Flowers Choosing a flower bed site is not only a matter of where you want it, but also where the flowers want to be. Because of our strong Texas sun, we try to locate flower beds where they can get some afternoon shade. If you are in a more temperate clime, full sun is best for roses, zinnias, marigolds, and a host of other plants. If the seed packet or plant tag says “full sun” remember where you are, and plant accordingly. Generally speaking, right under a very large tree is not a good spot for a flower bed. Shade is a factor, but availability of water is another. A tree Designing a flower bed is easy--just don’t get over-enthusiastic! You may want a half-acre of flowers, but remember—somebody has to weed, mulch, dead-head and care for all that greenery! You can always expand, or even add another bed, but having too much to care for at first can be daunting. We have designed flower beds for years using the lawn mower method. Since you are going to be mowing around this bed for years, make sure you can mow around it! Let your grass get a little tall, outline the bed in flour or lime, and then mow, making a curved, sweeping outline of a flower What flowers to plant is a question that every gardener agonizes over. We want them all! If you are an avid and somewhat experienced gardener, you will enjoy having some of the more attention-intensive plants (those that need Flowers die, usually because they are annuals. There are two types of flowers—perennials and annuals. Annuals are supposed to last one season, and perennials come back year after year. Now, that sounds simplistic, but sometimes an annual is persistent,
Flowers add so much enjoyment to your yard, balcony, or window sill. If you swear you have a “brown thumb” and kill every living green thing you buy, it isn’t your fault! Someone, somewhere, has been selling you the wrong 
plants. A little research into your growing area (USDA zone map), the kind of soil you have (county extension or local USDA office can help with soil tests), and the requirements of the plant you want to grow will help you change that brown thumb into a green one. Here at Red Gate Farm we have alkaline soil, are in zone 8b, and have a long growing season. That means we can grow roses wonderfully well, but hydrangeas are out of the question. Go with what you have, and don’t try to fight Mother Nature—she’ll win, every time. If in doubt, the USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service has a database with plants that grow in your state!
uses a lot of water, leaving very little for the flowers around it. However, this is an ideal spot for a container garden of shade-loving plants. You can water the containers as needed and even shift them around a bit if the shade is too dense for some.
bed. If your outline needs changing, the mower will let you know! The tall grass inside the “bed” is where you will be planting flowers, and you know that you can mow the perimeter—you just did! Scalp the grass inside the bed, then apply an herbicide that kills grass but that allows planting after a week or so. Apply the herbicide two or three times, according to label directions, and then till or dig. Remove the clumps of dead grass, rake over the area, and add manure, fertilizer, or other amendments. Curved outlines of flower beds are not only more natural, they are much easier to edge and mow around. 
monitoring for daily water, dead-heading, pruning, etc.). If you are a novice, or just don’t have much time to garden, go with the easy ones like zinnias, marigolds, or the newer roses that don’t need much in the way of spraying or fertilizing. Again, consider whether the flowers will be in full or partial sun; if the spot is windy (tall plants will suffer); how available water will be; and if you can see the flowers from your favorite window. 
and a perennial conks out. Many annuals will self-seed (snapdragons are famous for this) or are really half-hardy perennials, and if you get them planted in just the right spot, and the winter is mild, you have a two year old annual! Some perennials just don’t like where they are, or are perennial in Peru and annual in Minnesota, or are just temperamental. This is where your zone map is invaluable. If you are planting perennials, make sure the plants are compatible with your region. Some perennials die back to the ground in the winter, and start all over again in the spring. Don’t yank out a perennial until you are good and sure that it is dead. Annuals are less picky. Petunias are native to South America, yet thrive in upstate New York for a summer. Annuals usually have a longer blooming season than perennials, because they have to get all their pollination and seed setting done before going to the great compost heap in the sky.
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Why grow herbs when the grocery store has both fresh and dried herbs? If you take an urge to put some fresh mint in your iced tea, add tarragon to a fish dish, or garnish a vegetable with thyme and parsley—that urge can be satisfied by your own herb garden just outside your door (or inside your door if you do container gardening). Besides growing herbs for immediate use, you can dry or freeze your excess for winter use. Very few herbs don’t either dry or freeze well. Having an herb 
garden, no matter how small, is fun, money-saving, and full of great scents and tastes. Click here for some recipes using herbs.
What herbs to grow is a matter of personal taste. Almost everyone likes basil, so it’s a good choice. There are hundreds of basils, but for most people the plain Italian basil (also called Classico, Giant Leaf or Sweet Basil) is most useful. Oregano (either Greek or Italian) is a companion to basil, and is useful in most Italian dishes, as well as sprinkled in a salad or on cooked green beans. If you grow parsley, let it be the flat-leaf Italian variety which is much tastier than the curled parsley. Rosemary is a strong-scented, strong flavored herb, but it’s one of our favorites. Thyme is a must-have in the herb garden. There are lemon thymes, winter thyme (which really has nothing to do with the season), broad-leaf thyme, lots of thyme! Sage is also needed in the well-furnished herb garden, and it’s pretty, too. Chives, both onion (round leaves) and garlic (flat leaves) are wonderful used fresh since chives just don’t cook well.
Where to put an herb garden can be answered simply by “in the sun with good drainage.” Most herbs prefer a lean soil with good drainage, and a goodly amount of sun. “Full sun” in the Northeast is different from “full sun” here in Texas. Our herbs get morning sun which dries dew off the leaves, and mid-afternoon shade, which keeps them from cooking in our heat! If your herb garden gets some shade, afternoon shade is preferable. If you fertilize your herbs, you will get lush foliage, big plants and very little taste. Herbs need a little adversity to develop the essential oils that provide their distinctive taste. If you are growing an herb just for the looks of it (like the artemesias or tansy) go ahead and give an occasional feeding. Of course, the culinary herbs should be as close to the kitchen door as you can manage, human nature being what it is—nearby herbs get used and enjoyed more than ones that require a trip to the farthest part of the yard!
Herbs in containers usually do well, if the herb doesn’t have a long tap root (like dill) or gets really large (like African basil or a bay laurel tree). Basil, oregano, thyme, chives, parsley, and most definitely mints do well in containers. It is best to put only one herb per container, since the moisture and fertilizer requirements may differ dramatically. Yes, we said don’t fertilize herbs, but in a container the essential nutrients are used up or leach out faster, so a little fertilizer judiciously applied is appreciated by the plant.
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