Creating A Lush and Welcoming Landscape

Flower beds can add so much color and vibrancy to your backyard. You can place them against your home, or build a few beds around the larger trees in your yard. In either case, you'll need to take good care of these flower beds in order to keep the flowers bright and attractive and the soil tidy. Here are four ways to keep your flower beds healthier and more attractive. 

1. Put down good-quality mulch.

Once in the spring and again in the fall, put down a good layer of mulch on the flower beds. Choose a natural mulch made from wood chips or bark. The mulch will help keep weeds from popping up. It will also break down slowly, imparting more nutrients into the soil. These nutrients will slowly feed the flowers through the year, resulting in brighter colors and more vibrant blooms. Mulch also keeps the soil moist, so you do not have to apply as much water.

2. Use drip irrigation to water the flowers.

Rather than spraying the flowers with water from the hose, use drip irrigation. You can run a drip hose through the garden before you apply mulch. Put the mulch on top of it. Make sure it winds through the garden in a way that will expose the most flowers to water. Then, you can turn on the irrigation for just a half hour per day. If you fear you'll forget to turn the water off, consider having a timer installed to turn the system on and off automatically.

Drip irrigation is healthier for the flowers because it directs the water to their roots, where it can be absorbed by the plants. You don't want the water to be applied to the leaves because it can scorch them in the sun.

3. Remove dead flower heads.

Every week or two, walk through the beds and remove any dead and shriveled up blooms. By removing these, you will make sure the plant does not waste any more nutrients or water on them. The new flowers that come in will be bigger and brighter.

4. Use a natural weed killer.

Weed killers can keep your flower bed looking nice, but you need to be careful which ones you use. Some can actually hurt the appearance of your flowers, even if you don't apply them to the flowers themselves. Look for a natural weed killer. One made with white vinegar is a good choice. Spray it liberally on the weeds, being careful not to get any on the flowers. 

With the tips above, you can have better flower beds. For more information, reach out to landscape companies like Glacier Landscape.