An area planting is the perfect place to create a more carefree look than you might want for a bed or border. Such a garden also is maintenance-friendly.

Blue marguerite makes a nice annual selection for a cottage garden. In mild-winter climates, the blue blooms sometimes seed themselves to survive for several seasons.

Photo Credit: ©2001 Dolezal Publishing/John M. Rickard

The carefree nature of an area planting is suitable for small or large plantings, especially when they feature irregular margins. It’s best to keep such beds simple. Consider using intermingled groups of only two annuals.

Photo Credit: ©2001 Dolezal Publishing/Yvonne Williams

For a neat garden idea, twine morning glory on a sturdy pole holding a birdhouse to serve birds two ways: The vine produces seed for birds to eat, and it keeps predators from reaching the nest.

Photo Credit: ©2001 Dolezal Publishing/John M. Rickard

When you’re designing a large area planting, you might want to consider annuals that can be directly sown into your garden, since buying bedding plants in quantity can put strain on the budget. Choose flowers that aesthetically lend themselves to being planted en masse. One easy way to accomplish all your objectives is to plant wildflowers. They’re easy to grow from seed and come in mixes for sun or shade. There are also mixes created for attracting butterflies, for cutflowers and even for certain heights or particular color combinations. In addition, wildflowers frequently self-seed, which means that in certain climates, they’ll come up again year after year.

As long as the plant types you select appreciate the same climate and growing conditions (sun-loving plants for sunny areas, for example), you can grow an inexpensive wildflower garden that meets your desired combination of colors, shapes and sizes.

Your simplest option for a large area is to plant just one kind of wildflower in quantity. Solid colors can create quite an impact in the garden – imagine a sea of cool blue or the brightness of hot hues like red or orange. Where summers are hot and the soil is lean and dry, rely on sunset-colored natives such as coreopsis and black-eyed Susan. In mild-winter climates, a fall planting of dainty Dahlberg daisy will provide a winter carpet of gold.

For a more formal look, fill an area with plants that look decidedly cultivated. You can keep your plan simple by planting different types of a single annual species. If you share the Victorians’ love of formality, you can mass plant low-growing varieties of your favorite exotic annuals for a neat, clipped appearance.

Imagine a sea of bright, cheery field of wildflowers dancing in a summer a breeze. This scene from nature is possible right in your own garden, and the good news is that you can get it in just one season! Cottage, meadow, prairie and even arid-region garden themes are perfect for these bright colors and profuse flowers.

As always, the key is picking the right wildflowers that fit your garden theme and that are well-suited to your USDA hardiness Zone, climate, soil and site conditions. For natural gardens, choose wildflowers with simple blooms and an open, graceful habit. Plant them in drifts, avoiding formal blocks of color.

While you can find many annuals in cell packs grouped in flats for instant garden impact, many plants (like poppies), have a taproot that does better when grown by seed that is sown directly in the ground. (It’s also less expensive to grow your plants from seed – especially when dealing with large areas like meadows or prairies.) For an expanse of one species, choose plants that aesthetically lend themselves to massing. For mixed plantings, pick plants that are similar in height and coordinate their bloom periods for consecutive displays of color.

Once the planting area is prepared, just take the steps shown in the pictures and described in their captions for a gorgeous bed of wildflowers you can enjoy all season long.