How to Plant Flowers

Last updated September 7, 2023
It’s best to plant flowers when it’s not especially hot or sunny. An overcast day when rain is in the forecast is ideal. Most flowers should be planted after your region’s last frost date.
Planting flowers in spring is the most popular time, but perennials do fine if planted in early fall in the North and late fall in the South.
This guide teaches you how to plant flowers, including plant selection, soil preparation aand offers tips on choosing plants and preparing soil before planting flowers.
Difficulty:
Beginner
Duration:
Under 2 hours
Table of Contents
Choose Your Plants
Remove the Plant from the Pot
Pinch Off the Flowers
Prepare the Garden Bed
Mulch the Garden Bed
Choose Your Plants

Look for short, stocky plants with few flowers and healthy, disease-free foliage. Avoid plants that are spindly, discolored or wilted.
Pay attention to the sun exposure guidelines for specific varieties of flowers. While the plants available from your local garden center are suitable for your climate, be sure that you select new plants that will thrive in the amount of sunlight that your garden bed receives.
Remove the Plant from the Pot

Knock the plant from its pot and keep as much of the root ball as possible. If the plant’s roots are heavily entwined, cut through them with a knife or pull them apart with your hands.
Pinch Off the Flowers

Help plants get established in your garden bed. Pinch existing flowers off so that the plant can put its energy into developing a good root system instead of flowering.
Prepare the Garden Bed

Having a well-prepared garden bed is a crucial part of how to plant flowers.
- Before planting flowers, prepare the garden bed with a spade, working in at least 1-inch of organic matter.
- The soil should be loosened to a depth of at least 12-inches for annuals and 18-inches for perennials.
- Smooth the soil with a ground rake.
- Plant the flowers at the same soil level as they were in the container.
- Each year add more organic matter to the soil, or top a bed each year with a 2-inch layer of compost.
Mulch the Garden Bed

After planting flowers, mulch the garden bed with 1- to 3-inches of aged wood chips, bark, grass clippings, pine needles or any other organic mulch to suppress weeds, conserve moisture and prevent soil-borne diseases.
Beginners can learn how to grow flowers and spruce up their outdoor space by using just a few basic garden tools and common materials. Need gardening supplies for your green thumb? Get your online orders delivered. Just say when, where and how.
Thanks to:
UGA Extension in Cobb County
Cobb County Master Gardener Extension Volunteers
Green Meadows Preserve Community Garden
Cobb County P.A.R.K.S.