A Flower Garden for Beginners: Choosing Plants, Seeds and Sowing Times

A first flower bed often starts with a seed packet bought for its pretty picture. For a good result, it helps to know in advance which plants to choose, when to sow them and how to look after them. Here are the basic rules for beginners.

While your garden grows: spray roses and potted plants delivered.

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Choosing plants

• Annuals such as petunias, marigolds, cosmos and zinnias flower in the year they are sown and give quick results — a good choice for a first season.
• Perennials such as peonies, daylilies, phlox and echinacea grow in one place for years but usually do not flower straight away.
• Bulbs such as tulips, daffodils and crocuses are planted in autumn for spring flowers.
• Conditions. Check the packet for how much sun the plant needs: many flowers barely bloom in shade.

Choosing seeds

• Check the use-by and packing dates — germination drops over time.
• F1 means a first-generation hybrid: these plants usually flower evenly, but seed saved from them will not come true.
• To start, choose easy varieties that can be sown straight into the ground.

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When to sow

Exact timing depends on the region and the spring. The key marker is the end of late frosts: in central Ukraine that is usually the second half of May. Tender seedlings go out only after that, while hardy flowers such as calendula, stocks and cornflowers can be sown earlier.

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Watering and feeding

• Watering. Less often but deeply, in the morning or evening, at the base of the plant.
• Mulch. A layer of grass clippings or bark holds moisture and slows weeds.
• Feeding. Nitrogen in spring for leaf growth; phosphorus and potassium before flowering. Too much nitrogen means lots of leaves and few flowers.
• Tidying. Remove spent flowers — many annuals then bloom for longer.

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Read more about removing faded flowers in deadheading flowers, about balcony flowers in balcony flowers, and about involving children in gardening with kids.

FAQ

Which flowers are easiest in the first year?

Marigolds, nasturtiums, calendula, cosmos and zinnias — they are undemanding and flower for a long time.

Do I need to raise seedlings?

For petunias, begonias and lobelia, yes, or they will flower too late. Many other annuals can be sown straight into the ground.

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Author: Maria Svitlovir

Graduated from Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, Institute of Biology and Medicine (2001). BSc in Biology, MSc in Horticulture. Writes about plants, works at a garden centre selecting and repotting plants, and contributes to plant reference guides.