When planning your flower bed ideas, the most important step is to be able to visualize what your beds will look like in the future. Patience is key.
While your flower bed might not look like much when it's first planted, in a few months it will be much fuller, taller, and more colorful – if that is what you want. The key is anticipating the heights, colors, textures, and mass of all the various plants, and factoring this in to your garden ideas.
The best flower bed ideas will typically have smaller more dainty plants at the front, medium height varieties in the middle, then tall plants and flowers at the back to ensure you get to enjoy the blooms in all of their glory.
Flower bed ideas
Our curated collection of flower bed ideas and flower garden inspiration will set you on the way to creating your dream garden space, whatever its shape and size.
1. Use flower beds to line a garden path
(Image credit: Future)
Whether you opt for raised garden bed ideas or plant straight into the ground, flower beds can make exceptional dividers for a garden path. This is especially the case when you bring tall, architectural plants into the mix.
Here, the 246-foot-long flower beds are full of lupins, inula, campanula and meadowsweet. The vivid hues add an extra dose of visual interest alongside a freshly mowed lawn.
It's a beautiful way to establish the boundary of a walkway. What's more, these flower bed ideas will continue to offer color and structure throughout the seasons as the various plants take their turn in the spotlight.
2. Add interest with architectural plants
(Image credit: Future / Annaick Guitteny)
Not all flower beds need to about bright, bold blooms. Dramatic and elegant, architectural plants impart structure and provide a contemporary planting style that is easy to main and will give year-round interest.
In the design world they are considered indispensable, relied upon to create sculptural beauty and to draw the eye to specific parts of the garden, like in this stunning rock garden.
Exactly what plants are regarded as ‘architectural’ is a matter of opinion, but most professional gardeners would agree that hardy evergreen exotics like palms, bamboo and Musa basjoo are the main players.
Perennials with big leaves, such as rodgersia and rheum, and big, bold flowers like kniphofia and allium also qualify, as do topiary pyramids, spirals and spheres.
3. Grow fruit and vegetable in raised bed planters
(Image credit: Future / Polly Eltes)
Fruit and vegetables can be grown in amongst ornamentals in garden borders or raised beds. Opt for compact varieties, such as blackcurrant, colorful crops, such as the bright scarlet Goji berry, and bold versions of everyday plants, such as the gorgeous ‘All Gold’ raspberry, which has amber-gold fruit.
Choosing raised beds means you don’t have to step onto the earth to tend your crops, which saves you having to aerate the soil by digging. They can be attractive features in their own right, for instance when built out of old railway sleepers or used as garden edging ideas for a patio seating area.
4. Opt for traditional rectangular flower beds
(Image credit: Future)
There’s a timelessness as well as formality about both parterres and traditional potagers, with their decorative arrangement of rectangular beds filled with flowers, fruit, herbs or vegetables, separated by straight paths in grass, gravel or brick.
Both provide versatile frameworks that can be shrunk or enlarged to adapt to varying sizes and shapes of garden, yet still work providing the proportions are maintained.
When planning how to plant a flower bed, add height with clematis, roses or sweet peas trained up steel or wooden obelisks.
5. Create structure with a formal flower bed
(Image credit: Future / Polly Eltes)
A formal layout and structure looks good built from traditional materials, such as flagstones, brick and timber, in natural finishes that complement the plants.
Flower beds can simply be contained by hard landscaping, or within crisply cut box hedges, a formal element that’s useful for binding together any informal planting within.
6. Add distinction with a standout feature – surrounded by beds
(Image credit: Future / Annaick Guitteny)
A central feature adds a hub around which the design flows. It could be as simple as a circular fountain enclosed by perennials, or as dramatic as life-sized topiary figures – birds, chess pieces and abstract shapes.
Ornaments such as statues, spheres or birdbaths also create eye-catching focal points, provided they are raised high enough on a plinth to be commanding and embraced by plants.
Proportion is paramount and, while a feature should be large and elaborate enough to attract attention, it should not be so imposing as to overshadow everything else.
7. Plant a perennial flower bed
(Image credit: Future / Val Corbett)
The great thing about perennials is exactly that: they’re perennial. They do their thing, filling the garden with fantastic flowers or long lasting colorful leaves – and then the next year they do it again, and again, and then the year after that.
There are two ways to go about choosing perennials. You can decide which features are missing from your planting and choose perennials that provide these qualities. Or you can simply choose perennials that you really like, that grab your attention, and then look around the garden and find homes for them. Collecting seeds is a cost effective way to fill your flower beds with your own homegrown stock.
Don’t be tied too rigidly by the old tall-at-the-back-short-at-the-front idea; clearly it makes sense, but short early flowers like hellebores make impressive clumps at the back and like the shade of taller perennials later. Tall see-through perennials such as Verbena bonariensis can be set towards the front.
8. Plant ornamental grasses to contrast with summer flowers
(Image credit: Future / Annaick Guitteny)
The popularity currently enjoyed by ornamental grasses is well deserved. Ornamental grasses are useful both as flowering plants in the garden and as foliage plants, with many being strikingly variegated, while other have waxy, glaucous leaves.
If you are growing them principally for use as cut material, a spare plot out of sight will be suitable, allowing you to hack at will without qualms about the wreckage left behind. But those perennial grasses that are used in a border should not, I suggest, be segregated in beds of their own.
When planning how to grow ornamental grasses, a collection of many grasses together looks messy. It is better to let them take their place in a mixed border where their foliage and habit contrast effectively with the broad leaves of hostas, for instance, or the bright color of tiger lilies, phloxes and other summer flowers.
9. Introduce a sensory element
(Image credit: Future / Mark Bolton )
Dial up the sensory appeal of your garden flower bed to make it a richer, more playful space. Sensory gardens use plants and features to engage all five senses and are a joy for all, especially people who have sensory impairments.
A flower bed of old-fashioned scented plants, like lily of the valley, can stimulate memory in older people and those with dementia. Edible plants will encourage children to explore using touch and taste. And textures and rustling leaves provide a great way for sight-impaired people to experience the garden.
You could go for a bright planting palette or a monochrome one, for example selecting white flowers only.
10. Brighten a shaded spot with hostas
(Image credit: Future / David Giles)
Surprisingly, flower beds can work wonderfully in the shade – you just have to make sure you pick the right plants.
Hostas are the perfect plant for a shaded garden. Lush, green and sculptural, these shade-loving plants add depth and drama to the garden. Be aware that hostas are slug magnets – but they don’t love all hostas. Some of the most popular hostas, such as ‘Halcyon’ and ‘Hadspen Blue’, are among those with the most dependable, bluish slug-proof leaves.
Smart garden shade ideas offer inspiration for creating a shaded spot in your outdoor space.
How do you make a flower bed look nice?
The best flower beds have been carefully crafted to contain a collection of plants that offer diversity in height and structure – so consider vertical garden ideas too – as well as tonal and seasonal variation. Above all, they include a range of plants that make excellent bedfellows, sitting happily together side-by-side.
By moving the plants around a little they can all be adapted to fit your own garden beds. As a general rule, you should keep taller plants towards the back of the flower beds – but avoid adhering to this too rigidly if you want a softer, more natural effect. And if you’re lucky enough to have large flower beds, simply increase the numbers, adding in more of your favorites.
Always choose the right plant for the right place, so if, for instance, you have a lot of tree cover over some flowerbeds, consider if woodland plants would be best suited to those spots.
What should I put in my flower bed?
There are so many plants you can put in a flower bed to make it bloom all-year round, so inspiration can be found anywhere from rose garden ideas to Mediterranean garden ideas.
It is worth keeping in mind that soft-stemmed herbaceous perennials (which usually die back each winter) tend to be faster-growing than shrubs. However shrubs – particularly evergreens – do provide interest throughout the year, so their value should not be ruled out.
When it comes to flower bed ideas, it's important to have a clear vision of how your beds will look in the future. Visualizing the heights, colors, textures, and mass of the plants is key to creating a beautiful flower bed. In this article, we'll explore various concepts related to flower bed ideas and provide information on each of them.
1. Flower Bed Ideas for Garden Paths
Flower beds can be used to line garden paths, creating exceptional dividers. By incorporating tall, architectural plants, you can establish the boundary of a walkway and add visual interest. These flower beds can continue to offer color and structure throughout the seasons as different plants take their turn in the spotlight [[1]].
2. Adding Interest with Architectural Plants
Not all flower beds need to focus solely on bright, bold blooms. Architectural plants can provide structure and a contemporary planting style that is easy to maintain. Hardy evergreen exotics like palms, bamboo, and Musa basjoo are often considered architectural plants. Perennials with big leaves, such as rodgersia and rheum, and big, bold flowers like kniphofia and allium also qualify. Topiary pyramids, spirals, and spheres can also be used to create architectural interest in flower beds [[2]].
3. Growing Fruit and Vegetables in Raised Bed Planters
Fruit and vegetables can be grown alongside ornamentals in garden borders or raised beds. Opting for compact varieties and colorful crops can add visual interest to your flower beds. Raised beds not only provide an attractive feature but also allow you to tend to your crops without stepping onto the earth, saving you from having to aerate the soil by digging [[3]].
4. Traditional Rectangular Flower Beds
Parterres and traditional potagers are timeless and formal arrangements that feature rectangular beds filled with flowers, fruit, herbs, or vegetables. These frameworks can be adapted to fit varying sizes and shapes of gardens. When planning a flower bed, adding height with climbing plants like clematis, roses, or sweet peas trained up steel or wooden obelisks can create a beautiful effect [[4]].
5. Creating Structure with Formal Flower Beds
A formal layout and structure can be achieved by using traditional materials such as flagstones, brick, and timber. Flower beds can be contained by hard landscaping or within crisply cut box hedges, providing a formal element that complements the plants [[5]].
6. Adding Distinction with a Standout Feature
A central feature in a flower bed can act as a hub around which the design flows. It could be something as simple as a circular fountain enclosed by perennials or as dramatic as life-sized topiary figures. Ornaments such as statues, spheres, or birdbaths can also create eye-catching focal points. Proportion is important, as the feature should be large enough to attract attention but not overshadow everything else [[6]].
7. Planting a Perennial Flower Bed
Perennials are a great choice for flower beds because they come back year after year, filling the garden with fantastic flowers or colorful leaves. When choosing perennials, you can either select plants that provide specific qualities you're looking for or simply choose ones that you like and find suitable spots for them in your garden. Collecting seeds is a cost-effective way to fill your flower beds with your own homegrown stock. Don't be tied too rigidly by the tall-at-the-back-short-at-the-front idea; short early flowers like hellebores can make impressive clumps at the back, and tall see-through perennials like Verbena bonariensis can be set towards the front [[7]].
8. Planting Ornamental Grasses for Contrast
Ornamental grasses have gained popularity for their striking foliage and varied textures. They can be used both as flowering plants and foliage plants. When planning how to grow ornamental grasses, it's best to let them take their place in a mixed border where their foliage and habit can contrast effectively with other plants. They can provide an interesting contrast with the broad leaves of hostas or the bright colors of summer flowers [[8]].
9. Introducing a Sensory Element
To make your flower bed a richer and more playful space, you can dial up the sensory appeal by using plants and features that engage all five senses. For example, you can create a flower bed of old-fashioned scented plants to stimulate memory in older people and those with dementia. Edible plants can encourage children to explore using touch and taste. Textures and rustling leaves provide a great way for sight-impaired people to experience the garden [[9]].
10. Brightening a Shaded Spot with Hostas
Flower beds can work wonderfully in shaded areas if you choose the right plants. Hostas are perfect for shaded gardens, as they are lush, green, and sculptural. Some hosta varieties, such as 'Halcyon' and 'Hadspen Blue', have slug-proof leaves. When planning a flower bed in a shaded spot, consider using hostas to add depth and drama to the garden [[10]].
In summary, when planning your flower bed ideas, it's important to consider factors such as the layout, structure, plant selection, and the overall sensory experience you want to create. By carefully choosing the right plants and incorporating various design elements, you can create a beautiful and vibrant flower bed.
