Six Simple Secrets to Growing the Best Flowers on Your Block

Get tips and tricks for adding beautiful, easy-care flowers to your yard so your house is the shining star of your neighborhood. By Justin Hancock

By Justin Hancock

It’s easier than you think to add beautiful and easy-care flowers to your front yard. If you’re not sure where to start, read on!

Tip 1: Pick the Right Landscaping Plants

The first rule of successful gardening is to put the right plant in the right spot. Many landscaping plants practically care for themselves when they like where they’re growing. And some of the most easy-care plants can be a challenge if you grow them in a spot they don’t like.

Pay attention to the conditions in your front yard and write down the particulars for the different spaces where you would like to add flowering outdoor plants. That includes how much direct sun those areas receive, how moist the soil stays after a rain, and other factors. Rely on these notes when you’re shopping for plants at your garden center.

Tip 2: Grow Annuals and Perennials

Decide if you want to grow annuals, perennials, or a mix of both. Annuals are wonderful outdoor plants because most bloom constantly from spring or summer through fall. But, you have to plant them every year, which some gardeners don’t like. Perennials, on the other hand, typically have a shorter bloom season (many bloom for just a few weeks), but come back every year and produce more blooms with each year. A mix of annuals and perennials gives you color through the seasons, and reduces the amount of planting you have to do every year.
> See 10 Easy-Care Perennials Every Garden Should Have.
> Check Out Our Annuals Bloom Calendar.
> Discover Some of Our Favorite Perennial Planting Combos.

Tip 3: Feed the Soil

Fertilizing your landscaping plants can help them grow faster and perhaps produce more blooms, but feeding the soil makes your outdoor plants even healthier and beautiful. An easy way to do this is to cover the ground with an inch or two of compost once a year. As the compost breaks down, it offers a wealth of benefits beyond what fertilizer can do.

Tip 4: Use Mulch

Covering the soil with several inches of mulch is one of easiest ways to decrease garden maintenance. Mulch suppresses weeds and helps the soil stay moist longer, so you don’t have to water as much. Plus, mulch gives your landscape a finished, tidy look.

Tip 5: Select a Color Scheme

In addition to making sure your outdoor plants are healthy and beautiful, make your front yard flowers look their best by picking a color scheme rather than having a hodgepodge of colors. If you’re not sure where to start with colors, try some that contrast or complement the color of your home or its architectural elements (such as the trim).

Tip 6: Remove Faded Flowers

Once a week, walk through your front yard and remove faded flowers from your landscaping plants. This makes it look more clean and crisp -- and prevents your plants from dropping seeds and creating a mess of seedlings later on. Bonus: Deadheading like this can encourage many perennial varieties to rebloom!