Gardening Landscaping

27 Eye-Catching Flower Garden Ideas and Layouts

By
Jamie McIntosh
Jamie McIntosh
Jamie McIntosh
Jamie McIntosh has written about gardening and special occasion flowers for the Spruce since 2011. She has more than 20 years of experience caring for flowers and plants. She was a feature writer for Organic Gardening at Suite101, where she won awards for her writing.
Learn more about The Spruce's Editorial Process
Updated on 04/16/24
Flower garden with sunflower and orange and yellow wildflowers

The Spruce / Evgeniya Vlasova

If you are looking to add seasonal color to your landscape, some creative flower garden ideas will come in handy. Choosing the right flowers for your space is important, whether you are planting in the ground, containers, or raised beds. And a good flower garden design always encourages beginners to get their hands dirty, and it never gets boring for those who are seasoned gardeners. Explore 27 beautiful flower gardens that will beckon you with blooms. 

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    Bold and Colorful Flower Garden

    colorful flower garden ideas

    The Spruce / Evgeniya Vlasova

    It's easy to let a large flower garden get out of hand, but some editing can bring order to the chaos. Use healthy trees and shrubs as the backbone of the garden. Choose two contrasting colors, or one color family (like purple and pink). Add perennial flowering plants like the purple Culver's root here in groups of three to five; the repetition is pleasing to the eye. Finally, focus on regular weeding, because today's weed is tomorrow's weed patch. 

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  • 02 of 27

    Potted Garden

    small space flower garden ideas

    My 100 Year Old Home

    This flower garden from My 100 Year Old Home consists of 26 terracotta pots with a DIY distressed finish set in a vintage plant pot holder and filled with pink flowers like poppies. The freestanding flower garden can work as part of a larger garden, or as an easy small space solution for those without much outdoor room.

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  • 03 of 27

    Edible Garden

    edible flower garden ideas
    hardworkinghippy/Flickr/CC BY-SA 2.0

    Potager gardens play up the symbiotic relationship between vegetables and flowers. Veggies get a huge boost in productivity when pollinators that are drawn to nectar-rich plantings like these pink coneflowers get busy swapping pollen on tomato, squash, and cucumber blossoms too. What's more, the beneficial insects that rely on floral nectaries (think parasitic wasps and ladybugs for starters) help keep vegetable pests under control, allowing a reduction in pesticide use. 

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  • 04 of 27

    English Flower Garden

    english flower garden ideas

    My 100 Year Old Home

    This backyard flower garden from My 100 Year Old Home is inspired by the organized chaos of an English garden with a jumble of plants like white roses on the ground, suspended in hanging baskets, and climbing the walls of the home that give it a romantic feel with pops of pink and purple.

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  • 05 of 27

    Tiered Garden

    tiered flower garden ideas

    Afro Bohemian Living

    Afro Bohemian Living planted the retaining wall of this tiered backyard and patio with a multitude of green plants and white, pink, and purple perennials like irises for an energizing and effortless feel.

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  • 06 of 27

    Soothing-Hued Flowers

    flower garden ideas

    KG Designs

    The tiered stone retaining walls and galvanized metal pergola in this allium-filled and white wisteria-draped Seattle backyard patio and outdoor entertaining space from KG Designs are softened with a multi-level flower garden planted in shades of purple and white.

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  • 07 of 27

    Textural Flower Garden

    flower garden ideas

    The Spruce / Evgeniya Vlasova

    Fuzzy, glossy, silky, waxy, puckered, and prickly blooms and leaves contribute a subtle interest to the garden that contributes to the overall design. Here, the spiky blue flowers of globe thistle contrast with the waxy petals of the tiger lily, creating a lovely but low maintenance partnership in the sunny flower garden. You can discover other fun flowering textures with the fuzzy lamb's ear, the ruffled fringed tulip, the frizzy liatris, or the velvety cockscomb. 

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  • 08 of 27

    Trellis Flowers

    flower garden ideas with trellis

    The Spruce / Evgeniya Vlasova

    Every garden should host a flowering vine, as the small footprint of a vine takes up no more space than a small container plant. You can grow a trellis-filling vine in one season from seed with a morning glory or moon vine, or you can invest in a perennial vine that will return for many years when you plant a clematis, honeysuckle, pinky roses like these, or climbing hydrangea. 

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  • 09 of 27

    Raised Garden Beds

    raised flower bed garden

    My 100 Year Old Home

    My 100 Year Old Home planted a spring flower garden in a series of DIY raised garden beds on the side of the backyard driveway, an ideal solution for amateur gardeners who want to keep things simple. A few sprigs of pink delphinium add height to the orange and pink ruffled blooms in the garden.

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  • 10 of 27

    Rain Garden

    flower garden ideas

    The Spruce / Evgeniya Vlasova

    When planning a bog garden, consider plants that love both full sun and wet soil, like the stunning candelabra primrose pictured here. Flowering plants that thrive in bog gardens also include cardinal flower, yellow iris, and leopard plants. A fun and funky addition to the wet garden is the carnivorous pitcher plant. These look like something out of a jungle, but are hardy down to zone 5. A natural bog garden will be replenished by rainfall, but if a dry spell hits, you will have to help out with the hose. Some standing water indicates a healthy bog garden. The presence of frogs, salamanders, or even turtles also tells you a bog environment is present. If you wish to cultivate bog plants but don't have a natural depression that collects water, create one by sinking a plastic kiddie pool into the ground. A pond liner can also serve as a bog garden beginning. Disguise the edges with rocks, and fill the bottom with peat moss and sand. 

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  • 11 of 27

    Lush Garden With Path

    flower garden path ideas

    The Spruce / Evgeniya Vlasova

    A flower garden path provides the garden a sense of place, and also defines borders against which to plant flowers of varying heights, like these purple dahlias set against red, white, and yellow blooms. How wide should you make your path? A comfortable path can accommodate a wheelbarrow or garden cart with room to turn around. 

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  • 12 of 27

    Butterfly Flower Garden

    butterfly flower garden ideas

    The Spruce / Evgeniya Vlasova

    Have you ever noticed that some of the most beautiful flowers fall flat when it comes to attracting butterflies and hummingbirds? The anatomy of the butterfly proboscis is designed to extract nectar from particular flower shapes, which means that some blooms sound the dinner bell, while others miss the mark. Although butterflies do appreciate bright colors, it's also important to include flowers that have rich nectar stores that are easily accessible in shallow flowers. This garden full of bee balm and verbena bonariensis is busy with butterflies and other pollinators throughout summer. Add some butterfly weed, or milkweed to nourish Monarch butterflies, which have declined by 90 percent since the early 1990's. 

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  • 13 of 27

    Wildflower Garden

    wildflower garden ideas

    The Spruce / Evgeniya Vlasova

    If the thought of all that fertilizing and deadheading takes the wind out of your gardening sails, consider the merits of the wildflower garden. Native flowers developed with Mother Nature to thrive in your region, meaning they are ready to grow in your soil type and with your typical rainfall. Don't discount wildflowers as less showy than hybrid flowers; the exuberant hues of standout varieties like blanket flowers, tiger lilies, pink cosmos (like those shown here) and coneflowers will make the butterflies and bees wonder why they went anywhere else. For exceptional height, grow the perennial sunflower Helianthus, which can grow up to eight feet tall by the time autumn arrives. 

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  • 14 of 27

    Monotone Perennials

    flower garden ideas

    Finding Lovely

    Finding Lovely lined the flagstone path leading to the gated vegetable garden with two generous rows of white tulips that echo the farmhouse feel of the property. A flower garden doesn't have to be multi-colored to make a bold statement; committing to a choice and going big will have an outsize impact.

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  • 15 of 27

    Formal Garden

    formal flower garden ideas

    The Spruce / Evgeniya Vlasova

    The clean lines and tidy layout of a formal garden are pleasing, but the addition of flowers is a welcome counterpoint to grass and carefully trimmed boxwood shrubs. Stick to one or two flower varieties in the formal garden; those with neat growing habits will complement your scheme the best. Lavender, rose topiaries, tulips, hydrangeas, and salvia are a few flowers that have been used to great effect in the formal garden as well as the lily of the valley seen here sprinkled with blue, yellow, and purple flowers. You can mass these flowers around a central fountain, use them to edge paths, or fill in geometric hedge plantings with blooms. 

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  • 16 of 27

    Cottage-Style Flower Garden

    cottage flower garden ideas

    The Spruce / Evgeniya Vlasova

    The free-form nature of cottage gardening is an invitation to try many classic flowers in the landscape. Cottage garden design values fragrant or heirloom varieties, like old English roses, lavender, Shasta daisies, foxgloves, and hollyhocks. To make sure there's a method to your madness, repeat plant varieties throughout the border or bed and stick to a simple color palette, like this garden's pink, white, and yellow one. 

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  • 17 of 27

    Cactus Garden

    flower garden ideas

    Michelle Boudreau Design

    Cacti are flowering plants that thrive in desert settings like this sloping backyard Palm Springs pool area from Michelle Boudreau Design that uses short plants like a small barrel cactus to contrast with other taller, textural desert varieties.

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  • 18 of 27

    Space-Saving Garden

    hillside flower garden ideas

    Home Consultant

    You can plant a flower garden anywhere that you have enough sunlight. This dense flower garden filled with orange and pink flowers as well as white and yellow blooms covers a steep tiered slice of land off to the side of the driveway of this Southern California home from Home Consultant.

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  • 19 of 27

    Topiary Garden

    formal flower garden landscaping ideas

    Fantastic Frank

    A flower garden hugs the curved boxwood hedge and manicured topiaries of this German villa backyard with formal landscaping that matches the elegant setting with its varied green tones and light pops of purple.

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    Warm-Colored Garden

    backyard flower garden ideas

    Fantastic Frank

    A a retaining wall is planted with pink, red, and purple roses to add warmth and color to the cool neutral stone and glass stairway leading to the backyard in this property from Fantastic Frank.

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    Path-Lining Perennials

    simple flower garden ideas

    Emily Henderson Design

    The path to the outdoor play space in this backyard from Emily Henderson Design is planted with a casual arrangement of flowers like red poppies and plants like pampas grass to make it feel special on the way to and from the

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  • 22 of 27

    DIY Flower Beds

    diy flower garden beds

    A Beautiful Mess

    These DIY flower beds from A Beautiful Mess line the front and sides of the home, a simple way to boost curb appeal with seasonal flowers without breaking the budget. These orange and purple mums suit the autumn perfectly.

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  • 23 of 27

    Pink and Purple Perennial Garden

    front yard flower garden ideas

    Lady Landscape

    Planting a generous and colorful front yard garden, like this one from Lady Landscape filled with purple hyssop, fluffy pink roses, and tiny orange flowers, will boost your home's curb appeal and make guests feel welcome before you even open the door. And with no grass, there's no need to mow.

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  • 24 of 27

    DIY Hanging Basket Garden

    diy hanging basket flower garden

    A Beautiful Mess

    This DIY hanging basket garden from A Beautiful Mess mixes herbs like basil and flowers like pink impatiens, a simple way to add a mini garden to a small space that was designed to be toddler- and puppy-safe.

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  • 25 of 27

    Vertical Flower Vine Garden

    vertical flower garden ideas

    Fantastic Frank

    A vertical garden with climbing vines and flowering plants like pale-blue leadworts this Spanish island home from Fantastic Frank is a space-saving solution that will make your outdoor space feel cozy and inviting.

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  • 26 of 27

    Contemporary Atrium Garden

    minimalist flower garden ideas

    Fantastic Frank

    A minimalist dose of flowers can soften a contemporary space, like this four-story Lisbon home from Fantastic Frank that includes a minimalist garden in the central courtyard with what appears to be feather grass, and vibrant purple flowers that climb the walls all the way up to the rooftop pool deck.

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  • 27 of 27

    Bucolic Birdhouse

    flower garden ideas

    Becca Interiors

    Becca Interiors used this bucolic backyard flower garden featuring ornamental grasses in the backyard of a Victorian Colonial Revivalist house in Hastings-on-Hudson, NY as inspiration for the nature-inspired color palette of the interiors.