticing hummingbirds.

   Best places for vines and climbers: a pergola, trellis, fence, or arbor

3. Groundcover. Groundcover is a great way to imitate the look of a lush forest floor. While its versatility is certainly attractive, the low maintenance of groundcover plants like geraniums, clover, and alfalfa makes them a prime choice for the novice gardener. Groundcover is typically used to fill in bare spots, but some homeowners choose to use it in place of grass since it doesn’t require mowing or watering.

   Best places for groundcover: bare spots, steep slopes, in between stepping stones, or around trees

4. Shrubs. Flowering shrubs produce beautiful blooms, and you shouldn’t have any difficulty finding the right ones for your yard because they come in a variety of colors and sizes. Shrubs are also great for adding fullness to your garden, and some varieties provide year-round color. Hydrangea are a popular choice for both southern and northern gardeners, and there are several different varieties to pick from.

   Best places for shrubs: spots that need added fullness

5. Trees. A flowering tree can be a captivating sight in spring—so much so that many festivals are dedicated to their gorgeous buds. Adding one to your front yard garden is sure to brighten your lawn with color year after year. Magnolia trees are popular in warm climates and emit a sweet fragrance when the blossoms bloom. A flowering crabapple tree produces fragrant white, pink, or red flowers in the spring and yellow, orange, or red apples in the fall—providing a double dose of color throughout the year.

   Best places for trees: depending on the type, along property borders, in spots surrounding the home, or stand-alone in a front yard or backyard

There are numerous ways for you to incorporate flowers into your front or backyard. While there are only five types of flowering plants outlined in this blog, within those five types, there are a multitude of options available to you. A weekend spent between your local nursery and yard could yield a beautiful landscape for spring. But if your dream landscape requires an overhaul of your current lawn, then consider hiring a professional landscaper who can ensure that you get the picturesque yard that you desire.