36 Gorgeous Flower Bed Ideas Worth Recreating (2024)

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• 01 of 36

  Plant Three Seasons of Perennials

  

  Plant perennials that bloom across different seasons together to ensure your bed is always full of blooms. This approach also allows lots of color variation throughout the season. This autumnal view of a New England botanical garden has blue caryopteris, pink anemones and purple verbena.

• 02 of 36

  Flank a Walkway

  

  If your garden has lots of lawn, use your flower beds as a way to add drama in high-traffic areas like walkways or paths. This lush garden bed alongside the walk provides a thrilling sight for visitors and residents, as well as delicious fragrance from roses.

• 03 of 36

  Go All Green

  

  Using all green plants in varying shapes and textures offers a lush look that's more subtle. This stunning bed features an eclectic display of plants all with different shades of green foliage, with distinctly different shapes and textures.

• 04 of 36

  Plant for Pollinators

  

  This cottage style flower bed has large drifts of color. These blue-violet spires of flowering catmint (Nepeta 'Blue Hills Giant') attract all kinds of beneficial pollinators including hummingbirds. The color and spiky texture pairs well with the fluffy lime green euphorbia growing behind it.

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• 05 of 36

  Arrange By Size

  

  Placing your shortest plants in the front and taller ones in the back will draw the eye through your flower bed naturally. This Swedish garden displays a stunning example of gradually increasing heights of plants, with a low boxwood hedge in front (which doubles as edging) and perennials and shrubs of varying heights with a tall blooming rhododendron in back.

  The color scheme also draws the eye from back to front with the rosy and pink-hued flowers and yellow-green foliage repeating throughout.

• 06 of 36

  Use Opposing Colors

  

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  Opposing color palettes, like purple and yellow, orange and blue, and red and green, can be used to bring real drama to the flower garden. These bright yellow kniphofia and deep purple delphiniums immediately attract attention.

• 07 of 36

  Incorporate Silvery Accents

  

  Using silver-toned foliage adds more interest to your beds than just using green. This simple bed of shrubs, grasses and perennials is made distinct with its silvery foliage that accents the yellow-green of the grasses and leaves.

• 08 of 36

  Embrace Close Placement

  

  Opting for a cottage-style bed, which places plants close together, will create a look of abundance and fullness. When planting in a small area, placement is important to create a variety of heights and textures. Looking at size and spread details, as well as bloom time, helps planning, as does observing the growth habits of perennials in your garden.

  This garden has a wonderful sense of design where all these layers of colorful blooming perennials, including a rose bush and spirea shrub, are planted nearby and work well together.

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• 09 of 36

  Use the Same Color in Different Shades

  

  Planting blooms of the same color, but in different shades adds visual interest, yet keeps things cohesive. The whisper of lavender in these 'Camelot' foxglove flowers and the light purples in the alliums and delphiniums create a very pleasing array of purple shades perfect for transitioning from late spring to summer.

• 10 of 36

  Use Pale Plants to Lighten Shade Beds

  

  Brighten up shady areas by planting flowers with light-colored foliage or petals. White, silver and pastel colors can help define the area and draw the eye to shady spots. The creamy white hydrangea blooms here bounce off the white caladiums, the silvery lamb's ear reflects light, while the pink echinacea adds a spot of color. Other silver-leafed plants include lamium, artemisia, brunnera and a number of different ferns.

• 11 of 36

  Draw the Eye Up

  

  Mixing both vertical planting structures like trellises and tall flowers provides wonderful height to make good use of space. The climbing pink roses create a tall wall of fragrant blooms, while the tall purple alliums stand several feet high in their beds.

• 12 of 36

  Try Fire Tones

  

  Bright colors are noticeable from a distance, so they are a great option if you want maximum impact. These vivid spring blooms in shades of burgundy, red, vermilion and hot pink create a warm, rich tapestry that would light up any garden.

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• 13 of 36

  Bring in Soft Textures

  

  Airy-textured plants will soften bright colors in a flower bed to create a dreamy, romantic look. These plants are also relatively drought-tolerant, including yarrow, echinacea, sedum plants and grasses.

• 14 of 36

  Go All Bulbs

  

  Planting bulbs in the fall yields a satisfying show in spring. Some bulbs increase in size/spread each year (like daffodils and grape hyacinths) so you'll get more over time. Some tulips are also perennial. These curving beds planted with white 'Thalia' daffodils, pink tulips and blue grape hyacinths are a cheery sight every spring.

• 15 of 36

  Try Hosta Beds in the Shade

  

  Adorn large shady areas with flower beds full of hostas and other shade-loving perennials for a lush bed that will thrive. This stunning garden features large clumps of variegated hostas, feathery ferns, grasses and astilbes. Easily divided and moved, hostas are very low maintenance, vigorous perennials, and they flower in late summer in shades of purple, white and pink.

• 16 of 36

  Add Umbrella Plants to Fill Space

  

  Use umbrella pants if you have a lot of space to fill. Their large leaves are fluffy and striking, and provide a lot of texture. Umbrella plants (Gunnera manicata) create a dramatic display in this flower bed, especially with tall mature trees in the distance.

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• 17 of 36

  Try True Blues

  

  Adding blue flowers to your beds will lend a touch of elegance and mystery to the garden. These vivid pale and dark blue delphiniums provide a striking contrast to the bright yellow flowers in this garden. Other bright blue flowers include anemones, cornflowers, flax, peaco*ck plumbago, monkshood, and spring flowering bulbs like hyacinths, windflowers and crocuses.

• 18 of 36

  See Also

  How to edge a flower bed – elevate your borders in just 3 steps

  Embrace the Wild Look

  

  Don't feel pressure to follow any rules of design—play with differing sizes, textures and colors to create a natural look. Planting large clumps of perennials and spacing them out gives a sense of continuity and fullness. This English cottage style garden features herbaceous borders in front of taller shrubs and fruit trees inside its brick walls.

• 19 of 36

  Use Nature as Inspiration

  

  Use a favorite natural moment, like a sunrise, sunset, a rainy summer day, or an autumn afternoon, to inspire your color scheme. The vivid colors throughout this lush flower bed (orange and yellow lilies, red kniphofia, blue agapanthus) are magical at sunset against a coral pink and lilac sky.

• 20 of 36

  Balance Shapes

  

  Balancing different plant shapes makes for a romantic look in an enclosed garden. This garden uses round boxwood shrubs and spiky flowers, with plenty of green in climbing vines, fruit trees, and container plantings. Separated by gravel walkways, the beds have a pleasing, easy-care design.

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• 21 of 36

  Lead the Eye

  

  With a large garden, arranging plants so that they repeat or form a pattern in the landscape draws the eye and provides a sense of movement and rhythm.

  Here in this lush shady bed, the large groups (famed English gardener Gertrude Jekyll called them "drifts") of 'Peach Blossom' astilbe plants lead the eye through the garden. With their tall, fluffy spikes of pale pink flowers, they stand out mightily amidst the dark green foliage.

• 22 of 36

  Plant Those Mums

  

  Planting perennial mums is a great option to add constant color to your bed. They poke up their leaves in late spring and, if the emerging leaves are pinched back every couple of weeks (until midsummer), more buds will appear come fall. This garden has multiple colors of cushion and daisy mums that have perennialized nicely.

• 23 of 36

  Use Jewel Tones

  

  A combo of jubilant jewel tones is an easy to execute color scheme that always looks great. Here, different colored anemone flowers in rich shades of blue, pink, and magenta creates a magical focal point in this flower bed, blooming in late spring.

• 24 of 36

  Embrace the Magic of White Flowers

  

  Use white flowers to catch the fading sunlight and moonlight to impart a soft glow in the garden, lighting up dark corners. This garden in England was inspired by English author and garden designer Vita Sackville-West, who designed a garden with all-white flowers to be enjoyed by moonlight.

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• 25 of 36

  Get Geometric

  

  Choosing perennials with striking, geometric silhouettes will create a visually dynamic design. The varied textures of these perennials (airy catmint, solid spiky irises) look lively and artful next to this squared off boxwood hedge in an English garden.

• 26 of 36

  Embrace Pink

  

  Pink is one of the most pleasing colors to use in a flower bed if you are looking to make a splash. And few sights are as pleasing as an abundance of pink rose blooms. These David Austin 'Ancient Mariner' roses are the star of this flower bed, charming everyone who walks by.

• 27 of 36

  Use Containers to Add Color

  

  Don't just rely on plants for color, rather, incorporate planters to add even more vibrant pops. For example, this shady perennial bed has plenty of color variety from these silvery purple heucheras and pale green lamium. But the added bright blue ceramic pot with blue flowering hydrangea makes this little vista into a work of art. Container planters provide great flexibility for design but also for the plants, which can be moved for better sunlight or protection from weather.

• 28 of 36

  For Spring Ease, Use Daffodils

  

  For an effortlessly beautiful early spring flower bed, plant daffodil bulbs. They increase every year (and be divided and share or planted elsewhere), and bloom reliably for several weeks. When the flowers and foliage die back, perennials can take their place. Planting day lilies and/or hostas near daffodils is a popular pairing.

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• 29 of 36

  Mix Plant Aesthetics

  

  Mix and match plant styles for a unique look. This colorful perennial bed adds an unexpected dash of whimsy with these large-leafed tropicals. Their size and color also echoes the tall mature trees seen in the distance, a clever design choice that gives a sense of perspective and scale.

• 30 of 36

  Aim for Continuity

  

  If you have beds that are spread out, use color and plant species to connect them together visually. Though, by no means do they have to be even remotely identical. With a large landscape, separate planting beds can have their own separate themes and looks. But planting in a way that links the different beds together creates a sense of unity and overall design harmony.

  The bright yellow and red lilies here go well with the orange butterfly weed nearby, but also lead the eye towards the yellow-green foliage in the bed across the lawn. These color connections can shift as different blooming perennials come into season.

• 31 of 36

  Use Colorful, Climate-Friendly Plants

  

  Use colorful, yet drought-tolerant plants for desert climate gardening. These voluminous lavender plants, which also like sandy soil, fit the bill. When flowering, they emit a lovely floral, herby fragrance and also attract pollinators.

• 32 of 36

  Try a Mini Water Feature

  

  To break up the foliage in our beds, add a small water feature. Whether it’s a bird bath or petite pond, it will offer a surprise and delight moment for you and your backyard guests.

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• 33 of 36

  Add Beds Under Pergolas

  

  Use beds filled with bright green plants to anchor the columns of a pergola cloaked in ivy. It will continue the green color scheme and soften the edges of the structure where they meet the ground.

  Use plants of different spreads and textures to continue the organic feel. For example, the wide-spreading hosta softens the edges of the stone path underneath.

• 34 of 36

  Use Concrete Dividers

  

  Use concrete dividers to add stability and style to a hill-side bed like this one. They look clean and modern, and a little bit industrial. You can also add a planter in the same style and material at the base of the hill to anchor the slope cleanly and cohesively.

• 35 of 36

  Frame a Deck

  

  Try framing your deck with a thick flower bed to partition the area off from the rest of your yard in a colorful, attractive way. It will look especially lovely surrounding a floating deck like this one. Choosing soft colors and textures look especially lovely if the architecture of the deck is slick and modern, since it provides contrast.

• 36 of 36

  Design With Color Blocking

  

  To pack a punch, try color blocking in one or more of your flower beds. While colors mingling together look soft and natural, separating the hues will provide a visually striking look. You can even replicate this effect on a softer scale by creating a border of colored blooms along the edge of your beds.