Title
Big Idea:
You can create and maintain a beautiful garden of sun annuals and perennials in your own yard.
The goal of Theme 1 Photo Garden is to provide visitors with a picturesque setting to memorialize their visit to the Idea Garden. Each year we create a unique garden design using a mix of annual and perennial plants that are readily available at the local nurseries. We research plants that fit into our design and color palette. After studying their growth habits, we narrow down the selection. We chose plants that require limited amount of tending, will grow and bloom successfully in sunny locations throughout the season and will maintain the form of our design.
Our theme this year is a compass. It represents how annual sun-loving flower gardens can grow in the right direction if gardeners follow tried and true gardening design steps.
1. Select an area that receives at least 6–8 hours of direct sunlight each day.
2. Remove weeds, loosen the soil 6-8 inches deep, and mix in compost to improve drainage and add nutrients
3. Choose easy sun-loving annual flowers such as marigolds and petunias
4. Plan before you plant. Lay out your design so taller plants are in the back or middle and shorter plants surround them. Mix colors and bloom shapes for a vibrant display.
5. Plant properly
- Water plants before planting
- Follow spacing recommendations on plant labels
- Plant at the same depth they were growing in their containers
6. Water regularly and add 2-3” of mulch to retain moisture and keep down the weeds
7. To keep the flowers blooming, “deadhead” the spent blooms and fertilize monthly with a balanced fertilizer
Our compass design is composed of Safari Yellow Marigolds outlined by Double Cherry Red Begonias. To highlight the compass the Aloha Blue Argeratum plants are arranged in a triangular fashion pointing toward it. When visitors sit on the granite bench for a photograph they are framed by Red Mandevillas climbing up the arbor, Lemon Ball Sedum at their feet, Little Redhead Indian Pinks outside the arbor and beautiful Deutzia bushes behind them.
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Photo Garden Plant List