Flowers and fungus and things from among us. That’s what Gardens are Made Of.
Garden season is finally here after a long snowy winter. Everyone is anxious to get out and fix up their outside spaces to make them more enjoyable for the upcoming season. Friends often ask me questions about how to enhance different areas. The question that seems to come up the most as we discuss different options, is: “Does it flower all season?” So I thought it would be fun to answer this question in a philosophical sort of way.
Does it flower all year?
In season driven New England, the simple answer is no, unless it is an African violet on your windowsill. What it is that we really yearn for is something that will lift our spirits and stir our emotions. Flowers of course are the big bold, here I am, answer to that question. They’re what we send someone who is sick or hurting. But let’s look one step beyond flowers. As the seasons change, so do our surroundings and that is one of the things we love most about New England. Imagine a year without the fall foliage. So rather than looking for things that bloom all season, I like to combine trees, shrubs and perennials that highlight and celebrate the different seasons. This gives color all year but as the season changes, so does the landscape. That contributes the elements of anticipation and variety to your gardens both of which are real spirit lifters.
What is more spirit lifting that looking out your window on a cold February morning and seeing your Witchhazel (Hamamelis x itermedia “Arnold Promise” or Hamamelis mollis ‘Pallida”) in full glorious bloom? Under plant that with Glory of the Snow (Chionodoxa) and Snowdrops (Galanthus), and as soon as the snow melts you have a display that lasts until late April.
The next spring wave in late April- early May could chime in with a magnolia, say Magnolia loebneri or stellata, under planted with daffodils, Autumn fern(Dryopteris erythrosora), Pasque Flower (Pulsatilla vulgaris) and Japanese Primrose (Primula kisoana). The daffodil, fern, primrose and pasque flower combination continues into June and has a wonderful foliage harmony and interesting seed heads that continue to add interest and beauty long after the flowers fade, and you are enjoying the shade of the magnolia tree.
As May progresses into June, the mother lode of flowering trees and shrubs come into their own and the ‘kid in the candy store’ syndrome is everywhere. Trees: Crab Apples (Mauls sp.), Cherries (Prunus), Redbuds (Cercis), Japanese Snowbell (Styrax), Shrubs: rhododendrons, azalea, viburnum, quince, fothergilla, and Perennials: Bleeding Heart, Candytuft, Bluebells, Peony, Bearded Tongue, Primrose, Foamflower, Columbine , Thrift, all are but a few of the choices at this time of year. It is easy to get color from flowers mid May through June; the tricky thing is to choose colors and forms that are pleasing together. If you plant things within the same visual display be sure they complement each other. I think we all have seen those plantings with so many different shades of pink, red and purple you have to look away. One nice combination might include Eastern Redbud (Cercis canadensis) with Blue Mist Bottlebrush Bush (Fothergilla gardenia ‘Blue Mist’ and pink or yellow Tree peony (Paeonia suffruticosa) and under planted with Foam flower (Tiarella cordifolia Running Tapestry). This display has the clusters of raspberry sherbet colored pearls lining the Redbud tree branches before the leaves emerge, giving a solid raspberry stencil effect. The Bottlebrush beneath complements the tree with its mounds of white airy bottlebrush flowers followed by beautiful blue green rounded leaves. The tree peonies’ large bold leaves harmonize with the color of the Redbud flowers while its big spectacular crepe paper flowers are breathtaking. The foam flower with its mint green & russet colored foliage and clouds of delicate white flowers tie the whole thing together. As the season progresses foliage continues to delight , huge heart shaped Redbud leaves atop the blue bottlebrush and russets, reds, burgundies and greens of the peony and tiarella continue into fall when the whole scene changes again with yellow Red bud leaves, and a combination of brilliant oranges, reds and yellows beneath.
As summer heats up the cool greens become more abundant. That’s a good thing—it helps cool us off in fact and feeling. There are still trees that bloom in the summer: Goldenraintree (Koelreuteria paniculata), and Mimosa (Albitzia julibritzen), Scolartree (Sophora japonica) to name a few. The major parade of color in the summer flower category comes from perennials, shrubs and annuals. Again it’s all about combinations not only of flowers but also of plant and foliage color and form. Since a plant may flower for two to four weeks thinking about flowers is a small part of the picture. The foliage and plant form is the backbone of the garden all year. You can have a colorful wonderful garden with no flowers. Think about a combination of Stewartia pseudocamellia, Japanese Plum Yew (Pseudomamellia harringtonia), Hosta Sum and Substance, Heuchera Amethyst Myst, and Hackengrass (Hackonechloa macra areola). The tree has outstanding three colored and textured bark that is beautiful all by itself even in the winter. The combination as a group even when there are no flowers has a myriad of different textures and colors that are vibrant and lovely. Cinnamon, grey, olive, mahogany, red, chartreuse, yellow, white and green colors are present from the foliage and barks alone. Fine and flowing, crisp and mounding, bold and upright, and delicate and flowing textures interplay one against the other. It’s a setting you could sit and read a book any day of the season and not wish you had a few flowers to look at.
And then comes fall! Well it’s all about foliage and berries in the fall. Yes there are flowers, Asters, Monkshood, chrysanthemums, fall crocus and other fall blooming perennials that continue to flower right into frost. They are great and accent the landscape. But the eighth wonder of the world has my vote to be New England’s fall foliage and seed display. So when you plan to plant a tree, shrub or perennial, first find out what its leaves do in the fall. Plan for an outrageous autumn display and when others are fighting the leaf peeper crowds on the highway you can be surrounded by the same color right in your own back yard.
If you have questions you would like answered, please email them to me at LandscapesbyLillabeth@comcast.net.