Wanting to learn how to make a backyard flower garden but unsure where to begin? Adding a small flower garden to your landscaping is a great way to make your backyard look inviting, fun, and beautiful. When it comes to gathering backyard flower garden ideas, it’s important to be aware of the best flowers for Upstate NY before you begin otherwise you may find your garden doesn’t last.
To help you get started, we’re taking a look at backyard flower garden ideas for Albany, NY and the surrounding areas that will give you the results you want!
Making a Plan for Backyard Flower Garden Ideas
You’ve taken a look at some inspiration and come across a few ideas you like, so it’s time to jump right in, yeah? No! Before you start executing your backyard flower garden ideas it’s always best to have a plan.
Not having a plan for a landscape design and installation is one of the most common DIY landscaping problems homeowners make. Start with a landscape planner online to plan and budget your Upstate NY backyard flower garden. Having a well-planned backyard flower garden is one of the ways landscape design can transform your backyard into the space you’ve always wanted.
Bonus: After this article, check out these examples of landscape design in Saratoga Springs, NY for inspiration!
Things to Consider for How to Make a Flower Garden in Your Backyard
Making backyard flower garden ideas come to life is more than just picking out pretty plants at the local nursery or garden center. You need to consider different factors that will affect your flower garden such as:
- How much sunlight will your backyard flower garden get?
- How much space do you have to work with?
- Do you have any trees to landscape around?
- What are the best plants for Upstate NY flower gardens?
How Much Sun Does My Yard Get?
When you’re deciding how to make a flower garden in your backyard, it’s important to note that different plants and flowers require different levels of sunlight in order to thrive. While some may be able to go with partial sun or even full shade, others require full sun to grow. Take a look at the area you’re planning to use for your next landscape design project and see how much sun it gets each day. This will save you both time and money in the long run by helping you choose the right plants and flowers the first time.
How to Maximize Backyard Space
Even if you don’t want a large backyard flower garden, it’s important to make sure you maximize the space you have or the space you’re using to get the best outcome! The first thing to do when you’re deciding how to make a backyard flower garden is size up the space you’re using. After you’ve done this, you can make more informed choices for the best flowers to plant based on their needs and potential growth.
Knowing your space also helps you make the most of it. For example, if you have a really small space, you might consider using planters to create a small flower garden on a patio installation. This is a creative backyard flower garden idea to give you pops of color and a cool landscape design when you don’t have much space.
You could also figure out how to make a flower garden in your backyard that hugs your house and creates a nice border around your home using elegant hardscaping. Knowing how to landscape a small backyard to make the most of every part will give you a polished, professional look instead of risking it looking cluttered and messy.
Pro tip: For a professional, unique look consider adding a water feature installation to your backyard flower garden!
Backyard Flower Garden Ideas Around Trees
If you’ve already chosen one of the best trees to plant in Upstate NY that fits your space, landscaping around trees is the perfect way to elevate the look of your backyard flower garden ideas. Trees give you the opportunity to make focal points with pops of color, create levels with flowers of different heights, and even include landscape design with rocks to give your landscaping a natural look.
Choosing the Best Plants for Upstate NY Flower Gardens
Another thing to consider as you start thinking of backyard flower garden ideas is the best plants for Upstate NY. The USDA has broken the country down into 11 categories called “hardiness zones” that help you determine which plants, trees, and grasses thrive best for each region. Albany, Saratoga, and Colonie, NY all primarily fall into what’s labeled zone 5b while New York state itself ranges from zones 3 to 7. Plants, trees, and the best grass for Upstate NY are considered cool-weather and are capable of surviving the potentially harsh winters in the region.
Which flowers should you pick, then? Be sure to consider the amount of maintenance and garden care they require when choosing. For example, annuals will need to be replanted each year whereas low-maintenance perennials will bloom year after year without much upkeep. Some of our favorite flowers Albany, NY and the Capital Region can sustain include:
- Astilbe, for colorful blooms throughout your backyard flower garden
- Bee Balm, a regional wildflower loved by butterflies and hummingbirds
- Soapwort, full sun low-maintenance perennials with pink, purple, and white blooms
- Tulips, to add a colorful splash to your spring flower garden
- Lily of the Valley, a super fragrant blooming plant for spring and early summer
If you’re still uncertain of which plants and flowers will thrive in your backyard flower garden, consulting a professional for landscape design in Albany, NY and the Capital Region will help you determine which flowers will thrive in your space!
We hope we’ve given you some things to think about when you’re deciding on backyard flower garden ideas! Once you’ve gotten some inspiration, check out our Project Planner to start planning and budgeting your landscape design. Save the plans or send them to us and one of our landscape designers will be in touch.
For more inspiration on how to make a backyard flower garden look incredible, check out these guides:
