How to Upgrade Flower Beds in Fronts of Homes

Flower gardens bring color and delight to home properties and often sit in individual planters in front of homes, lining driveways or in islands in the yard, to act as details in the landscape. Although individual flower choice depends on the gardener, some requirements stay the same: location, appropriate hardiness, soil and care. Flowering plants have different light requirements -- some require full sun whereas some can thrive in partial shade -- but almost all flowering plants do better with rich, crumbly earth and good drainage. If the flowers in your flower beds are suffering, give them a boost by increasing the soil's aeration and nutrition.

• 1

  Move your flower beds if you can. If your flower beds sit in full or partial shade and you're trying to grow sun-loving flowers, you may be experiencing weak blooms or no blooming at all. Move potted flowers to areas where they'll get more sun, or grow shade-loving plants for better success. If you're trying to grow shade-loving plants in the sun, move your planters to the shade or switch to sun-loving flowers.

• 2

  Turn the soil over with a garden fork, to a depth of 4 to 6 inches. You can do this when the beds are empty, before planting or when there are flowers present. Flowers prefer loose, crumbly earth and need air, so poor flowering might be due to compacted soil.

• 3

  Increase the quality of your soil. Plants require 13 different nutrients to grow and those that don't get enough food may fail to bloom. Mix a combination of half quick-draining soil and half organic compost into the top 4 inches of soil to increase the soil's nutrient levels. Continue to mix compost into the soil until your soil is rich, black and crumbly.

• 4

  Mulch your plants with organic compost or mulch to maintain soil moisture and warmth. As the mulch breaks down, it will add more nutrition to the soil. Mulch will also keep weed and insect populations at bay.

• 5

  Add organic fertilizer to the soil to further boost the nutrition. Follow the manufacturer's guidelines in regard to amount and application, and apply fertilizer in early spring to aid in growth, then again in mid-summer to encourage blooming.