Flower gardens can be a beginning gardener's best friend. Using simple flower garden ideas and easy-to-grow plants that produce a variety of bright colors can make even the newest gardener feel like an expert almost from the start. Keeping your flower garden simple also allows you to enjoy the ongoing display of color throughout the blooming season, without having to put in hours of hard work to make it look good.
Wildflower gardens are sometimes also called native gardens because they consist of flowers that grow naturally in your area. A wildflower garden is one of the simplest flower gardens you can plant, and since the flowers tend to grow in your climate naturally there is often little to no maintenance needed throughout the blooming season.
Wildflower gardens can be planted in standard flower beds or borders around your yard, or you can plant them in an open area--such as in a field or meadow--to create a more natural look.
Native wildflower gardens are generally planted from seed. Buy a mixed seed packet at any local nursery or discount store, then simply mix the seed packet into a bag of potting soil or mature compost and spread it across your garden bed. By mixing the seeds into your soil before spreading it's easier to get more even distribution, particularly with very tiny flower seeds.
Drought gardens are fun because they produce colorful flowers with hardly any hassle or work. Flowers planted in a drought garden tend to be tolerant of dry weather--so they won't complain if you forget to water them--and they're usually unfazed by high heat and strong sunlight.
Try growing flowering cactus plants like the prickly pear, or hardy drought tolerant annuals such as salvia, alysum and vinca.
Vine gardens are good for small spaces that don't have room to expand outwards but can grow upwards instead. Morning glory vines, for example, will produce new, colorful flowers day in and day out, plus most varieties will grow at least 6 feet or higher.
Rain gardens are designed to take advantage of the natural flow of the land and yard around your home. They're planted in depression or low lying areas that naturally collect water each time it rains. This natural collection process often provides all the water your flower garden needs throughout the growing season.
Planting a rain garden with flower seeds runs the risk of having all your seeds washed to the lowest lying point if they haven't sprouted by the next time it rains. The easiest approach is to plant a variety of flower seedlings and starter plants instead.
Most rain gardens can be planted with any annuals and perennials you'd normally select for a garden bed around your home. If the low lying parts of your yard tend to be wet or marshy most of the time, however, consider planting marsh or bog plants that thrive in the extra moisture.