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Designing Annual Flower Beds

Materials condensed from USU Ogden Botanical Garden /Susie Jones and Dorrie Jones

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Annual Flower Bed Design

Ogden Botanical Garden flower beds

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Annual Plants

• Live only one season• Need to replant each

year• Give color all summer

long• Many sizes, colors, and

varieties to choose from

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Annual Flower Bed Design• Getting Started:– Determine the square footage of the garden space (length

x width)– Calculate number of plants needed: 2 per square foot– Sketch a plan on paper

• Choose plants the fit the location: sun/shade/wet or dry• Develop of list of what plants and how many of each to take to the

nursery (give yourself options and limits)

• Preparing Beds– Wait until soil is dry to avoid compaction (roots like lose

soil)– Remove old plant material and weeds– Till and incorporate ORGANIC matter (i.e. compost not top

soil)

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ColorTextureBalanceRepetitionUnityLight Requirements

Design Principles

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Color

Analogous Colors

• Safe• Can be restful or

dramatic according colors used

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Complimentary Colors

• Compliment each other•Make sense• Green is universal

Contrasting Color

• Bold• Draws attention

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Texture

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Plant PlacementSymmetricalAsymmetrical

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Repetition/Unity

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When, Where & HowWait until after the snow

melts—hopefully by Mother’s Day

Always choose a reputable nursery

Look for plants that are compact, healthy, and not in bloom

Avoid plants that are leggy, diseased, or root bound

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Method to the MadnessPeter Lassig strategy for Temple Square:

Skeleton – Tendon - Flesh

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Skeleton

• 20% of the plants• Dominant• Tall• Focal Point• Ornamental grasses,

Flowering cabbage or kale, New Zealand flax

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Purple Fountain Grass

New Zealand Flax

Skeleton Plants

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Ornamental Cabbage or Kale

Skeleton Plants cont.

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Cleome

Black-eyed Susan Skeleton Plants cont.

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Tendon• 20% of plants• Less dominant• Compliments

skeleton• Salvias, Profusion

Zinnias, Gomphrena, Geraniums

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Geraniums

Profusion Zinnias

Tendon Plants cont.

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‘Lady in Red’ Salvia

‘Victoria Blue’ Salvia

Tendon Plants cont.

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Fireworks Gomphrena

‘Strawberry Fields’ Gomphrena

Tendon Plants cont.

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Tendon Plants cont.

Lisianthus

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Flesh• 60 % of plants• Fills in gaps• Usually creeping, low

plants• Alyssum, Sweet

potato vine, Lobelia, Licorice plant, Verbena, Sanvitalia

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Sweet Alyssum

Lobelia

Flesh Plants cont.

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Sweet Potato Vines

Flesh Plants cont.

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Sanvitalia

Sanvitalia ‘Sunbini’

Flesh Plants cont.

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Licorice Plant

‘Imagination’ Verbena

Diascia

Flesh Plants cont.

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Skeleton Plants for Shade

Ferns Coleus

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Shade Tendon Plants

TuberousBegonias

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Flesh Plants for Shade

Impatiens

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Resources for picking flowers• Ogden and Utah Botanical Garden

Centers – gardens and classes• Magazines and Internet–Burpees.com / Dave’s Garden / White

Flower Farm / High Country Garden• LDS Garden Tours

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AN ENGLISH GARDENER IN 1870 Salt Lake City - Bill KingGarden Talks in the ParkWednesday, 16 June 2010Enjoy a fascinating horticulture history lesson as Bill teaches us about the Utah visit of William Robinson, famous gardener and author of “The English Garden” (still in print). Please join the expert horticulturists for complimentary one-hour garden talks. The talks begin at 8:00 p.m. in June and July and at 7:30 p.m. in August. No tickets are required. All ages are welcome.

CREATING COLORFUL CONTAINERS - Lisa TaggartGarden Talks in the Park8:00 PM Wednesday, 23 June 2010Enhance your outdoor living space with colorful and creative container plantings. Please join the expert horticulturists for complimentary one-hour garden talks. The talks begin at 8:00 p.m. in June and July and at 7:30 p.m. in August. No tickets are required. All ages are welcome.

LDS.org/ search: Garden Tours

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Visit our the Ogden Botanical Garden blogspot for lots of fun information:

ogdenbotanicalgardens.blogspot.com

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Annual Flower Bed Design FormulaSkeleton 20% (20%) Tendon 20% (40%) Flesh 60% (40%)

High Impact/ lg/tall Medium/ Compliment Small/ Filler

Ornamental Cabbage/Kale Geranium Verbena

Brazilian Verbena Dusty Miller Petunia

Cleome Basil (purple) Lobelia

Ornamental Millet Salvia Alyssum

Rudbeckia (Black Eyed Susan) Zinnia Vinca

Bells of Ireland Lisianthus Nasturtium

Fern (shade) Nicotiana Snowland Daisy

Coleus (shade) Gomphrena Dahlber Daisy

Tuberous Begonia (Shade) Impatients (Shade)

Peter Lassig formula for Temple Square(Ogden Botanical Garden formula in parenthesis)

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Shopping List – 12 x 4 BedSkeleton – 20 Tendon –20 Flesh- 60

6 - Kale 7 – Geranium 12 - Verbena

6 - Brazilian Verbena or Cosmos

8 -Zinnia 12 – Petunia

6- Bells of IrelandOr Cleome

12 – Nicotiana 6– Lantana

- grass 1 -Dalhia4 -Salvia

24 –Snapdragon, Diascia,

–basil or dusty miller -Snowland Daisy alyssum , lobelia,

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Utah Botanical Center in Kaysville, June 2010

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Plant Maintenance Weeds

Pre-emergentMechanical

control Fertilizer

Water-soluableGranularSlow-release

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Dead-heading FlowersPerennials Annuals

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Water Conservation

• Hydrozoning your plants• Mulching• Check sprinkler

efficiency

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Northridge Garden Guild

43Utah Botanical Center in Kaysville, June 2010