How to Plant an English Flowering Garden

English gardens are known for their color and soft, flowing flower beds. The plants look like they occur naturally where they are placed. Use plants with different shapes, textures and colors in your design. English gardens mix grass with flower beds. The flower beds should be packed with plants and lots of visual interest. The lawn should be well manicured.

Paper
Pencil
Plants
Shovel
Soil

Instructions

- 1
  Design your garden by drawing out the space. Make the drawing to scale so you can plan size and proportion. A scale of 1 inch to 10 feet or larger is workable. Use plant symbols to represent your plant palette. Traditional English flower beds are densely planted, so pack in many plants. Use curved lines and wandering paths.
- 2
  
  Color adds beauty to the garden.
  
  Pick plants with three or four different bloom colors. Use colors next to each other on the color wheel for a subtle effect. Use opposite colors for a more vibrant look. Different shades of the same color can be used to transition the eye. As an example, use hot pink blooms fading to light pink lead into an area with white flowers.
- 3
  
  Texture on leaves adds to a garden's visual interest.
  
  Select plants with different textures. Plants with unusual texture like goat's beard, coreopsis or lamb's ear make great accent plants. Use fragrant plants like lavender and thyme. Variety in structure and texture is key to a well designed English garden
- 4
  Place plants of similar sizes together. Low growing plants should go in front, with taller plants in the rear. But, remember that English gardens are not symmetrical.
- 5
  
  Accessories provide visual variety.
  
  Use accessories to accent the plants. Statues, broken pots and colored globes will add another dimension and character to the garden. Use structures as support for climbing plants.
- 6
  
  Use rich soil for healthy plants.
  
  Amend the soil in your flower bed so that there is a rich base of organic material. Arrange the plants according to your design. Shrubs should be planted in holes that are twice as wide as the root ball. Perennials should be planted far enough apart for them to reach their full growth potential.

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