The ideal garden is a showcase every day of the year, highlighting the best of spring, summer, fall, and even winter. The first step is to work with seasonal conditions, not against them.
Basics for Becoming Your Own Landscape Designer
As with any garden project, it all starts with the planning. In this case, it’s important to not only plan for the current season but also to consider what should be planted now that will bloom in the following season. This is even more relevant in the spring, when the gardener’s focus should be on early spring bloomers and late spring bloomers (more on that in a minute), as well as some flowers that will bloom over the summer that can be planted now to become established before the temperatures rise into the red.The next consideration is mature plant height. For a seamless transition, you can’t go wrong with taller plants in the back and shorter ones in the front. Opting for perennials in hard-to-reach areas is another good idea.
Grouped plants look better than single flowers. Unless there’s a particularly large plant, plan to plant in odd numbers of three, five, seven, nine, and so on so they look more natural. Even numbers of plants are acceptable when one is planting a long ribbon of flowing color. Follow the spacing requirements of each plant so that they fill in when mature but don’t smother each other.
Incorporate existing landscape features, such as trees and fountains, into the plan; they’re an opportunity to change heights and colors and add a bit of pop to a flowerbed. Depending on their location in the yard, these landscape features can also act as a completely separate focal point to create a vibrant oasis.
Here are some ideas, by season, to inspire your plans.
Spring Fling
Perennials and bulbs are the backbone of any flower garden, with some perennials such as daylily, peony, iris, New England aster, agapanthus, and heliopsis (false sunflower) able to live as long as 16 years with proper care.Shake off the winter blues with early spring bloomers such as crocus, pansy, daffodil, Virginia bluebells, snowdrop, winter aconite, claytonia, pasqueflower, marsh marigold (not the one that you’re thinking of), puschkinia, grape hyacinth, hellebore, yellow trillium celandine poppy, Dutchman’s breeches (gotta love that name!), Grecian windflower, and some varieties of tulip.
Annuals have their place, as well, for their unique colors, scents, and textures, and to fill bare spaces where bulbs didn’t come up, or when the perennials are having an “off” year, or when you’re waiting for summer-blooming bulbs such as dahlias, lilies, and begonias to come up later. Violas, snapdragons, African daisy, and biennial dianthus (pinks or sweet Williams), are all colorful cool-weather bloomers.
Now is also the time to plant summer-blooming perennials such as clematis, creeping fox, and perennial dianthus (such as carnations) if they aren’t already in the garden.
Summer Sizzle
Sun-worshipping perennials that can withstand summer heat, such as evening primrose, hollyhock, perennial black-eyed Susans, and lavender, are blooming, and the watering can is in hand. To extend the season beyond mid-summer, consider some annuals, such as zinnia that with proper deadheading (removing dying flowers) will continue to bloom in the fall.Other hearty choices include coneflower (Echinacea—yes, like the tea), cosmos, dahlia, annual black-eyed Susans, sunflower, bee balm, hyssop, autumn clematis, yarrow, catmint, flowering sage, and Autumn Joy stonecrop.
Got some space in the shade? Consider lobelia, yellow corydalis, and hosta.
Fabulous Fall
The lush red, yellow, purple, and orange of chrysanthemums are the colors of fall. So, too, are the cheerful faces of Marguerite daisies, petunias, phlox, strawflower, salvia, sweet alyssum, verbena, Japanese anemone, and Russian sage. Here’s an interesting tidbit: Most of these flowers are grown as annuals, except in zones seven through 11, where some can be grown as perennials; check the seed packet or with a local nursery.Temperate Climes
Those lucky gardeners whose late fall, winter, and early spring are filled with mild days and cool nights can use cold-season bedding plants that put on a display in temps as low as 20 degrees, or in some cases, even into the teens, and then fade out as spring temperatures rise. Be sure to plant them where they'll receive at least six hours of sun.Pansies, sweet peas, alyssum, bachelor’s button, calendula, delphinium, dianthus, dusty miller, English daisy, forget-me-not, foxglove, geranium, hollyhock, larkspur, ornamental cabbage and kale, pansy, poppies, snapdragon, and viola will all liven up the garden.
Winter Berries Count!
Another way to add a splash of brilliant color, and one that will make a particularly dramatic statement against a backdrop of pristine white snow, is to choose plants that give winter berries. These welcoming pops of color come in many more colors than the reds of hollies, viburnum, cotoneaster, checkerberry (aka boxberry and American wintergreen), skimmia, Japanese laurel, rowan, and rose hips, or the red and yellow combination of Firethorn.There’s also beautyberry, which lives up to its glamorous name with pink-violet berry clusters; the spindle tree, which boasts orange-pink berries; and the aptly named Sorbus ‘Pink Pagoda.’ Juniper berries lend a stately blue to the winter landscape, while bayberry berries add a gentle silver tone. The luminous white berries of snowberry add a fairy-like touch to the garden, as do mistletoe berries, with the added benefit that hanging real mistletoe adds a tasteful flair to the home at Christmas. In addition to their delightful colors, berries can provide food for birds and other wildlife.
