How to Plan a Flower Bed That Looks Good all Year

Today we thought we would answer one of the questions that we get asked quite a lot in our comments, is how to start a flower bed from scratch. We wanted to talk about layering, sort of the way that we've approached layering. We want to talk about flowering time, some plant combinations that have worked really well for us, textures, and then even a few surprises that we think keep the garden from looking too formal. That's true. So we actually have the very low one to start with here, the border plants, and then we have the middle one over here, and then way back over there, the white perennial there, is the the most highest one. But if we start with the border plants, the one you really see a lot, and they're also great at the ground cover, they are here, and they're around 30 to 40 centimeters high, a little bit depending, it variates here. But some of them that we do have here that's really nice in flower now, is this really nice Iberis, that is great for ground cover, takes out a lot of space. So we also, the the border ones here, give them a lot of space. For example, we have one here that also is really nice, the Sedum here, Touchdown Teak, really, really pretty. And another one that's also, we have some low Acalaia, and some Corpulea here, together with the Alunrol, that's really a nice around the corner, together with with the, also some of the the creeping Phlox here, and the Staudisilvie further up. So those are really nice for low ones. If we do a step up to the middle ones, for example, we have the Ernpreis right here, and then the height kind of jumps to around 60 centimeters on this one, and also the Phlox here, and behind that one we have the Jacobsti, so that's kind of like what we have here in the middle one. If we went, then jump all the way to the high ones, we more have like the the Sporberrian here, in a really nice white one, but we also have like in different parents come in so different colors, the same species too, but then there's a pink one. We have another Ernpreis, like the other one down there, but we have a much higher one. So we have a it's more in the in the high variety together with the Delphiniums further back here. So that's way how we we layer this kind of section, so it gives a very nice and actually very natural look with the low ones, then it comes up with the middle ones, and then further up to the high ones. Here's one of our newer flowerbeds. You can tell, I hope you can tell, maybe you can't, because we are not professional video people, but here we really didn't focus on sort of a middle, low, high system. We kind of went with perennials all the same height. That's true, and the reason is also because it's a very narrow flowerbed, and it's on our platform, on our wooden terrace here, so kind of look directly in. We have a little bit of low, but otherwise like I mentioned, it's mainly the same height, because we are more above the ground here. So for example, this Geranium here is kind of high. It's around the perennials. Most of them are here 60 to 70 centimeters high, and also next again that I had further in the other area over there, the Yagopstia together with some Monada and again Staudoselvii here. So they kind of give a good height here, and in the way in the back, we have some Lupines to give some good height here. So all these are really, and again, we kind of look at different varieties. We like to have a lot of flowers throughout the whole season, and we get that by kind of putting many different ones together, but and also just to mention this one, the Rosenkrau is kind of the same. I would also say around 70, actually almost at 80 this one, but average like 60 to I would say 70 is mainly the height here in this flowerbed here, because it's so narrow, and it really works really well with these ones. So in this section, you can really see the different laying we have in the perennials. Out right to the corner here, out to the border, is the Copiola that is around, let me just measure again, around 40 without the seed pods, because it's finished flowering, but a lot of them also just pretty with the seed pods, and then it comes up to a 60. But imagine it comes down, it's actually 35 without the flowers. And then right next to that one, going up to the Rolige here is 60, and then in the back, we have the Daulilje here. So the Daulilje is getting a little taller, around 70, and gives a nice middle height here. And then all the way to the back here, the Aftenstjerne, very towering height. See if I can measure here. I think it's above, maybe I guess 120. Man, I'm good. Around 130 actually, that's the total height here. But it gives really a good view of the different layering here, with a very low one, and the border here that you can really see a lot, and then the middle, and then the very high in the back. So here in this section, we have a very cute little porcelain splumps here, that's very low actually, around 20 centimeters, but actually without, if the flower is gone, it's also very, very cute. And then it's just like eight centimeters, very low. So it's also nice to have that on the border here, with a very, very low one, even though if it's not in flower, it's very pretty. And then kind of gradually comes up here to the Nellegro, the Geum, this is Scarlet Tempest, in this orangey color, very nice. So it's actually also low, but with the flower, it gets a good height here actually. And next to the, if you kind of jump to the next one, and also this Stauder Selvige Cardona is really nice, coming up here. And we have a Lupin here, Salmon Star, in the middle. Let me just see how tall that is. Around like 80 centimeters, I would say. And then we have also the Agalei Frustiane here, kind of in the towering here, in the middle of there, because in this flowerbed, you can kind of see it from both sides. So this one has also 130, just like some of the other higher ones in the other flowerbed. We have a little hole, if you might wonder why, why is the hole here? But I actually planted some Digitalis here, and they will kind of come up and give some really nice height in this area as well. Another really important thing that we've tried to do, believe it or not, is repetition. You may think, my goodness, we had someone, remember that Lars, the very first video we ever posted, we had somebody say, and not in a kind way, they said, it looks like you went to the planting store and bought one of every kind of plant. And the truth is, we did have one of every kind of plant, but we didn't go to the planting store. Haha, they're grown from seeds, divisions, and cuttings. So that person was half right. But the point is, we do have repetition in the garden, and that's really important to keep it from looking super chaotic. That's true. So, and actually one of them that we had before is this, the Copiel here. So I have it here, and then actually right over here, it's kind of coming again, doesn't necessarily have to be, could be further down the flower, but kind of repeated twice or three times or four times, depending on how long or how wide your flower bed is. So this one, we actually have one, two, we have it one more time further down in this one, three at the border, also depending if it's a middle perennial or a higher one, that would of course also be repeated throughout. And just the same with the Staudersalvie here, Ostfriesland, it's a lower variety. We have it here, and actually right next to me here again. So it's really like your eye really, you get drawn to the, okay, there's another of the same plant. So it's actually going to be repeated. And the same with a different variety, the much higher, the Cardona is here on the other side, and then actually right behind me over there, further down. So it's kind of draws your eyes to, okay, there's one of the same one, because they do flower at different times, some of these perennials. So it's really nice to have it repeated. And the same with the, if I'll just turn around to the white Sporebell in there, it's repeated there. And then actually also further down, let me see if I can show you, then actually over here. And this one is actually, funnily enough, not planned that it came here, and I actually left it when I saw it was also a Sporebellia. And that's also great about nature, it helps to do the, yeah, to repeat the perennials. You know, Lars, that's actually a very, Lars, that's actually a very good point, because where it comes up, it gives it that sort of more organic look, doesn't it? We have the same thing with the Mountain Cornflower. There's one in white. Yeah. Beautiful. And then if we'll come this way, we have it in blue, as well as in a dark purple. So right there next to Lars, is showing up in blue. And then over by our Raised Flowerbeds, you'll have to just trust me, it's over there, right here. So it's not necessarily in the same color always, but the variety or the species is here, but sometimes in a little bit different color. And you'll notice the same thing with Delphiniums, here they are. We've already seen them before. Lupines as well, we have them showing up in different places all over the garden. So it's that repetition. And if you are buying plants, if you're not growing them from seed and cuttings, and plants that you've divided, then maybe you can even get a better price when you buy more than one. Yeah. Blooming time is another thing to really keep in mind. For example, here in this little combination, we had this Phlox. And it flowered for such a long time. Beautiful, small pink flowers. There's one, but it finished just in time for the English grass next to it to come in. And it's starting to finish. Yeah. But that's okay, because... Then some of the other perennials take over. So we actually have this, the Mountain Cornflower here, in the white one, that's still flowering. And then behind that, we have some that's finished, and some are taking over. We have the Chernelke here. You can see it's finished, but it's still actually gonna be nice, because it has some seed pods that most of them will also leave. But in this whole section, then some are finished, and then other things will take over, like the Sweet Williams here, we have both in different colors here. Very dark, burning red here. And we have... That's just started now. And then we have this Heuchliner that's not even... It has some buds coming, but that's going to flower later. So in this whole section, it's a really nice combination, because some flower early, early in like April, is most of the things that... And then other things will take over throughout the whole season. So we actually have, in most of the sections, we have flowering all the way into late summer or August even. So with seed pods and with flowers, so this is really a nice combination. And the same thing with these columbines here. I just saw a bee fly in. Oh. You can see there's some flowers left and some seed pods, but then the salvia is coming in right next. So as soon as something goes, something else comes in. That's true. Thanks. Here's another example of a beautiful phlox. Look at that little periwinkle blue. Flowered for a very long time, but now actually it's just evergreen here. So it still gives some something, of course, pretty when it wasn't flowered. But so this is finished. We have some of the chernelge that flowered for weeks on and on. It was really pretty, like neon color here. So also starting to be finished, but there's so many other things that's actually taking over. We have the staurosalvia here that's actually just going to come now. It has so many buds. And great, this color here, the purple color is really nice in contrast to the leuphora here in the back that gets these lime yellow leaves, flowers. But also the foliage is so pretty here together with the mountain cornflower with this blue purple. There's a mix of perennial poppies that also is standing here. So this whole area is also just giving for weeks and actually months on with so many different colors. You know, because when this phlox was here, it really is pretty. It's really eye-catching and it's almost sad to see it go. The good thing is when it goes, it means something else is coming in versus you only have those April flowers or the ones that are there in May. And then when they're gone, you have this huge sort of dead spell in the garden. So we've tried to avoid that by bringing in things that will flower all the time. Also like, oh maybe I mentioned, like even higher in the back, there's of course, we have a bunch of alpaca lio, but we love them and they are easy to take away. But there's also a white rhizospore that gives a nice contrast to some of the more maybe warmer colors. And again, thinking about like this is native to Denmark, flowered very early on in the season, like having these early flowering plants as well, so have it early April. It's great to have something to, because you're so eager to have colors in the garden. So have these perennials that also Brunnera have perennials that really start early and then also focus on, okay, what do I have in so early, like spring, summer, autumn, all the way in winter, like leave the seed pods because they give so much contrast to the garden and life still when it's like, you think, oh everything is just dead. It's actually still so much to look at. And the way we found that you can Google it, that's really the best way. Of course, if you are buying seed packets or you're buying plants from the nursery, usually they'll tell you when they bloom and then just, yeah, make a note, make a spreadsheet, write in a book, marry Lars, whatever you need to do to keep up with it. But Google will be your best friend here at the beginning. So foliage texture and different color is as important as the flower, in my opinion, different flowering times. Here I have Brunnera, and it's finished flowering, flowered way back in April. And now it just stands back, but it has very nice texture with the foliage here. And next to also Alunrol that has, it comes in so many different colors. And even the underside is so, so nice as well. The Obsidian variety is all black. So that also gives so much contrast when things are not in flower, there's still so much to look at. And actually right behind here, we have Vordermilk here, Miner's Merlot, has lime green flowers here, but also the foliage is just really nice. It gets, you can see here, really dark color as well. So really different foliage is important. And in the front here, just to mention a totally different one, much lighter one, Japan's Skogras, that also, so you have so many different textures and colors to look at when perennials are not in flower, is, I think, is as important as having perennials in flower. And that's great because you mentioned this Brunnera, it was end of March, April, and now it's going to be this for the rest of the season. So you don't get flowers for forever, but you will get these leaves for the rest of the season. And I never get tired of looking at those leaves. I really like the look of that one. Exactly, that's what I mean. It makes difference versus everything in the garden being green. For example, right here behind you, here, you can see what it looks like when everything is green. But even then, here's a Brunnera, which has this, yeah, the more traditional one, but the texture, it's this fuzzy, almost prickly texture compared to this Hellebore, which is quite shiny, almost like an indoor plant feeling. So even there, the texture between these two, it's really impressive. And maybe even you show this one, like the the Stilbe here, that it's more like, even the foliage on this one is so different from the ones you just mentioned here. So even in, not in flower, it gives so much next to some of the other ones, the other perennials. Another really important thing is that you can break all of the rules if you want to. Yes, there's layering. Yes, there's blooming time. Okay, maybe you can't break that one. There are some things that you can't break, but the one that we break all the time is the actual layering. So what needs to be low, what needs to be middle, what needs to be high, that's really just up for interpretation. Like this perennial poppy that looks like, what's that movie? Little Shop of Horrors, right? It looks like Seymour until it opens. Of course it's cute. And then it looks, I mean, isn't that crazy? And you can see that, okay, technically this should be the middle layer, so everything should be a certain height, and yet this is towering above. One reason why we think it works, not only is it really pretty, but you can see that you have these long spikes here, these spires that you can see through. And that's the same thing when it comes to all of our Agalya, like back over here. We have this guy right here on the border, but the foliage is really low, so you can still see through it. So it doesn't matter to us that it's really so low in here on the border, and we let them self-seed, so chances of us having planted it here are pretty low. That also goes with this blowhat here that's native to Denmark. I need the dead head. Let me step back so you can see. That's like a bush. Yeah, massive. So will it be here in this exact spot next season, next year? Maybe not. We may actually scoot it back, but for now it's beautiful. This is its second year, therefore it's gotten way bigger than it was when we first planted it. That's why this year we're a little like, hmm, but the bees are loving it. It is full of all types. Look at the bees, right? Flies as well. This thing is going crazy. And technically, if we went by some sort of design guidebook, this should be right here in the very center of the flower bed. We don't mind. It's a perennial, so we can always move it next year. We also love that it's, as you mentioned, you're super, I might as well just be honest, I'm really bad at deadheading, and you're really good at it, but it really takes that you can get in there, like if we have perennials further in the bigger flower beds, you can deadhead it. That's another thing, because we have a lot of lupins, like example in the back, where they should be because of their height, but I can't get to them and deadhead them. And with lupins, generally, depending on the variety and the type, generally if you can deadhead it, you'll get a second flush, maybe even a third. But if they're in the back, for example, the white ones over there, that's all you're going to get. You're going to get those white flowers, and that's it. These pink ones here, once I can get in there and deadhead them, that'll help. You'll see here some more perennial poppies, again, right where they should not be, but we love them. So doing this, the same thing with the columbines here, again, they're in the middle layer, so they should be higher up, but when you do it, when you do it like this, to us, it makes it feel more natural. Yes, these have self-seeded. I think these have self-seeded too. Sorry, I need to be in there. There's the diggitalis with the bee, and they're so busy. But like you mentioned, they should actually not be, but it's self-sown, and that's the thing. Sometimes we just leave them because it's way of nature saying, I want to grow here. Exactly, and it keeps the garden looking, that was the point, more cottage garden style, which is what we're really after. So for us, it keeps it more natural looking, instead of like an amusement park, you know, like we're at, yeah, an amusement park, you know how beautiful gardens, but amusement parks, golf courses, they're very quite structured, as they should be, because that's what you want there, or even the cemetery garden where you work, there's a bit more structure there, because it provides a sense of calm, a sense of respect, understandably so. Here, this is not a cemetery garden, nor is it an amusement park. That's true, but we actually also started changing, I have been allowed, making more cottage garden flowers at work, and we get so many positive feedbacks from people visiting, because it just looks really, really pretty, and very natural, you know. Yeah, you're totally right. The same here, with this salvia, again, it's right on the edge, because we just threw away the rule book of going by levels. So, please feel free to throw away the rule book, and plant what you want, and when things start to self-seed, let it self-seed. If you don't like it, if we really don't like these foxgloves, it's okay, we can remove them in the autumn, no big deal, we could also remove them now. It's our garden, we kind of do whatever we want, and it's your garden, and then you can do whatever you want to. But also, if you're scared of things self-sowing, just remove it, so it doesn't set seed pods. Exactly. Another tip, if we could offer any sort of help for someone who's just looking to get started, would be to plant really closely together. You can see here, for example, even from that far away, things are really tight, they're all touching, they're weaving in and out together, this keeps it feeling more natural as well, and less like the amusement park that we just talked about. What I want to do now, Lars, I think we'll take you over to the neighbor's flowerbed. It's newly established, so nothing is as big yet, and you can really see how tightly we've planted together, and maybe a bit more of these techniques in action. So we're over at the neighbor's flowerbed that we just created this year, and here you can really see how a flowerbed slowly starts to be created, but also that it takes time. And I just want to show you here the løvfod that I planted. I planted it uneven, like here I planted five together, and I used my hand as a measuring tape here. So I have, depending on how big your hand is, but the length of my whole palm here, my hand, where I plant them together. This is one that's not been growing so much yet, but the goal is that the whole section here, and I know this løvfod is really great, that's why I put some border plants here, the very low ones here in the corner, because the goal is that it's kind of also going to go all the way to over here, and my goal is that it's an expectation to this plant that it will do it already the first season, because I know how crazy it grows, because if I leave all this here, it's going to just be lots of weeds eventually. So the more ground is covered, the less weeds I'm actually going to get. And the same with the kranselweed that's right over here, kind of a little bit more, not like the lowest one, so this will have a little higher height here with the flowers coming. But here actually, because this one, also again depending on what kind of plant it is, I put five here, and these ones are already growing in together, and kind of covers already a very vast area here, next to the, for example, and again a different species here, but Jakobsdier, again in fives, and the goal is also that it's then quickly over time, the same spacing here, as you can see, that the goal is that this whole section is just going to be white Jakobsdier. And a lot of these are repeated still, so for example, if you look up right over to that other side, yeah exactly, there it is again, and then the white Jakobsladder is right here, and then there it is even again. So there is that repetition, and this flower bed, if you've not been following along, I'll just let you know, from bare root perennials. So that's why they're a little more, or a little less, I would say, than if we had bought them all as whole plants, or fully grown plants, but it's really coming in just in a few months. So this is an idea of what could happen, you know, if you're willing to make that first big investment, you can have a lot of flowers already in the first year. That's true, and maybe some of them doesn't have the right height yet, but it's all about also being patient, because it might take one, two seasons before they also, because they are bare root perennials, so they will also, some of them are maybe not flowering in the right period now, compared to when they're first established next year. So, but the goal is also here, just like ours, that we will have a range of different colors, and we'll also look at foliage, and height, and flowering time, that's all in our consideration when we did this flower bed next to the neighbor. So we hope that has been a little helpful, explaining how we have thought about our garden in particular, and how we're thinking about the neighbor's garden. If you have any questions, as always, please drop them in the comments. We're more than happy to answer any questions if we're able. If not, we know there are some great videos out there, for example, Suburban Homestead that we absolutely adore. He has a fantastic video on, it's called a Masterclass on Cottage Garden Design, I believe is the name. I'll be sure to put the link in the comments, but that's a really great one if you're looking to get started with color, and texture, and all sorts of good stuff. But hopefully our little, yeah, chat today has been helpful in some way. That's true, so thank you so much for watching.