A flower garden is any garden where flowers are grown for their decorative or aesthetic qualities. If you’re looking for a pop of color and texture, and an instant aesthetic change for your vacant lot, a flower garden may be the way to go. Flower gardens can be small and require little maintenance, or they can be large and require more volunteer labor. Less material is needed for a flower garden than almost any other kind of vacant lot reclamation project. You need little more than seeds, seedlings, compost, and mulch for a simple flower garden.
This is a great option for a lot with contaminated soil where edible plants should not be grown. Flowers also attract birds, butterflies and bees, creating a miniature urban habitat in your neighborhood for smaller native wildlife.
Process
1. Consider overall purpose of the garden. Are there secondary benefits that you can build around? For example, if, in addition to beautifying your neighborhood, you would like your flower garden to attract pollinators or provide some other environmental function, make sure you choose your plants according to that goal.
2. Research online resources for advisable plant cover for the garden. For example, check out the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources’ Plant Database for more information about what plants would be best for your lot.
Suitability and Considerations
Flower gardens are great for smaller or irregularly shaped lots. It is ideal to have them located near to other community amenities where they will be appreciated and more likely maintained.
1. To create a flower garden, the qualities of the vacant lot being used will have to be considered. Check out the lot assessment page to see how different aspects of the lot will affect what plants you should grow, and where you can plant them.
2. Think about color, height and seasonality.
3. Check out the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources’ Plant Database for more information about what plants would be best for your site.
Benefits
- Improved neighborhood appearance
- Seasonal interest
- Ecosystem diversity
Possible Materials
- Top soil
- Mulch
- Seeds
- Perennials or Annuals
- Shrubs
