Flower gardens for a riot of colour

Looking to lift your garden to the next level? Consider a few more flowering plants when planning your garden.

Flowering plants come in a vast array of shapes, sizes and colours, and can add great beauty to your garden. We all know the effect flowers can have in a garden; a flower garden brings colour, interest and beauty to any outdoor space, and can lift a garden to another level.

Types of garden flowers

Flowering plants come in three basic types: perennials, biennials and annuals. As a rule, perennial flowering plants live longer than three years, usually flowering at the same time (or season) each year. Flowering bulbs are also considered perennials, since they lie dormant during the cold months and burst into life as the soil warms up.

Biennials usually flower for a couple of years before dying off, while annuals, as the name suggests, last just one year. Annuals are very popular in Australian flower gardens because they provide immediate impact, gorgeous colour, and can bring variety - in the form of different coloured and shaped flowers - to the garden from year to year.

Making flower garden plans

When devising a plan for a flower garden, annuals are often employed in groups and 'drifts' to create a riot of colour. They also work well along garden or path borders, and when planted in pots can be utilised around patios and paved areas, or even to fill bare sections of the garden at a moment's notice when visitors are expected.

Creating a flower garden plan with a combination of perennials and annuals is a great way to update the look and colour of your garden from year to year, without having to replace all of the plants.

To ensure that your garden has flowers in bloom all year long, include some Australian natives in your flower garden plan - most of these flower from autumn to early spring, which means that winter is often their peak flowering time. For your flower garden, consider grevilleas, correas, banksias and hakeas - these flowers are just a few of the easier ones to grow, and all produce beautifully coloured flowers.

Talk to your local nursery or horticultural consultant to discover how to bring some gorgeous flowering colour to your garden: