How to Design a Flower Garden Around a Tree
February 22, 2010 by admin
Filed under Flower, Gardening Tips
Many gardeners look for creative places to add some floral life and color to their home’s landscape. Designing a flower garden around a tree is a wonderful way to do this. By following basic guidelines you will be able to build an attractive garden that will also save you from having to trim around that tree ever again. That’s a great trade-off in any yard!
The first thing to realize is that the flower bed must be elevated. The roots may be just a few inches below the surface of the grass. Digging down will at least prove difficult or frustrating, and at worse will damage root structures and jeopardize the health of the tree. Raising the bed 6 to 12 inches will alleviate this problem and give your flower plants the room they need to send roots down and out without interference.
Since the bed will have to be raised, consider what material you will use to form the border, to keep the soil in place. If you live where stones abound the chances are you will already have a rock pile handy, and they can form a very handsome, natural border. If you do not have field stones, you can find them at your local garden center or nursery. If you live in a rural area, wait until spring and most local farmers will welcome your assistance in removing protruding rocks from their fields. Strangely enough, rocks rise in heavy soils, so each year, the first crop of the season is made up of them! Rocks 8 to 14 inches in diameter work best. It will be easier to use a single course of larger stones, rather than stacking two or more courses on top of one another. Other popular materials include natural split pine logs, railroad ties, pressure treated lumber, and a whole range of natural and manufactured stone products available from garden centers.
The next step is to lay out the shape of the garden. A simple circle or rectangle is easiest, but you may want to be more creative. Your vision and skills will determine the simplicity or complexity of your design. Peruse several gardening books that feature garden designs to generate ideas. Once shape is determined, use 4-5 layers of newspaper or a single layer of thick landscaper’s fabric, to create the shape on the ground. This will kill the existing vegetation and prevent weeds from growing.
On top of the paper or fabric set your stones or build your retaining structure. If you use field stone, you might find it best to build it two layers deep – that is, one immediatelyinside the other, not on top of the other. Place the stones so that they are offset from the ones in front, which will help to keep soil in place better.
When your border or retaining structure is complete, fill it with quality top soil to within one inch of the top. Water it to compact it, and add more if the dirt settles. You now have your garden plot, ready to be planted with your favorite annual and perennial flowers, ground cover, bulbs, or even small shrubs. Choose those which do well in partial to full shade and you’ll have the perfect spot to get out of the sun on a warm summer’s day!
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