Be Creative with Flower Bed Design

Be Creative with Flower Bed Design blog banner

Last Updated January 25, 2024

Don't settle for a ho-hum flower bed design this year. Whether you are a home or business owner, cookie-cutter landscape designs strip neighborhood and commercial yards of individual personality and creativity. So resolve to liven things up in your home or business garden this spring with some splashes of creativity that set your landscape apart from the rest.

The Grounds Guys® know that you are the authority on your preferences, so we'll just offer some ideas to get your creative thought process started:

Add a Mixed Planting

Colorful flower beds

Combine ornamental plants and edible plants in the same flowerbed for a unique blend of beauty and function. Use leafy greens to border a flowerbed, and plant vining crops, such as winter squash and cucumbers, as a ground cover.

Even Things Out with a Monochromatic Theme

Yellow and orange flowers in a garden bed

Choose a color that complements your property and plant different flowers with the same color in a bed or island. Use hot colors -- reds and yellows -- to liven things up a bit. They'll also attract butterflies and hummingbirds to your landscape.

Design a Moon Garden

Jasmine flowers in a moon garden

Moon gardens are meant to be enjoyed at dusk. Some moon-garden flowers are white -- to reflect the moonlight and brighten up the garden -- and others are fragrant. Include four o'clocks (Mirabilis jalapa), jasmine (Jasminum spp.) or gardenia (Gardenia jasminoides) for a little in-ground aromatherapy to help you unwind at the end of a busy day or present a pleasant experience for visitors.

Create a Focal Point with a Living Sculpture

Topiary in a flower garden

With some basic ornamental pruning techniques, you can transform a plant into a two-dimensional espalier or three-dimensional topiary. Add a formal touch with a traditional shape, or create a whimsical feature with an animal shape. Living sculptures can help your home or business stand out and catch the attention of passerby.

Overcome Problems with Low-lying Areas with a Rain Garden

Rain garden

One of the most creative design touches in a garden is turning an eyesore into a beautiful flowerbed. For example, if there's an area in your landscape that drains slowly and holds water every time it rains, plant a rain garden. Make a flowerbed in the problem area and include plants that can tolerate standing water for a few days without harm.

Loosen Things up with a Cottage Garden

Cottage garden in residential landscape

Eschewing a formal flowerbed design for a more casual cottage garden, you can imitate a Victorian design theme. Include hollyhocks (Alcea rosea) for height, coneflowers (Echinacea spp.) for color and forget-me-nots (Myosotis sylvatica) for a classic touch.

Make it Rugged with a Rock Garden

Rock garden in residential yard

Use rocks that you excavate when you work in your yard or purchase river rock to border low-maintenance flower bed that are filled with drought-tolerant plants. Suitable plants include succulents, such as stonecrop (Sedum spp.) and hens and chicks (Sempervivum spp.), alyssum (Lobularium maritima) and many herbs, such as thyme (Thymus spp.). Make sure the soil is well draining and don't water rock-garden plants too much. Work with a professional landscape company to create an eye-catching but easy-to-maintain rock garden.

Relax at the End of the Day with a Water Feature

Close up of water feature in residential garden

From an elaborate waterfall to a simple DIY tabletop fountain, there’s a water feature that suits every home or business budget and preferences. Locate the water feature near fragrant plants -- or your moon garden -- to delight the senses of sight, smell and hearing.

Choose The Grounds Guys for Flower & Garden Bed Maintenance Services

With unlimited combinations for flowerbed design ideas, The Grounds Guys know your creative side can add just the right touch to your residential or commercial landscape. Count on us for any questions you have about designing, installing and maintaining your landscape. We can also help with xeriscaping suggestions and irrigation solutions to keep your garden as maintenance-free and attractive as possible.

Find The Grounds Guys location nearest you and request a free estimate today!