Tips for your flower garden from a star horticulturist

Walking into a plant nursery can be overwhelming, especially when you want a stunning flower garden at home. Before the planting season begins, look for guidance from experts.

We tapped Steve Foltz, director of horticulture at the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden, for help with flower garden ideas and tips. He’s been with the horticulture department since 1988, taught university-level courses in horticulture for three decades, and is a member of the Kentucky Nursery and Landscape Hall of Fame. He knows his stuff.

We ask the important questions and Foltz answers. Want your flower garden to resemble those at Zoo Blooms, the annual event held at the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden (also voted the Best Flower Festival in the USA Today 10Best Readers’ Choice Awards)? You’re in the right place.

How do you arrange a flower garden?

Like most things, your best bet is to keep it simple. Foltz says to use drifts of color in your home flower garden and to use the most color in high-traffic areas, like walkways, patios, and decks.

Keep in mind that annuals require care and even the hardiest need to be watered and fertilized, so your flower bed should be near water outlets.

What flowers are best for a flower garden?

For a colorful flower garden with mad curb appeal, Foltz suggests the following easy-to-grow blooms whether you plant them directly in the ground or in containers.

Best for sunny areas in your flower garden

Petunia: Choose bright colors like Vista Bubblegum pink or Supertunia Vista Jazzberry.

Lantana: Good choices include Citrus Blend and Lucky Pot of Gold.

Sweet Potato Vine: Marguerite is a great ground cover in sunny spots. It cascades over walls and is a vigorous grower.

Zinnias: Zahara Fire is a low plant with bright orange flowers, or try any in the Profusion Zinnias series.

Salvia: Mystic Spires Blue is a terrific pollinator plant, or go for the Big Blue and Blue Suede Shoes varieties.

Grass: Purple Fountain Grass is super easy!

Best for shady areas in your flower garden

Impatiens: Foltz especially likes the Sunpatiens Compact Electric Orange.

Begonias: Dragon Wings series, Megawatt series, and Surefire Cherry Cordial are Foltz’ favorites.

Coleus: Foltz likes the vegetative varieties like the ColorBlaze series or the Main Street series.

Should you plant seeds or use potted plants for a flower garden?

Foltz suggests visiting your local garden store that sells well-grown annuals that are in either flats or 4inch pots.

“Most of the time the vigorous plants that do well are in 4-inch pots,” he adds. “Growing from seed can be fun in the back of the garden, but when you are really counting on color, buy plants.”

How do you prepare the soil before planting?

Soil prep for a flower garden starts with knowing the soil type that’s native to your area. You may have to apply some elbow grease to get the dirt in good enough shape to plant annuals.

“The most important tip is to dig up your soil with a shovel or a small rototiller to make sure it’s loose and soft,” Foltz explains. Try for 6 to 8 inches deep, and if you can’t dig with your hands, the soil is not ready. “If you have to chip away at the soil to plant your flowers, you are in for an uphill battle in which you will not win.”

Consider a soil test kit (for $10 to $20) to determine your soil’s composition, alkalinity, and acidity. Foltz says if you’re working your dirt and adding organic matter occasionally when preparing your beds, you should be in good shape.

How often do you need to water and fertilize a flower garden?

Assuming you adequately prepared your soil, water your flower garden immediately after planting, and keep an eye on them for the next week or so.

“The first week we fertilize with a liquid feed you can attach to your hose (like Miracle Grow or something similar),” the horticulturist advises. “And you can use slow-release fertilizer as a top-dress as well. Then it is a matter of making sure the color of your leaves stays good and dark green.”

Once the annuals are established, water two times a week. If it rains, you may still need to water because sometimes it doesn’t soak the ground. If you’re unsure, stick your finger in the soil at the base of the plant, and feel if it is wet or dry.

How do you extend the blooming season of a flower garden?

“By using the recommended plants from our trials [at the botanical garden],” Foltz says. “We expect our annuals to look good from May to the first frost! If they are short-season color, they don’t get the Zoo’s ‘Best Annuals’ moniker.”

For more flower garden ideas, check out the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden’s guide to planning your garden.

How to prevent common pests

If you’ve done all of the above – selected the best-recommended plants, prepared your soil, watered and fertilized your annuals (being extra attentive the first three weeks) – you should be good.

Deer, however, can be your thorniest issue, if you have them in your neighborhood. If they don’t bother your hostas (lilies), you’re probably safe. If they eat your hostas, Foltz suggests adding plants like lantana, salvia, and verbena bonariensis to keep deer at bay.

When it comes to controlling weeds, forget about using fabric, plastic, or rocks. Cover your soil with mulch. (But with annuals don’t lay it on too thick!)

Foltz uses pine-based mulch, which is very fine in texture. He notes that well-regarded garden stores and nurseries generally use this mix to grow their perennials.