Gardeners have a staggering array of choices when it comes to planting flower beds. It is up to the individual gardener to decide if he wants a repeat blooming flower bed; to arrange the bed by color, height or species; and how much work they want to invest into having a perfectly organized flower bed. Plant beds offers a real chance to get creative and play with the colors and textures of annuals, perennials and biennials.
Perennials make wonderful flower beds for the low-maintenance garden because they will grow back the following season for another show of color. Lupins are popular perennials that exhibit deep blue, purple or violet rows of bell shaped flowers. The large-leafed lupin (Lupinus polyphyllus) is a lupin species native to North America. This plant is frequently grown for ornamental purposes for its star-shaped leaves and for its flowers, which break out of the typical lupin color scheme to include white and shades of pink. Lupins are frequently associated with Maine and the Pacific Northwest.
Annuals are short-lived flowers, lasting only a year before permanently losing their blooms. They are popular for flower beds because they grow and bloom quickly. Cosmos (Cosmos) are drought-resistant, colorful flowers that will attract birds with their edible seeds. Marigolds are excellent bedding plants that produce bushy flowers in various shades of yellow, orange and red. The French marigold (Tagetes patula) is a vivid orange marigold that can withstand a good deal of sun. As an added bonus, marigolds are mostly pest free and can even deter pests from a garden with their scent.
Biennials is a term used to describe plants that have a two-year lifespan. Pansies are a common example of a biennial used in a flower bed, as they are available in a wide range of solid and mixed colors. Sweet William (Dianthus barbatus) is biennial plant native to parts of Asia and Southern Europe that is a popular ornamental plant that has brightly colored, edible flowers. Black-eyed Susans (Rudbeckia hirta) are hardy plants with sunflower like blooms that can withstand full sun.