Last couple of years seems like I never get enough flowers in my front garden so I have a big bald spots here and there, So my question is can you have too many flowers in a bed.I know DUMB question but i hate bald spots in my beds it just doesn't look good . Thank you all Margie :'( :'( moderator's note: added a more descriptive title to topic
Margie, yes, you can have too many flowers in a flower bed. Large aggressive flowers will overpower smaller, more delicate ones, and you end up with a monoculture of one kind of flower (I'm thinking of poppies and lupines here in Texas which spread like wildfire). Bald spots can be taken care of by putting annuals in when the perennials stop blooming. Just stick the annuals in around the perennials, and you don't have bald spots, you have blooming spots! I think this is why zinnias and marigolds were invented . Now, what was the DUMB question, because I sure didn't see one in your post !
Margie, I agree with Jane, Yes you can have too much/many flowers in the flower bed. They need air circulation to help keep the mildew issues at bay. It also gets messy looking with no focal point to look at. while having a full bed is nice it isn't actually healthy for the plants They each need their space, roots and foliage will do a little better without so much competition and the best way to allow this to happen naturally is to toss a few "filler" plant seeds and allow to germinate what actually will do best there. You can fill in with annuals or even just "filler" greens just keep the bald spots not so noticeable or just mulch them. A dark spot just fades while observing the bed from afar.
Here is a different style/opinion. I like the beds full with no bare ground for weeds to take root. I don't feel you can have too many flowers/plants in a bed. Of course I am a throw everything in, encourage aggressive plants and pull them out when they start being bullies. Among the tall growing phlox are ground hugging red blooming strawberries. I have nasturtiums and calendula that fill in empty spaces pretty well and sweet woodruff that I pull regularly as a weed, but love. Sometimes i have to pull my beloved California poppies that self-sews for the same reason. I admit I don't have focal points, just a lot of little garden rooms with chairs, tables or benches. Follow your heart. Every garden is its own little piece of art that you create and is an expression of you. Your climate, micro-environments, plant selection and combinations will determine your successes and failures. Don't be afraid to experiment
I agree with you all! My garden beds tend to be too full, but it does keep the weeds out. I tend to like a two tiered look: tall aliums growing out of a low ground cover, for example. I try to keep some semblance of order by not letting too many plants intermingle. I also try to create focal points in the various beds, whether it is by using a piece of sculpture or a plant with bold foliage as a contrast. And, I sometimes do as Carolyn suggests: use annuals as a quick fill-in. I also pot up cannas & just plunk a pot of them where I need a bold statement. They are portable that way!
A flower bed can be too full if you mix a lot of different plants together without thought for colour, texture and flowering time. (You should see my borders. ) If you plant groups of the same plants the bed will look full but also tidy. I use annuals as ground covers while waiting for my perennials to grow big enough.
Have you all been watching the youtube videos that Philip has been posting 'How to be a Gardener'? I am really enjoying them. In the last one (I think it was eight) he talked of using the concept of triangles to plan the height of a perennial or shrub bed. To think of planting in a softly undulating way rather than a row of muffin across the bed. I am really explaining it very badly, you will have to watch the video to get the concept. If you have a chance to check it out I would love to hear what you think. If you can't find them on Gardenstew, just go to youtube.
Cayuga... that was one of my favorite "episodes" from Philip's posting. I'd never put that much planning and thought into a bed... but it was very interesting and the outcome was fantastic.
