Flower beds – Four ready-made designs with plant suggestions

A flower bed can truly be varied indefinitely, it can be color-coordinated or a wild color party - but there are some guidelines that may be good to keep in mind before you put the shovel in the ground. It's a good idea to decide beforehand what impression the bed should give. Are you looking for a romantic country bed or a stylish Japanese variety? Make a first selection of suitable plants.Choose plants that can withstand the climate, soil, and sunlight conditions where you plan to plant them.Try to find plants that succeed each other in flowering - this way you will get a longer flowering time. Early bulb plants and late- flowering perennials such as geraniums, asters, and Russian sage extend the season, along with re-blooming varieties (which bloom again and again throughout the season).It is always practical to plant plants with similar preferences for soil and watering together, but it is also possible to plant plants with special needs in pots that are sunk into the ground. This way, you can have a different type of soil there and water more or less where it suits.

If you want to know how your flower bed should look from the start, it is wise to draw and measure it in advance. It is a good idea to place three to five plants of the same type together to create a more peaceful impression, and consider how different colors and leaf sizes can be combined. Mixing some lighter plants with heavier large-leaved plants gives a great effect. Place tall, voluminous plants at the back if the bed has a clear front and back - or in the middle of standalone beds that are viewed from all sides, so that the tall plants do not overshadow the shorter ones. Garden plants are often divided into three groups that are nice to combine.Structural plantsThese are the prima donnas of the bed, tall plants. This can be crown speedwell, astilbe, delphinium, lamb's ears, or perennial bellflower.Filling plantsThese are used to tie the bed together, they are often fuller and somewhat lower, for example geranium.Ground-covering plantsLow ground cover plants, like stonecrop or moss.You can also let some light and tall plants float over the bed, for example verbena or ornamental grass, giving a airier impression.

Tips! If the plants do not fit within your hardiness zone or in the soil where you live, you can replace them with similar varieties (see for example the plant alternatives below).

Giant Cranesbill, Sunhat, Steppe Sage, Hyssop, Yarrow, Harebell, Silver Oats, Graceful Lady's Mantle, For early flowering: Autumn Bulb (planted in the fall, flowers in the spring), such as crocus, grape hyacinth, tulips, and daffodils.,Alternative plants for sun/partial shade, Anise Hyssop, Calamint, Bugleweed, Horse Mint, Prairie Mallow, Catmint, Peony, Winged Seed Aster, Speedwell, Blood Tickseed, Bellflower bush, Hardy Geranium, Sneezeweed, Japanese Anemone, Macedonian Knautia, Button Snakeroot, Beach Iris, Red Coneflower, Columbine, Blue Poppy sister, Wallflower, Autumn Anemone, Wall Speedwell, Jacob's Ladder, Garden Rue, Peony, Wild Garlic.

If you have a maximum of two hours of sun per day where you are planting, you can choose plants that thrive in full shade. If you have about four hours of sun per day, you should choose plants that can tolerate partial shade. Hosta, Bergenia, Lady's Mantle, Forget-Me-Not, Bleeding Heart, Climbing Hydrangea, Bachelor's Button, Masterwort, Cranesbill, For early blooming: Lily of the Valley, Christmas Rose, Snowdrop, Snowflake, and PrimroseAlternative plants for shade and partial shade:Ferns, Epimedium, Valerian, Monkshood, Lungwort, Dwarf Solomon's Seal, Fall Phlox, Lily of the Valley, Goat's Beard, Bergenia, Peony, Astilbe, Bleeding Heart, Bachelor's Button, Rhododendron, Hydrangea, Foamflower, Bugleweed, Periwinkle, Christmas Rose, Boxwood

New York Aster,Autumn Anemone,Heart-leaved Bergenia,Coneflower,Cranesbill,Lily,Lady's Mantle,Autumn Phlox,Virginia Bluebells,Russian Sage

Koreamynte, Allium, Sunhat, Hjortetrøst, Daisy, Achillea, Ornamental catmint, Blood sorrel, Pagoda flower, Coneflower

WRITTEN BY,Liselotte Roll, Swedish garden inspirator, journalist and author of books about nature, gardening and animals, such as "Jord", "Odla för insekter" and "Höns som hobby".,(Photo: Sandra Birgersdotter Ek)