Garden design 1 - grey house

Garden landscape idea for a grey house

This full sun garden can have more or less plants depending on the look that you want.

Flowers included in this garden

Hosta, impatiens (burgundy), coral bells, petunia (purple), begonia (white), pansies (mixed), fuchsia, caladium, lavender, bellflower, vinca vine, dracaena spike.

Trees and shrubs included in this garden

Wiegelia, Blue Star Juniper, Anthony Waterer Spirea, Blue Globe Spruce, Yew, Weeping Caragana, Spiral Spruce, Dwarf Nest Spruce, Japanese Red Maple, Boxwood.

Learn more about growing trees.

Know your soil

When it comes to planting, good soil is the foundation on which you build a good garden. And building good soil involves analyzing what you've got and supplementing what it needs.

Along with organic matter or humus there are three primary minerals that make up soil: sand, clay, and silt. The right balance of both humus and minerals will achieve garden loam, the best soil for growing plants. For more information visit our soil tips.

Planting and spacing

Click on the flower name in the list above and you will find all the planting and care instructions for each individual flower. Or visit our extensive annuals section.

Spacing is a personal preference. Planting flowers closer together will give a fuller coverage in your garden and vice versa. As a general guideline you can start with the following:

1. Multiply the length by the width of your garden or planting area to get your square footage.

2. Multiply the square footage by 4. This is the number of plants you will need for full coverage in your garden.

Example:  4 foot length x 3 foot width = 12 square feet
                   12 square feet x 4 = 48 plants