The florist, like an artist, carefully selects paints and creates paintings, not on canvases, but on flower beds of fresh flowers. Nowadays, people increasingly prefer beautiful flower beds at their dachas instead of traditional vegetable gardens. In this article we will look at how to choose the right plants to create flower beds in various styles.

Choosing plants for a flower bed

Choosing colors when creating flower beds

If you show your imagination and take into account the effect that different colors have on the human psyche, you can create flower beds that have a different character. And this is not a reservation.

• Flower beds grown in orange and red tones are exciting, and can even be somewhat annoying if you look at them for a long time.
• On the contrary, flower beds in blue and blue tones calm down. An orange-yellow flowerbed looks like a joyful bright sun, and even on cloudy days it will seem to illuminate the area.

Usually, when creating flower beds, various combinations of colors are used, sometimes even contrasting ones, and a neutral white color is used to smooth them out. For example, the following combinations look very nice:

• red with yellow and green,
• purple with yellow,
• blue with orange.

It all depends on the preferences of the gardener.

The influence of site illumination on the choice of plants

Depending on the lighting, flowers for flower beds of different colors look different.

• For example, flowers of blue, violet or blue color look faded in partial shade, but in the sun they look impressive.
• When choosing flowers for a flower bed, you need to remember that they should bloom at the same time if the flower bed is of a regular type. If an irregular flower bed is created, then flowering different types must happen sequentially one after another.

The choice of type of flowers largely depends on the location of the flower bed.

• Well-lit areas also require flowers that love to grow in the sun.

• Shade-tolerant plants, for example, lilies of the valley, should be planted in a flowerbed located in partial shade. pansies and forget-me-nots.
  • The perennial hosta plant also grows best in partial shade. Its decorative effect lies in the lush green, gray-blue or yellowish-variegated leaves edged with a light border.
  • Unpretentious astilbe does not like bright sun. It has beautiful carved foliage and flowers in fluffy red, pink and white panicles.

• When choosing colors, you must take into account that some of them have different requirements to soil and watering, so it is better to plant flowers in the same flowerbed that are similar in their requirements. For example, perennials when feeding with nitrogen, they begin to “fatten”, that is, there will be a lot of leaves and almost no flowers, while bulbous plants, on the contrary, need nitrogen fertilizing.

Neighborhood of annual and perennial plants

In the same flower bed, many often plant perennials next to annuals and bulbous plants.

• The earliest flowering ones are bulbous ones, such as daffodils and tulips.
• Biennials begin to bloom in early June. At the same time, certain types of perennials bloom, for example, peonies and irises.

• Annuals bloom mainly in July and August.

The most common types of flower beds

Mixborder

A mixborder is a flowerbed of irregular geometric shape.

• To create them, perennial and annual plants are used together, and in large-area mixborders - even shrubs and trees.
• Plants are selected so that flowering is continuous throughout the season. Also suitable are species with inconspicuous flowering, but with beautiful decorative leaves.

For example, in the center of a mixborder you can plant trimmed boxwood with wormwood, and behind them, decorative onions, verbena, polygonum and yarrow can be placed in groups. Frame the edge with geranium, mantle and cinquefoil. If the mixborder is located against a wall or fence, then red clematis will look good in the background.

Rockery

A rockery is a picturesque flowerbed among the stones of large boulders.

• Fountains and artificial ponds often serve as elements of rock gardens.
• In such a flower bed you can plant eryngium (Eryngium). This ennobled burdock, reaching a height of up to one meter, has a bluish- grey colour It looks very nice surrounded by stones and pebbles.
• The lovely flowers of the Carpathian bellflower, a spherical bush that looks like a grassy hummock, will also be beautiful here. This plant is very unpretentious and blooms for a long time.
• To add to the rockery bright colors, you can use ground cover flowering plants - phlox subulate, thyme, chickweed, violets, primrose, irises.

• Daffodils and tulips are also suitable for decorating a rocky flower bed. And ferns, heucheras and hostas will give it an elegant look.
• When purchasing any plants for rock gardens, you should definitely consult with specialists to see if they can grow in the specific conditions of a particular region.

Regular flower beds

Flower beds that have strict geometric shapes are called regular flower beds.

• Low-growing annual, biennial and bulbous flowers are usually planted on them.
• A regular flowerbed needs to be looked after all the time, since no deviations from the original shape are allowed here, and growing plants strive to go beyond the outlined boundaries.
• Large open areas are decorated with regular flower beds. In summer cottages, such flower beds are extremely rare.

Vertical flower beds

Vertical flower beds using climbing plants are very popular among gardeners.

• Supports for such flower beds can be arbors, walls, special designs made of twigs or wire, pergolas, garden sculptures.
• Creating a vertical flower bed requires a lot of work and imagination, but its beauty justifies it.
• They take up a very small area and can be created in small garden plots.
• Basically, for vertical gardening, annual plants are used that produce long vines and abundant flowering - the well-known nasturtium, begonia, petunia, and many other hanging varieties.
• Currently, it is very fashionable to use a new hybrid ampelous petunia for vertical gardening - calibrachoa with small flowers, but extremely abundant flowering on 1.5 - 2-meter shoots.

• Fortunia has gained popularity - it is also a hybrid of petunia, which has larger flowers.
• For a green background, you can successfully use silver dichondra, which recently appeared on sale. This climbing plant has round, small green and silver leaves, but its flowers are inconspicuous.
• Nolans are ground cover plants, but they can also be planted in vertical flower beds. The lashes they form are strewn with blue and lilac funnel-shaped flowers. They do not require care, can grow in shaded places, tolerate lack of moisture well, but are afraid of wind. To give the plant the required shape, it is pinched. In combination with bright nasturtiums and marigolds, as well as white petunia flowers or dark blue phacelia, nolans look very impressive.

Edges and borders

Along the garden path, wall or fence, long flower beds - edgings - are laid out.

• Flower borders can be used to decorate lawns, tree trunk circles trees. -Borders, ridges, and edgings of flower beds are usually decorated with beautiful perennial low-growing plants, for example, saxifrage, primrose, awl-shaped or dwarf phlox, chickweed, edelweiss, dwarf astalbes and many others.
• On the ridge you can plant primroses, which, when proper care grow up to 25 cm, bloom with red, crimson, pink, white inflorescences among the first from the end of April. They bloom until June.
• The flowering of phloxes will replace the primroses on the ridge; they bloom at the end of May and have a wide range of colors in delicate pink, lilac and violet or purple tones.
• There are many low-growing annuals that are used to decorate borders and borders, for example, asters, begonias, daisies, nasturtiums, forget-me-nots, and lobelias. This is by no means a complete list. However, the use of perennials is preferable, since they do not need to be planted every year, which significantly reduces the amount of garden work in spring period.
• Low-growing varieties include the exquisite flax of Narbonne, which blooms with blue flowers in July, the large-flowered gazania, with flowers of different colors, reminiscent of daisies, and elecampane with golden flowers.
• Many gardeners use them as border plants. garden crops spinach and lettuce. A border of curly green and dark purple lettuce looks beautiful. Salads different varieties You can fill in the gaps between colors.

Parterre

Flowerbed formed according to strict geometric shape and forming a harmonious ensemble with a nearby building is called a parterre.

• The parterres are complemented by arabesques - flower beds made in the shapes of butterflies, flowers or any other. But creating such flower beds is very labor-intensive and expensive, so they are practically never found in dachas.

Group plantings

Many people, when creating landscape design on a site, use group plantings of flowers and other plants.

• Such flower beds attract with their natural appearance, since they do not have the correct geometry and are asymmetrical.
• Used to decorate a sculpture, fountain or house wall.
• For such a flower garden, they usually use some single flowers, for example, in the spring - tulips, crocuses or primroses. Asters, zinnias, dahlias, lilies, and gladioli are planted in summer groups.
• You can create group plantings of 4-5 plant species, but you have to select harmonious combinations sizes, colors of flowers and leaves.
• When creating such a flower garden, you need to strive to achieve a natural appearance, as if it was created by nature and not by man.
• Examples of group plantings include a combination of delphinium with chamomile and lily, or daylily with hosta, tradescantia and iris. It will look beautiful if you plant tall bells in a group with ferns and foxgloves.

Multi-level flower beds

Popular design solution is the arrangement of raised multi-level flower beds that are visible from any corner of the site.

• Skilled gardeners can create such stepped flower beds themselves from available materials, for example, from boards, bricks, car tires.
• You can place roses or phlox in the center, fill the middle level with light flowers of medium height, and plant low ones on the lowest tier dark flowers. It will be interesting if such a flower bed is made in one color, but with different shades.

Monoflowers

The best option for small areas are round or square monoflower beds, on which a specific type of flower is planted, for example, roses, dahlias or asters.

Irregular flower beds

Irregular flower beds were found, perhaps, greatest distribution among gardeners.

They do not have any strict rules for their design.

• Both perennial and annual plants flowering at different times are planted on them.
• The fastest way to do blooming flower bed- this is the use of annual flowers from which colorful compositions are created. Growing them with seedlings, rather than sowing them directly into the ground, significantly speeds up the flowering time.
• In the middle of the flowerbed, or in the background if the flowerbed is near a wall or fence, taller flowers should be planted, such as lavatera, cosmos, tall decorative sunflowers or bright orange and yellow crocuses.
• You can also plant perennial plants in the center, for example, delphinium, Turkish carnation, lupine. Terry peonies from white and pink to dark burgundy are very beautiful. True, they bloom for a short time, but then the peony bush decorates the flowerbed with beautiful carved foliage until late autumn.
• Blooming decorative onions, the inflorescences of which look like unusual balls, will make the flowerbed original and visually multi-tiered.

• All spring, summer and autumn, the inflorescences of decorative yarrow can decorate the flower garden.
• A universal ornamental plant for the garden is the hosta. If it is planted correctly so that there is no stagnation of water, then besides regular watering, practically no care is required. The choice of varieties is very large - from large and tall to low border varieties. Decorative element are leaves of various colors green, yellow, blue and variegated. Hosta can grow in places with different light levels. But partial shade is still better for her. It winters well, so the variety, which has beautiful large leaves, can be safely planted in the center of the flowerbed and not be touched for many years.
• Bulbous and tuberous tall plants are also used to create flower beds - there are a huge variety of lilies, gladioli, and dahlias. But here we must remember that dahlia tubers and gladioli bulbs should be dug up for the winter and stored in a cool basement until spring.
• The closer to the edges, the lower in height the plants are selected.
• Annual dahlias are very good in the flowerbed. They bush, have a wide range of colors, bloom profusely almost all summer until frost and are undemanding to care. By the way, their ability to bush strongly should be taken into account when planting seedlings. Otherwise, the plants will become cramped in a month.
• Breeders have created many varieties of asters, low and tall, with a wide variety of colors, sizes and shapes of flowers. Large needle-shaped asters and abundantly flowering medium-sized spherical asters are very beautiful.
• Petunia is very popular among annuals due to its abundant flowering and variety of colors.
• You can complement the gaps between flowers in a well-lit flowerbed with Ageratum Hsuston - a small plant 20 cm high. It blooms profusely with spherical bluish, white and lilac inflorescences almost all summer.
• When creating a flower bed, it is better not to get carried away with too much variety of species. Designers recommend using one or two flowers that are attractive during the summer, while the rest of the plants gradually replace each other. An example would be a flowerbed with broad-leaved bergenia, daylily or hosta that turns red in autumn.
• A flower border is planted along the edges of the flower bed, for which low-growing or ground cover plants with inconspicuous small flowers are used. For example, you can plant lungwort, alyssum, sage, mantle, and lavender as a border. The border is also made from awl-shaped phlox, Steller's wormwood or gray sedum. Below is a photo of these plants for the flower bed.

To create a unique landscape design on the site, you can combine flower beds various types. When planning them, the best effect will be achieved by skillful selection of plants. The main principle of the gardener in this case is the desire for biological and harmonious unity of flowers for flower beds.

If you have a private house within the city, or own dacha, there you definitely need to arrange a garden, small flower beds near the gates, arrange a cozy courtyard on the site, or even a gorgeous flower garden. Agree, a beautiful organization will delight not only your eyes, just imagine the admiring glances of people passing by, or your guests!

And you probably managed to scroll through our photos of flower beds of unpretentious flowers, making sure of their charm and attractiveness. appearance. Perhaps someone has already guessed that to arrange such splendor, one should use the options of flowering plants. Moreover, both single- and multi-year plants are suitable here. Bright flowers will be a wonderful decoration for any area, and you will feel their subtle aromas throughout the summer! But in this case, it does not mean at all that you need a gardener. Thus, there are a large number of directly unpretentious types of plants that anyone can grow, even if the gardener is an inexperienced gardener. The main task is to adhere to the basic rules when growing flowers.

Annual unpretentious flowers for flower beds

There are a huge variety of such plants. However, among them there are also those that are simply ideal for landscaping street areas, as well as courtyards. They are not at all whimsical; you can buy seedlings at any time, and you do not have to spend a lot of money, effort and time. As a result, grow seedlings on your own.

Such plants exist in numerous variations; there are not only a dozen of them, but several dozen of them! Anyone can buy them at a flower market or in a special store. They are quite strong and begin to bloom quite early. It happens that you can immediately find and buy seedlings that are ten centimeters high, and even have the first flower on it!

• If we even compare different varieties of this plant, they can have a height of 10 cm and can reach as much as one and a half meters! Everything depends directly on the variety.
• Their sizes, shapes, and shades are also very diverse. The flowers can be very small, the entire bush will be dotted with them, or they can be huge, on which the inflorescences look like they are made of terry.
• In marigolds you will find absolutely any colors. There are both yellow and red here. Their height may be the same, but some will have dark red flowers, while others will have lemon yellow flowers. In fact, there is a very wide variety in flowerbed design. Much of this depends directly on your fantasies.

This type of plant is very popular among landscape designers. And all this is due to the fact that the species blooms for a long time, is unpretentious in care, and you can choose a wide variety of shapes and colors. For self-cultivation For such flowers, you need to take long, needle-shaped seeds and sow them at a shallow depth, directly in pots/under film. The main thing is to wait until April comes. After a couple of weeks, the marigolds will begin to sprout quickly, and accordingly, you will be able to transplant them into the prepared flower garden/bed.

They need to be watered moderately; it is also important to remember that they love the sun. They will bloom in a flowerbed arranged in the shade only if the plant is planted as an adult, with two or more inflorescences. In this case, growth will stop, but this will not affect flowering at all.

Petunias

Once you plant this flower, you will want to do it again! They have an amazing subtle aroma, the shades come in a wide variety. It's simply impossible not to fall in love with them. But they still have one drawback. They do not like shade at all, and even with slight shading, the inflorescences will decrease very sharply and many times. Their petals are very delicate, have the shape of small gramophones, perfectly tolerate the rays of the sun, they come in different colors. This species grows well in open areas, delighting people's views.

The plant can be found in a variety of varieties, for example bush or ampelous; the flowers are also regular or double, and indeed in any color of the rainbow. Flowerbeds that are decorated with petunias in the same color scheme, for example, sky blue, soft pink, violet, scarlet, look very impressive. Also varieties come in two colors. At the base, the petals are white or in contrast. If you choose an ampel variety, it is important to know that they will put out loops that are long enough, they will be covered with buds everywhere. You can see them in our photo of unpretentious flowers.

• To grow such a plant on your own, sow microscopic-sized seeds under a piece of glass, but you do not need to sprinkle them with soil.
• When you notice the shoots, they need to be replanted while still thin, right with a lump, and it is very important that the root is not damaged.
• When the second leaf appears, you can transplant the petunia into a flowerbed, where, under excellent conditions, it blooms and blooms quite quickly.

Nasturtium

It has fleshy lashes, its leaves are round in shape, quite wide, and the flowers are delicate and fragrant. But, among the advantages of this plant, this is not the only one! They are considered edible, their seeds are similar to capers, and they are eaten pickled. As for the flowers, they decorate cooked dishes. Such blooming unpretentious flowers in the flowerbed will delight you throughout the warm summer. Moreover, even partial shade will not affect them in any way. Your main task in caring for them is to water and feed the plants in a timely manner.

They are very diverse in varieties. There are even those in which the loops are almost three meters tall, while the shoots are completely covered with flowers. You can also choose plants with shorter shoots; they will look very beautiful. And their varieties have bright colors, the flowers are covered with terry, shades can be found in both red and yellow. This plant has rather large seeds that resemble peas. They need to be planted directly into the ground, as they begin to sprout quite quickly. The same goes for flowering.

Calendula

A long time ago, everyone has known these flowers that resemble an orange sun. They are not only decorative, because they are also considered medicinal. Calendula grows in small bushes that are literally sprinkled with orange flowers, and in its very various shades. It is advisable to pluck the upper parts in a timely manner so that the growth of the plant is stopped. This type of plant belongs to the asters; the flowers are very reminiscent of chamomile, and of course an aster. Very beautiful, the views covered with terry are simply incredible.

Growing calendula is not at all difficult. You can grow seedlings yourself, or plant seedlings purchased at the market/store in flower beds.

This plant needs sunlight, water in moderation, and the soil must be loose. Under such conditions, the plant will bloom quite early. Flowers that will fade must be carefully trimmed so that the overall appearance of the flower garden is not spoiled. You can also collect calendula seeds if you wish. In this case, you will need to leave literally a few bushes with three or more inflorescences.

Perennial unpretentious flowers for the flower bed

If we compare perennials with annuals, then the former do not have such a wide variety compared to the latter. And besides, they simply do not bloom throughout the summer. However, some of the perennials are still unpretentious, pleasing the eye with their flowering throughout the summer.

Cornflowers

A folk flower that has long received a huge reputation among people. Many songs with poems were written about him. This plant is actually great for people who don't have the time or energy to take care of their flower beds. It grows with minimal care. The petals of the plant are sky blue, as well as yellow and white pink. Flowers with terry covering are very popular.

Cornflowers are grown in absolutely any way, from seeds, pieces of rhizomes, and also by dividing bushes. If you plant such a plant once, your flowerbed will be landscaped simply wonderfully, because cornflowers begin to sprout in the spring, and they do not require any special care or care.

Tradescantia garden

Perennial plant. It blooms with small blue flowers, spreading independently throughout the flower garden or flower bed, while completely covering their surfaces. The stems are bright green in color and bear small flowers. long leaves longitudinal shape, which looks incredibly beautiful, like one huge, lush carpet! The plants do not require mowing or pruning; the stems reach a length of 20 cm if the area is exposed to sunlight. The stems of Tradescantia are quite strong, they stand perfectly in an upright position, and quite continuous thickets are formed.

These plants need to be watered regularly; they grow very well in the shade, and they bloom, but not too much, although the stems increase in length. Also, if desired, propagate plants; to do this, break off the petiole and stick it into moist soil. IN autumn period Small seeds fall from it, and they begin to sprout beautifully in the spring. In this case, there is absolutely no need to dig up or plow the soil in the flowerbed. Over the course of an entire summer, just one stem can produce a whole square meter of green carpet.

Snapdragon

It is also called a doggie. The plant blooms throughout the summer. These flowers are unpretentious for the garden; they have very interesting shapes with bright, charming shades. They can be either tall or short. Inflorescences can also be of different colors. Dogs come in any colors, with the exception of blue and light blue. Small bushes tolerate shade well, but at the same time, it is better to provide a sunny part of the flowerbed for growing them. Yes, and be sure to water the plant regularly. By observing these conditions, flower beds with snapdragons in your garden will be simply magnificent.

And it is absolutely not necessary to have extensive experience in gardening in order to grow beautiful flowers on your plot. As you noticed from the article, both single- and perennial plants are completely unpretentious in terms of care, which means that such plants are perfect for a “newbie” in this business. After all, to care for them you do not need to apply any special efforts, or waste a lot of time.

But creating a beautiful flower bed and subsequently caring for it is always pleasant, but it is not always easy work. It is the flower beds in which perennial and even unpretentious flowers are planted that will help the gardener reduce conditions. Perennial flowers that bloom throughout the summer are the most ideal option in this case. Of course, you can also choose roses that will require special care. At the same time, you can choose completely unpretentious plants, for example, which were discussed in this article. In any case, perennials will sprout in the same place every year. At the same time, they easily tolerate wintering, and they do not need to be planted every year.

I really want to hope that when choosing beautiful views flowers, you will not be afraid of difficulties in caring for them. As a result, you will enjoy gorgeous perennial flowers that bloom throughout the summer. But this is the very best reward for any gardener. We wish you success in this matter and good results!

50 photos of unpretentious flowers for a flower bed

If the owners managed to buy a summer cottage in winter or spring, then it is quite difficult to improve it during the season. True, you can plant beds, but it’s difficult to create beautiful flower beds, because many plants begin to bloom and become decorative only in the second year. The only option is to buy or grow annual flowers on the windowsills for the flower bed. Their growing season is so short that many plants begin to bloom as early as May. The main thing is to combine and select the right varieties so that the flower beds look impressive all season long.

When buying annual seeds, you need to be prepared for the fact that your flowerbed will bloom no earlier than mid-May, even if you grow seedlings at home, on windowsills. When sown directly in the ground, the plants will bloom even later - by June. And the reason is not only that most annuals produce their first flowers 40-45 days after the seeds germinate. The speed of plant maturation will also be affected by the weather. If May turns out to be cold, with frosts, then the hatched sprouts will be easily damaged, stop growing, and their growing season will increase. Even the most unpretentious marigolds do not like contrasts between night and day temperatures. Therefore, gardeners have an unspoken rule: to plant seedlings only after the end of the May frosts, and if they were sown directly into the ground, then cover them with spunbond or other non-woven material at night.

Annuals in containers: salvation for spring flower beds

The only option to make flower beds bloom in April is to decorate them with beautiful annuals in pots and containers. Seeds are planted at home in containers from the beginning of January in order to obtain tall seedlings covered with flower buds by the end of spring.

A flowerbed of pots can remain in this form until the beginning of June, and then all the seedlings are transplanted into open ground

Calendula, lobelia and marigold are well suited for these purposes. They begin to be sown in the middle of winter, and to speed up the growing season, the seedlings are additionally illuminated until March. Already at the end of April, beautiful flowers will bloom in pots and containers, which can be displayed in flower beds during the day. True, by the evening the beauty will have to be hidden in so as not to freeze.

Some cunning summer residents, who arrange small flower beds (up to a meter in diameter) in this way, manage to save the plants without dragging them back and forth. To do this, they build a kind of wigwam from wooden stakes, a high pole and lutrasil:

• First, a pole is driven into the center of the flowerbed (which must be round!).
• The space around it is filled with containers with flowers, placing them in several tiers.
• Pegs are driven in along the edge of the flowerbed.
• Lutrasil is sewn from two fabrics in the form of a wide sleeve, whose diameter should be slightly larger than the diameter of the flower bed.
• The top of the sleeve is tied to the top point of the pole, and the lower part of the shelter is straightened out on pegs and pressed to the ground with pebbles.
• On the day, the lower part of the shelter is rolled up and tied to a pole.

To make such a structure look aesthetically pleasing during the day, you can hide the lutrasil in a bright linen cover, putting it directly on the pole. It seems like a lot of hassle. But after making a wigwam once, you will use it for several seasons.

In the first picture, the flowerbed is covered with lutrasil and pressed down with pebbles, in the second, the shelter is tied to a pole, and the stones act as a border, located between the pegs

There is a video on this topic:

Monoflowers of annuals blooming all season

If you don’t want to bother too much with the selection of plants, but at the same time you want to preserve the original landscape, we recommend creating monoflower beds from one annual plant, which has a long flowering period. Today, many varieties with different flower colors have been developed, so by purchasing several bags, you will decorate the area in the form of bright spots of color. The most spectacular are miniature flower beds in the shape of circles or squares, randomly located on the lawn.

You can use the following annuals for a monostyle flower bed:

Option #1 – Ageratum

It begins to bloom from the end of May and does not stop until the October frosts. Densely planted plants resemble a terry rug because they bloom very profusely. Ageratum is absolutely not afraid of moisture, but even light frosts can spoil the decorative appearance of the leaves. Grows up to half a meter. The best varieties for monoflowers are considered dwarf (10-30 cm). It should be borne in mind that the degree of growth also depends on lighting. In partial shade, the ageratum begins to stretch upward, reducing the number of flowers, but lengthening the stem.

The square shape of mini-flower beds filled with fluffy ageratum bushes harmonizes perfectly with green inserts from lawn grass or ground cover plants

The following varieties are suitable for color spots:

• White bouquet (height - up to 25 cm). The color of the flowers is naturally white;
• Blue mink (up to 25 cm high). Color – blue-blue;
• Kalinka (up to 20 cm high). Color – burgundy-red;
• Raspberry (up to 20 cm high). Color – crimson;
• Pink ball (up to 25 cm high). Color – pink-lilac.

If you want to create multi-colored spots, then you can plant the “Aztec Treasures” variety, where seeds of different colors are mixed.

Color spots from different varieties of ageratum, scattered throughout the area in the form of miniature flower beds, will look decorative until winter

Option #2 – Alyssum (Lobularia)

This ground cover plant, which fills the territory offered to it with a dense carpet up to 20 cm high. Even weeds rarely break through it. It has an incredibly pleasant honey aroma, so for those who keep hives, it is very beneficial in terms of feeding bees. Does not like fresh organic matter and acidic soils. In dry summers it requires watering. Blooms from June to late autumn.

The following varieties are used for monoflowers:

• « Pink rug». It takes root better if grown as seedlings and then replanted in the ground. The flowers are small, pink in color.
• "Snow Carpet"». One of the most unpretentious varieties. It reproduces well by planting seeds directly into the ground, and next summer it will sprout by self-sowing, if you do not pull out the bushes for the winter, but do this in early spring. It is very densely covered with small white flowers and looks as if it has been doused with milk.
• « Gold Placer" or "Golden Wave». A spectacular bright yellow variety. Unlike the previous ones, it does not crawl on the ground, but grows like small balls. Therefore, the flowerbed will have a wavy relief.
• « Magic circles». Light purple inflorescences look very decorative. Does not like heat and reacts to it by stopping flowering. In such a summer, alyssum can shed its leaves and flowers. In this case, gardeners recommend cutting off the above-ground part so that young shoots can take root. By August the plant will bloom again and will delight you until winter.

Even after the first October frosts, most of the flowers and leaves of alyssum will remain “alive” until the final cold snap occurs

Even narrow gaps in rocky hills can be filled with different varieties of alyssum, although it is better to sow seeds in such places than to plant seedlings

Option #3 – Salvia

An excellent option for flower beds with a frame of more than low-growing annuals. The plant itself has a height of up to 40 cm, 20 of which are in the inflorescence. It blooms for a very long time, until late autumn, but has a long growing season. It takes at least 3 months for salvia to bloom. Therefore, the only option for growing it is in seedlings on window sills or in greenhouses with subsequent planting in flower beds.

Salvia has a huge number of varieties of different colors, but in flower beds they usually combine no more than two tones so that the flower garden does not look too colorful

To cover a not very decorative stem, it is better to frame flower beds with salvia with some low-growing plant, for example, cineraria.

Bright red salvia, framed by silvery cineraria, looks solemn and impressive, delighting owners with flowering until late autumn, but both annuals require early sowing of seeds

Annual flowers for decorating colorful flower beds

If you need to create a flower garden in the form of thin streams running along paths or framing a patio area, then low-growing marigolds are ideal. Not everyone knows that this plant can be cut, giving it a geometrically even shape. At the same time, it does not at all reduce the degree of flowering, maintaining its decorative effect even after the first autumn frosts.

Purslane feels great on unfertilized and poor soils. The peculiarity of this low-growing plant is the needle-shaped leaves, which together look like a shaggy Christmas tree. But the flowers are large, bright, and closed(before the rain) resemble rosebuds. This plant can be used both in and along the edges of a mixed flower bed.

Purslane flowers look stunning both open and closed, and from the moment they bloom they produce a large number of lush double flowers