Flowe Bed Design Flower bed design is something that does not seem like it should be that difficult, but it often gives new gardeners fits. Suddenly what looked like a small, manageable flower bed turns into a monster when you finally have to fill it with plants. Here are some tips that will make your flowerbed design a little easier.

First off, you need to choose a theme for your flower bed design. By theme I just mean you need to have an idea of what kind of plants and flowers you would like before you go shopping. Some important things to consider are:
Color: do you want to use the same color throughout or several complementary colors? Get out your color wheel and choose colors that look nice together for easy flower bed design success.

Hue: almost as important as choosing the right colors is choosing the right hue or tone of flowers. Stick with all pastels, all dark colors or all bright colors for a pleasing palette.

Formality: do you want an informal, wildflower kind of look to your flower bed design, or would you prefer a more formal, structured look? The flowers you choose will dictate the mood of your garden.
Once you have figured out the basic feel you want your flower bed to have, you need to define your space. If you are improving an existing flower bed design, you might not want to alter the size or shape of the bed. If you are designing a new bed, you will need to shape it out and prepare it before planting.

Many people like to curve the front of their flower bed, but a straight line is fine, too. If you decide to go with a curve, make it one long gentle curve instead of a series of waves. When it comes to shape, a wide flower bed is ideal because it will give you a chance to plant in layers, which will give your flower bed design a more natural look. Taller plants can go in the back of the bed, moving to smaller and shorter plants as you move forward in the bed.

Thus an important consideration in any flower bed design is how large the plants are ultimately going to get. You do not want to plant something that is going to be five feet tall in the front of your garden just because it is only a foot tall right now. Instead, you should plan for what the plants will look like in five or 10 years and space them accordingly.
Annual flowers are perfect for filling in the spaces between plants that have not yet grown into their space. You can also plant spring bulbs between the plants and just remove them after a few years, or plant a ground cover that will make the area look less bare.
The actual plants you choose will be a matter of personal taste, but there are some more basic flower bed design principles you should keep in mind.
If you are going for a formal look, symmetry is important. Choose a focal point such as a large plant, shrub, tree or even a fountain, and place that in the middle of your flower bed design. Build off of that with the same plants mirroring each other on each side of the flower bed.
Another important concept is that of planting in groups and repetition. Groups of the same plant looks better than one individual plant, and a plant that is repeated through the flower bed design will look better than one that only appears once. This does not mean you have to plant in rows or use huge mass plantings of a particular plant. Any odd number of the same kind of plant will look natural and nice.
If you are still confused as to how to start your flower bed design, go for a walk. Look at your neighbors yards and see what works and what does not. Better yet, take a hike in a natural place. Take notice of where the plants are in relation to each other. Natures rules of design are a great start for your own flower bed design: avoid straight lines, plant in clumps, seek harmony with flowers and greenery, plant flowers that like the same conditions next to each other. If you follow these practices, as well as those outlined above, you are sure to build a flower garden you will enjoy.