Flower beds in the gardenare often rough and rectangular or perhaps a little curvy or oval, but what about the good old circle? Actually, any shape will do, but a perfectly round flower bed can be a great way to do something different or create a distinctive focal point in your garden. You can find everything about creating a flower bed with a round shape as well as many wonderful design ideas in this article!
Where does a round flower bed fit?
We often tend to place flower beds in obvious places - around a tree, by a house, or in the space between sidewalks. We hide them in these places where they serve as a beautiful backdrop to garden structures or lawns.
But what if you want to make a flower bed the focal point of your garden? Or do you have a large open space that you want to fill? A round flower bed is the perfect solution. You can place it almost anywhere and it will become an eye-catching focal point. And there's something about flowers in a circle that pleases the eye.
Tips for planning a circular flower bed
Creating a circular flower bed can be more difficult than you think. Most other types of beds have some sort of background such as a wall, fence, walkway, tree, or simply the edge of your garden. A round flower bed mostly stands alone and that means it requires special design considerations. There are no hard and fast rules for designing the circular bed, but a few general tips will help you design it optimally and, above all, beautifully.
Select location
First, plan where you want to create the bed and how big it should be. In contrast to rectangular flower beds, which can be created anywhere, you need a little more space for a round shape.
In larger open spaces or lawns, a bed with a round or curved shape really comes into its own. Because the round flower bed looks very decorative and needs a central place in the garden. Long, narrow and angular beds are more suitable for corners and areas along the wall or fence.
Mark outlines
Around a round flower bedto be created in an open space, you need to mark the outlines first. Place a wooden stake in the center of your chosen location. Tie a string to the post and use it to create a perfect circle. With a stake that's easy to move and a long piece of string, you can play with the size and location until you get it right. You can also use a garden hose or hula hoop to mark the circle. Once the circle is marked, remove existing grass and weeds, dig up the soil to loosen it, and prepare it. Now it's the turn of the planting.
Plant a round flower bed
Before you add any flowers or plants to the bed, it is worth drawing up a precise plan. You should always keep the chosen location in mind as it will determine the choice of plants. Here are some ideas:
Choose a centerpiece for the circle
An existing tree makes an excellent centerpiece for a flower bed, but is not absolutely necessary. However, there should be something to anchor the circle, such as a shrub, a taller flower, or a plant with interesting foliage. This gives the bed structure.
Think about a pattern
Don't just use flowers randomly. A circle requires more order. For example, you can create concentric rings of different types of flowers or divide the circle into quarters or eighths. Repetitions also work well. Here are a few tips that should help you plant the round bed:
- Always place tall flowers, perennials or shrubs in the middle.
- The lower a plant is, the closer to the edge of the bed it should be placed. An exception is possible in cases when you want to create a high-low pattern from two plants.
- The plants need light, so they should not be planted too close together.
- If there are ground cover plants in your flower bed, add them to the edge or use them directly as a bed border.
Choose plants that grow well together
All types of plants you add to the round flower bed should require the same soil, water and light conditions. This makes caring for the bed much easier and ensures that it thrives. But you also need variety, otherwise the flower bed will be boring. Choose different heights and colors and add plants with interesting foliage to complement the flowers.
Tips for planting
Before putting the flowers in the ground, do a test run by putting them in place while they are still in the pots. Rearrange them however you like until you are happy with the end result. To do this, walk around the entire flower bed to look at the plants so you know what is working and what you need to move.
Once you like the layout, dig the appropriate holes for each plant and place them in the ground only as deep as they grew in the pots. Water the plants well after transplanting them into the round flower bed.
Border the bed
A border around the bed helps define it. You can use almost anything for this, including traditional bed borders, stones, bricks, etc. A low hedge or ground cover can also be used to create a border for the bed.
Which plants for a round flower bed?
Round flower beds created in the center of the garden are most often exposed to direct sunlight. The location of your bed plays a crucial role in planting, as not every flower will thrive in the sun. If there are trees nearby or the flower bed is placed close to the house, then plants for partial shade are also suitable.
Imagine the round bed like a flowering fountain. You want the tall flowers in the middle, surrounded by lower growing plants and surrounded by flowering ground covers. Consider a mix of perennials and annuals when planning the garden layout. Planting with a combination of perennial flowers, annual flowers, bulbs and a decorative border creates a source of color, texture and beauty throughout the season. Choose flowering plants with beautiful foliage so that your round flower bed looks attractive and not bare even after the flowering period.
Examples of beautiful long-blooming perennials for your flowerbed include catnip, coneflowers, yarrow and daylilies, which create a beautiful ensemble separately or in combination with each other. If gardening doesn't bother you, you can also use annual summer flowers, but you have to replant them every year. The most popular of these include verbena, snapdragons, annual flax, nasturtium and many more.
Tip: You can get advice from the garden center for suitable plant combinations. The experts will help you find the right flowers that will grow best in your garden.
A round raised bed
Flower beds don't necessarily have to be at ground level. A round hill bed immediately catches the eye due to its elevated position and becomes a real eye-catcher in the garden. In addition, the plants in such a bed benefit from a good supply of nutrients and sufficient heat development. You can find many tips for creating a hill bedin this article. If you want to transform the hill bed into a clearly defined raised bed, then surround it with natural stone, bricks or wood, for example, depending on which material best suits the style of your garden.
Create a round flower bed around a tree
If youTrees in the gardenand are currently looking for ideas on how to make the landscape even more beautiful, then a round flower bed around the tree is a really great option. The round shape is in harmony with the tree itself and creates the perfect frame for it.
Ideas for bordering beds
The possibilities for a beautiful flower bed border are almost endless. The clearly defined edge of the bed is not only visually beautiful, but also fulfills a practical function. Without a border, the plants can grow into neighboring areas or be displaced by the grass in the lawn.
Here we have collected a few interesting ideas that are easy to imitate and offer a suitable variant for every garden style. Get inspired!
Surround a round flower bed with bricks
Border the circular bed with wooden beams
A raised bed made of stone is perfect for flowers
Turn the old wagon wheel into a beautiful flower bed
Bed border with pebbles
Create a round flower bed in old tires
A low hedge works well as a natural bed border
Ground cover instead of bordering beds
