Plants
Coral bark Japanese maple. While less dramatic than the Bloodgood, Acer palmatum ‘Sango Kaku’, or coral bark Japanese maple, is one of Ayers' favorites because of the way it imparts shots of yellow into a yard. USDA zones: 4 to 9 Height: 20 feet Color: Yellow-green leaves and coral bark in spring and summer; the leaves turn brighter yellow in fall; the bark turns a vibrant coral in winter; deciduous Light requirement: Full sun to partial shade Water requirement: Moderate to regular
Bloodgood Japanese maple. Sandy Ayers of The Garden Route Company in California loves the ruby-red tones of Acer palmatum ‘Bloodgood’, or Bloodgood Japanese maple. USDA zones: 5 to 8 (find your zone) Height: 15 to 25 feet Color: Deep red in spring and summer, turns scarlet in fall; deciduous Light requirement: Full sun to partial shade Water requirement: Moderate to regular
Lindsey’s Skyward Bald Cypress (Taxodium distichum ‘Skyward’) The feathery foliage of bald cypress is so delicate, you just want to run your fingers through it. The spring growth is a bright, light green; it matures to midgreen before turning a distinctive copper color in fall. These autumnal tones last for many weeks before the needles are shed. With its interesting branching structure and attractive bark, this is a conifer that provides year-round interest even without winter foliage. Origin: The species is native to the southeastern and gulf coastal plains of North America; this cultivar was selected for its natural dwarf habit and nonaggressive tendencies. Where it will grow: Hardy to -20 degrees Fahrenheit (zones 5 to 9) Water requirement: Moist to wet soil Light requirement: Full sun Mature size: 20 feet tall and 6 feet wide Benefits and tolerances: Tolerates wet soil; nonaggressive root system; strong disease resistance Seasonal interest: Year-round When to plant: Spring or fall Planting notes: Do not allow the soil to dry out.
Swedish Aspen (Populus tremula ‘Erecta’) I longed to plant a grove of quaking aspens (Populus tremuloides) alongside a narrow path, knowing that the moist soils would be perfect and it would give me a sense of a woodland without casting too much shade or obstructing the walkway. Sadly, they are prone to disease here in the Pacific Northwest, so I opted for Swedish aspens instead. These grow in clumps and are tightly columnar. The bark is a pale gray rather than white, but these aspens still have rustling leaves to bring music and fall color to the garden. In favorable, very moist soil they will send out runners and spread, so take that into consideration. I have not seen the same spreading in drier soils. Origin: Northern Europe and Asia Where it will grow: Hardy to -50 degrees Fahrenheit (zones 2 to 5) Water requirement: Thrives in moist soils but is also drought tolerant once established Light requirement: Full sun or light shade Mature size: 40 feet tall and 10 feet or less wide (although I have never seen them grow wider than 5 feet) Benefits and tolerances: Tolerates clay and moist soils; attracts butterflies Seasonal interest: Spring to fall When to plant: Spring or fall P...
Forever Goldie Golden Arborvitae (syn. Forever Goldy western red cedar) (Thuja plicata ‘Forever Goldie’) Forever Goldie is the golden teddy bear of the conifer world that just begs to be hugged. In spring and summer, it moves through shades of chartreuse to gold, while in winter it takes on an orange cast. This outstanding cultivar is one to include no matter how large or small your garden may be. Origin: This cultivar was discovered in the Netherlands in 2002 as a seedling. Where it will grow: Hardy to -40 degrees Fahrenheit (USDA zones 3 to 7; find your zone) Water requirement: Average Light requirement: Full sun Mature size: 15 to 20 feet tall and 3 feet wide Benefits and tolerances: Does not shed; scorch resistant; tolerates a wide range of soil conditions Seasonal interest: Year-round When to plant: Spring or fall Planting notes: Since this was just introduced in 2011, it is not easy to find landscape-size trees. I recommend purchasing a small one and enjoying it in a container for a few years before transplanting it. The one shown here was purchased as a 15-inch-tall plant in a 1-gallon pot four years prior to this photograph’s being taken. It is now approximately 4 feet t...
Plants function as architectural details. A screen of fern pine (Podocarpus gracilior) provides privacy from next-door neighbors, adding a lush softness to the garden at a reduced weight. The planters along the deck’s periphery are built into the structure. They’re shallow, only a foot or two deep, and they frame the deck with lush, drought-tolerant Mediterranean plants. Planting bed off the deck: Wire plant (Corokia cotoneaster), bicolor fortnight lily (Dietes bicolor), beach strawberry (Fragaria chilloensis), blue oat grass (Helictotrichon sempervirens), sapphire lobelia (Lobelia ‘Sapphire’), New Zealand iris (Libertia peregrinans) Planter to right of steps: Jade plant (Crassula ovata), Cape Blanco stonecrop (Sedum spathifolium ‘Cape Blanco’) Scott Lewis Landscape Architecture The planters integrated with the steps are made of copper-infused fiberglass. They are extremely lightweight and will develop the attractive patina of an old penny as they age. Lewis planted giant lilyturf (Liriope gigantea) in the planters, which fill out the hardscape and continue the linear language of the fence and deck. Kangaroo treebine (Cissus antarctica) climbs up the fence.
Farmer filled the beds with mostly low-water, low-maintenance plants, some of them native, that would add interest and privacy screening but that wouldn’t overpower the design’s structure. “Most of the yard is [in] full sun, which really lends itself to a more native, high-desert planting scheme,” he says. Red yucca (Hesperaloe parviflora) grows in the gravel next to the sidewalk. “It’s a pretty tough plant,” Farmer says, a useful trait when it comes to the local climate and the many dogs that go for walks on this street. Monzonite, a locally quarried stone, surrounds the yucca and fills in much of the outdoor open space. “It’s a lot more cost effective [than imported stone],” Bloom says, and it pairs well with the concrete walls and the home’s exterior.
In the terraced beds, blue fescue (Festuca glauca ‘Elijah Blue’) pops against golden creeping Jenny (Lysimachia nummularia ‘Aurea’) in the lower planter and complements the gray concrete retaining walls. The tendrils of golden creeping Jenny trail over the front of the planter for dramatic effect. In the upper planter, an ‘Autumn Brilliance’ serviceberry (Amelanchier x grandiflora ‘Autumn Brilliance’) anchors the space and adds height. It provides year-round interest, with white spring flowers, green summer foliage, fall color and winter berries loved by birds. A native meadow — one of two in the front yard — surrounds the serviceberry, featuring a mix of low-growing grasses, gray sages and dwarf shrubs. “I wanted to bring a little more of wild nature into their garden,” Farmer says.
Add ornamental grasses. Cool-season ornamental grasses, such as ‘Elijah Blue’ blue fescue (Festuca glauca ‘Elijah Blue’, zones 4 to 8), ‘Karl Foerster’ feather reed grass (Calamagrostis x acutiflora ‘Karl Foerster’, zones 4 to 9) or foothill sedge (Carex tumulicola, zones 4 to 9) can be a great way to transition a garden from spring to summer. Cool-season grasses send out fresh new growth in spring but really come into their own in early summer, just as spring flowers are starting to look tired. Mix them with flowering annuals and perennials, set back in the border according to their mature height.
Co-plant bulbs with warm-season foliage plants or flowers. As bulbs finish blooming in spring, their yellowing foliage won’t necessarily enhance the look of garden borders. You’ll need to leave those leaves in place if you’d like blooms again next spring, as the bulbs pull nutrients from the leaves back down into the bulb. Plant something that will fill in and help cover the yellowing leaves. Forget-me-nots are a classic choice, as they both complement bulbs as an understory in mid-spring and reach their mature height — about 2 feet — in late spring to early summer, covering up yellowing foliage. The forget-me-not flowers usually don’t last beyond early summer, but the transitional effect is attractive. Hostas also make a great choice for co-planting with bulbs, and they last through fall. Caution: Woodland forget-me-not is considered invasive in some regions; please check where you live before planting.
Want more color? Try a flowering shrub like a hydrangea, California lilac (Ceanothus spp.), mountain laurel (Kalmia latifolia, zones 4 to 9) or Texas ranger (Leucophyllum frutescens, Zone 8). Whether you choose evergreen foliage or blooms, shrubs planted in a bed add height, form and a backdrop for seasonal planting.
7. Windswept ornamental grasses. Inspired by the textures and colors of the foothills, this front yard in Portland, Oregon, features West Coast native manzanita and a variety of billowing ornamental grasses. Tall, orange miscanthus grass works in contrast with the deep burgundy of the spent blooms of ‘Autumn Joy’ stonecrop in the foreground. The punctuations of gold come from ‘Sundance’ Mexican orange. Plant combination: Manzanita (Arctostaphylos sp.) Miscanthus (Miscanthus sp.) ‘Autumn Joy’ stonecrop (Sedum ‘Autumn Joy’, zones 3 to 10) ‘Sundance’ Mexican orange (Choisya ternata ‘Sundance’, zones 7 to 10) Water requirement: Moderate Light requirement: Full sun Caution: Mexican feather grass, shown in this photo, is identified as a highly invasive species in California and Oregon. Check with a local nursery before planting and do not plant next to open space. See five Western natives to plant instead.
In this woodland garden outside of Boston, the designer banked the beds with pastel blooms mixed with plants that have silver to medium green foliage. Here we see white peonies, dark purple ‘May Night’ sage (Salvia ‘May Night’), lavender-pink ‘Globemaster’ alliums (Allium ‘Globemaster’), silver-leaved Russian sage (Perovskia atriplicifolia), lamb’s ears (Stachys byzantina) and evergreen inkberry (Ilex glabra).
Cheerful and Inviting Color palette: Medium blue-green, light green, bright orchid, eggshell, deep violet Evoke the look of Monet’s garden in Giverny with a watercolor palette of pink, blue, purple, green and soft yellow. Pastels feel fresh and harmonious in the garden, transitioning smoothly from one soft hue to the next. Like the first blooms in spring, pastel color palettes feel cheerful and inviting — making them a great choice for entryway and front yard plantings. Pastel color palettes can include all hues on the color wheel in muted tones. Adding one or two plants in a more saturated color — like a dark green-leaved shrub or deep purple perennial — can keep a pastel color palette from looking washed out.
In a mixed floral border in a garden near Sheffield, England, the designer used an engaging color palette of gold and bright orange avens (Geum spp.), and dark crimson and pale purple pincushion flowers (Scabiosa rumelica syn. Knautia macedonica). The overall effect is like a sprinkling of bright jewels over a dark backdrop (the green foliage).
In another shot of the same garden, yellow-flowering Turkish sage (Phlomis russeliana) grows sandwiched between dark purple ‘Caradonna’ sage in the foreground and dark red barberry (Berberis sp.) in the background.
Gardens using jewel-toned color palettes benefit from tones chosen from opposite sides of the color wheel (like orange and blue or yellow and violet). Pairing plants with foliage or flower colors in closely complementary hues makes each color stand out in contrast to its neighbors. For example, in this seaside garden on Bainbridge Island, Washington, dark purple ‘Caradonna’ sage (Salvia nemorosa ‘Caradonna’) and cool blue ‘Little Titch’ catmint (Nepeta racemosa ‘Little Titch’) set off bright orange California poppies (Eschscholzia californica) planted close by.
Dramatic and Energizing Color palette: Pomegranate, dark purple, yellow orcher, periwinkle blue, medium gray-green High-contrast jewel-toned color palettes command attention, making eye-catching border displays that stand out on the block. Gardens in this rich color palette shine all year but are particularly dramatic in late summer and fall, when the deeply saturated tones complement the red, orange and amber leaves of trees changing color.
In another New England garden, clear lavender-blue bloom spikes of Russian sage (Perovskia atriplicifolia) mix with abundantly flowering white bigleaf hydrangeas and evergreen boxwood (Buxus sp.). The planting trio forms a peaceful garden scene.
In this backyard in Westport, Connecticut, the designer used a mix of white- and blue-flowering bigleaf hydrangeas (Hydrangea macrophylla), medium blue veronica, pale purple-blue catmint (Nepeta sp.) and white roses.
Cool and Serene Color palette: Leaf green, light sage, white, deep blue, sky blue As calming as puffy white clouds moving across the sky or a sailboat on the water, planting palettes made up of blue and white blossoms set the tone for a tranquil landscape. To keep beds looking crisp and clean, restraint with the color palette is key. Choose blooms in clear shades of blue and as close to true white as you can find, and mix them with plenty of evergreen foliage.
Chaenomeles speciosa ‘Pink Storm’ has double-petaled blooms in bright coral. 3. Flowering Quince (Chaenomeles spp.) Flowering quince is often the first shrub to bloom in early spring, with its apple-blossom-like flowers that attract hummingbirds standing out among bare branches like a beacon of the season. Flower colors range from snowy white to all shades of pink, hot coral and red. The branch structure is often twiggy and irregular; it’s best to tuck quince at the back of the bed or keep it regularly pruned. C. japonica ‘Toyo-Nishiki’ has large apple-blossom-like flowers that open in coral-pink and white on a single plant. C. speciosa ‘Pink Storm’ has dramatic hot-coral blooms with a pleasant fragrance. Bloom season: Early spring to late spring, depending on variety Where it will grow: Hardy to minus 15 degrees Fahrenheit, or minus 26.1 degrees Celsius (zones 5 to 9) Origin: Native to China, Korea and Japan Water requirement: Moderate Light requirement: Partial shade Mature size: Varies by variety, but many grow to about 6 feet tall and wide
Weigela florida ‘Magical Fantasy’ has variegated foliage and pale pink blooms. Weigela (Weigela florida) Weigela offers outstanding foliage and beautiful blooms that work well in cottage gardens and mixed borders. Choose from among varieties with green leaves streaked with creamy yellow or white (W. florida ‘Magical Fantasy), or those with foliage in green (W. florida ‘Plangen’) or deep burgundy (W. florida ‘Alexandra’ or ‘Wine and Roses’). Trumpet-shaped white, pale pink or magenta flowers cover the shrub in May and often continue after the first flush with sporadic blooms through late summer. The flowers are a hummingbird favorite. Bloom season: Largest flush of flowers in May, followed by less-frequent flowering through summer Where it will grow: Hardy to minus 15 degrees Fahrenheit, or minus 26.1 degrees Celsius (zones 5 to 8) Origin: Native to east Asia Water requirement: Moderate to high Light requirement: Partial to full sun Mature size: Varies by variety, from 3 to 10 feet tall and 3 to 12 feet wide
Winter Daphne (Daphne odora) With an exquisite fragrance — almost like tuberose mixed with citrus — and glossy oblong leaves, winter daphne makes a beautiful addition to gardens. Daphne can be notoriously tricky to grow, often giving up for no apparent reason after a few seasons. In our book, it’s worth a try given the beautiful blooms, compact garden-friendly form and alluring fragrance. For your best chance of success, plant winter daphne in quick-draining, porous soil with plenty of air circulation around the roots. Also, plant winter daphne in dappled shade in a spot sheltered from hot midday sun. D. odora ‘Aureomarginata’ is a particulalry popular variety, with pale pink flowers and dark leaves edged with cream. D. odora ‘Sakiwaka’ is a top choice among white-flowering varieties. Caution: All parts of Daphne plants are toxic if eaten. Bloom season: Midwinter to late winter and early spring Where it will grow: Hardy to 5 degrees Fahrenheit, or minus 15 degrees Celsius (zones 7 to 9) Origin: Native to China and Japan Water requirement: Moderate, with light summer water Light requirement: Partial shade Mature size: 3 to 4 feet tall and wide, and larger
tomato plants!
Attract pollinators. Different bloom colors draw specific pollinators. For example, red, fuchsia and purple flowers are particularly attractive to hummingbirds, while butterflies key into bright colors like red, orange, yellow and pink. Bees, however, prefer bright blues and violets. Make your garden a pollinator magnet with a colorful mix of nectar- and pollen-producing plants.
In the fall, all eyes go to the brilliant orange-red leaves on the Japanese stewartia tree, its white summertime flowers just a fading memory. The leaves of the paper birch trees provide a beautiful golden yellow backdrop. On the ground, the grasses transform to wheat colors, the lavender maintains its somewhat spiky structure, and the yellow coreopsis blossoms are going to seed.
The greens of the juniper, pine and yucca contrast with the yellow of the Tiger Eyes staghorn sumac and the red of the barberry.
Erigeron’s purplish blues look beautiful during a fall frost.
The white of the paper birch trees is all the more beautiful next to the flaming red of the Japanese maple and the sunlight-grabbing wheat color of the purple miscanthus.
Wild Blue Phlox (Phlox divaricata) Showy flowers appear atop 1- to 2-foot-tall stems as a first sign of spring. This adaptable perennial, which is native to eastern and central North America, attracts butterflies and grows well in partial to full shade, including under trees, to form a woodland wildflower garden. Bloom season: Early spring Cold tolerance: Hardy to minus 35 degrees Fahrenheit, or minus 37.2 degrees Celsius (USDA zones 3 to 8; find your zone) Origin: Central and eastern North America, from central Minnesota eastward to New York in the North, and the eastern edge of Texas eastward to Georgia and northern Florida in the South Water requirement: Moderate Light requirement: Partial shade to full shade When to plant: Spring or fall; potted plants are available from most native-plant nurseries in areas where it occurs
Germander Sage (Salvia chamaedryoides) For drought-tolerant gardens that tend to have flowers in bright oranges and yellows, germander sage offers a cooling contrast. This Mexican native grows up to 2 feet tall and 3 feet wide, attracting butterflies and hummingbirds to its small blue blossoms. In colder regions, consider growing it as an annual. Bloom season: Spring through fall Cold tolerance: Hardy to 15 degrees Fahrenheit, or minus 9.4 degrees Celsius (Zone 8) Origin: Native to the Chihuahuan Desert region of eastern Mexico Water requirement: Needs water every one to two weeks from late spring to early fall and every three to four weeks in winter Light requirement: Full sun to partial shade; filtered shade in low-desert gardens When to plant: Spring or fall
Jacob’s Ladder (Polemonium reptans) Jacob’s ladder is another early-spring bloomer from the eastern woodlands. Considered a reliably easy-to-grow plant, Jacob’s ladder stands out in the woodland wildflower garden. It’s also an important plant for pollinators; its flowers provide pollen for bees and beneficial insects, such as syrphid flies and beetles. Bloom season: Spring Cold tolerance: Hardy to minus 40 degrees Fahrenheit, or minus 40 degrees Celsius (zones 3 to 7) Origin: Native in eastern North American woodlands, from the states bordering the Mississippi River eastward to New Hampshire in the North and to Georgia in the South. Rare in South Dakota southward to Oklahoma; absent in North Carolina and Maine and the Atlantic provinces in Canada but does occur in Ontario and Quebec in Canada Water requirement: Moderate Light requirement: Partial sun to full shade When to plant: Spring or fall; bare-root or potted plants are available from many native-plant nurseries
Ohio Spiderwort (Tradescantia ohiensis) Every morning in spring, Ohio spiderwort opens its bright blue flowers to welcome garden visitors and native bees alike. This eastern North American native grows to nearly 3 feet tall and offers a nice texture with its strappy, grass-like foliage. Bloom season: Spring Cold tolerance: Hardy to minus 30 degrees Fahrenheit, or minus 34.4 degrees Celsius (zones 4 to 9) Origin: Native in eastern North America; the western part of the range includes Nebraska south to Texas. Also occurs from Minnesota eastward to Maine, including Ontario in Canada (absent in Vermont) in the North; endangered in Pennsylvania Water requirement: Moderate Light requirement: Full sun to partial sun When to plant: Spring or fall; seeds and plants are available from most native-plant nurseries in the Midwest and Northeast
Wild Hyacinth (Camassia quamash) Look for the violet-blue flower spikes of wild hyacinth to pop up after daffodils and tulips have faded. These bulbs native to western North America grow up to 30 inches tall. Wild hyacinth is an adaptable plant that grows in open meadows and near water, and tolerates a variety of soil moisture levels and light levels. Bloom season: Late spring Cold tolerance: Hardy to minus 40 degrees Fahrenheit, or minus 40 degrees Celsius (zones 4 to 8) Origin: Native to western North America Water requirement: Average to moist soil Light requirement: Full sun to partial shade When to plant: Late fall or winter
Virginia Bluebells (Mertensia virginica) Every spring, look for Virginia bluebells covering the understories of woodland gardens along the eastern U.S. This 1- to 2-foot-tall wildflower is considered one of the most striking spring ephemerals, with bright blue flowers that can bloom for nearly a month. Deer and rabbits tend to avoid this flower, which can grow under black walnut trees and will return year after year. Bloom season: Spring to early summer Cold tolerance: Hardy to minus 40 degrees Fahrenheit, or minus 40 degrees Celsius (zones 3 to 8) Origin: Native to the eastern U.S., primarily from New York south through Virginia to northwestern Georgia and west to Kansas; grows well as an introduced species in New England Water requirement: Moderate Light requirement: Partial sun to full shade When to plant: Plant nursery-bought plants in spring; mature clumps can be divided after the plants go dormant in early summer.
Bluebell Bellflower (Campanula rotundifolia) Native to much of the United States, bluebell bellflower is a delicate-looking flower that thrives in some of the most challenging conditions, from rocky shorelines to gravelly mountains. Plant it next to patios, walkways or sidewalks, and enjoy the finely textured flowers and foliage up close. Bloom season: Late spring; will often rebloom during the summer and into early September Cold tolerance: Hardy to minus 55 degrees Fahrenheit, or minus 48.3 degrees Celsius (zones 1 to 8) Origin: Native to all of North America except Nevada, Kansas, Kentucky, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana and states eastward to Georgia, including Florida Water requirement: Low to moderate Light requirement: Full sun to partial shade When to plant: Spring or fall
Skyblue Aster (Symphyotrichum oolentangiense) This central U.S. native grows 2 to 3 feet tall and boasts bright blue flowers in fall that pollinators love. In addition, this drought-tolerant, clay-tolerant aster is a host plant to butterfly and moth species. Bloom season: Early to mid fall Cold tolerance: Hardy to minus 40 degrees Fahrenheit, or minus 40 degrees Celsius (zones 3 to 8) Origin: New York and from Ohio south to Alabama and west from South Dakota to Texas Water requirement: Low to moderate Light requirement: Full sun to partial shade When to plant: Plant potted or bare-root plants in late spring to late fall; sow seeds in late fall through late spring.
Plumbago (Ceratostigma plumbaginoides) Plumbago is one of those versatile ground covers that can tolerate the diverse climates of Boston, Atlanta, Santa Fe in New Mexico and more. In addition to the small bright blue blooms that appear atop its foliage in summer, it also produces great fall color — even while the flowers are still on the plant. If you don’t have room for it on the ground, try planting plumbago in containers, where it grows well. Bloom season: Midsummer into fall Cold tolerance: Hardy to minus 15 degrees Fahrenheit, or minus 26.1 degrees Celsius (zones 5 to 9) Origin: China Water requirement: Low to moderate Light requirement: Full sun to partial shade; afternoon shade in hot climates When to plant: Spring
Ryusen Japanese Maple (Acer palmatum 'Ryusen') This is one truly outstanding maple, unlike any other. You will find it at specialty nurseries, generally staked to a height of 5 to 10 feet. It heavily weeps when it reaches its desired height. The foliage is green and turns a beautiful yellow-orange in autumn. This maple is stunning planted beside a pond, where it reaches down to, and is reflected in, the water. It also looks great grown in a tall ceramic pot, lending an Asian look to a garden. USDA zones: 5 to 9 Water requirement: Average Light requirement: Partial sun Mature size: Up to 10 feet tall, depending on how the plant is staked When to plant: Fall or spring
Bold, dramatic statement with succulents and friends. The setting is a dry, hot and sunny poolside location in Southern California, beautifully designed with site-appropriate plant choices. The foliage makes this a winning combination, offering year-round appeal with a just-right balance of textures and hues. The spiky anchor plant happens to be my personal favorite succulent. ‘Blue Glow’ agave (Agave ‘Blue Glow’, USDA zones 8 to 10; find your zone) has broad, spiky leaves edged in red that appear to glow when backlit by the sun. It’s a perfect focal point plant, growing 2 feet tall with a 2- to 3-foot spread. ‘Golden Tip’ conebush (Leucadendron salignum ‘Golden Tip’, zones 9 to 11) is another standout, offering a dramatic contrast with its leathery leaves and yellow flower clusters — which are actually bracts — that are great for cutting. It grows 3 to 4 feet tall and 4 to 5 feet wide. Narrow-leaf chalksticks (Senecio cylindricus, zones 9 to 11) provides yet another complementary texture with its succulent finger-like foliage and bright green tone. It grows 18 to 24 inches tall, with a wider spread. ‘Mesa Wine’ sunrose (Helianthemum ‘Mesa Wine’, Zone 5) hugs the ground with its da...
Tapestry of pastel flowers and silvery ground cover along a flagstone pathway. The repetition of these plant companions creates a sense of unity and balance in this San Francisco Bay Area setting. The stately oak beyond the pathway provides a lovely backdrop, called a borrowed view, further enhancing the composition. Sea thrift (Armeria maritima, zones 4 to 8) is a small mounding plant that bears striking rounded clusters of pink flowers that dance upon 1-foot-tall erect stems. In this composition they echo the soft pink of the flagstone pathway. Silver carpet (Dymondia margaretae, zones 9 to 11) is a tough low-growing ground cover with grayish-green foliage and small yellow flowers. It’s a great choice for planting between pavers, as shown here, and in open areas. It forms a dense mat cover that can also take foot traffic. Forthnight lily (Dietes iridioides, zones 8 to 11) adds a vertical element and is topped with white iris-like flowers. Lavender (Lavandula sp., zones 5 to 9), with grayish-green foliage, proves an abundance of fragrant purple flower spikes. It grows 2 to 3 feet tall and wide, depending on the species. See how to grow lavender
Repetition of plant groupings with large and small plant foliage and flowers. This plant combination is set above a long light gray stone retaining wall. The large, bold leaves of the lamb’s ears hold up to the wall’s strong lines yet have a velvety-soft feel. The grouping is further complemented by smaller-textured plants and cascading flowers that add more diversity with colors and softness as they cascade along the wall. ‘Helen von Stein’ lamb’s ears (Stachys byzantina ‘Helen von Stein’, zones 4 to 8) has large velvety-soft silver-green leaves and grows in a mounding habit to 1 foot tall with a 2-foot spread. It’s a great edging plant and filler, and it’s very effective mixed with plants with a variety of contrasting plant shapes, colors and textures. Grow it in full sun to partial shade. Tuberous vervain (Verbena rigida, Zone 7) has clusters of deep purple flowers held on stiff stems. It grows 1 foot to 2 feet tall and 3 to 4 feet wide. ‘Tapien Blue Violet’ garden verbena (Verbena hybrid, zones 8 to 11) softens the plant-bed edges with its low growing habit and dense flowering. ‘Hallmark’ snake flower (Bulbine frutescens ‘Hallmark’, zones 8 to 10) adds a touch of orange and ye...
Cool combo in shades of purple and blue. Repeating plants of similar colors, as in this grouping in a Massachusetts garden, offers a bit of calmness even if there is a variety of strong and opposite shapes. The grouping is repeated on the other side of the pathway and throughout the garden, visually connecting the garden spaces and mimicking plant habits in nature. ‘Globemaster’ ornamental onion (Allium ‘Globemaster’, zones 5 to 8), with its striking sphere-shaped flower head and small purple florets, rises above with its stalks that can grow 3 to 4 feet tall. See how to grow ornamental onion ‘Walker’s Low’ catmint (Nepeta x faassenii ‘Walker’s Low’, zones 3 to 8) boasts lavender-blue aromatic flowers, offering a soft feathery contrast. It grows to about 30 inches tall and 24 inches wide. See how to grow catmint ‘Mainacht’ sage (Salvia x sylvestris ‘Mainacht’, zones 4 to 9) has numerous dense, upright flower spikes with deep violet-blue flowers; it grows 18 to 24 inches tall and 12 to 18 inches wide.
Begin with design planning. You know how asters tend to get leggy? That’s the chrysanthemum lace bug at work, and there’s not much you can do about it. What you don’t want to do is put those asters in the front of a border or near a path where everyone can see their bare, brown decaying bottoms. Underplanting with sedges (Carex spp.), grasses or other low-growing perennials is what you’ve got to do. There’s black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta), a biennial and sometimes a triennial. But in late summer, if it’s near the end of its life, it’ll just go brown and die. It needs to be surrounded by other plants, especially plants that come online in late summer — say, sideoats grama (Bouteloua curtipendula), little bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium) or aromatic aster (Symphyotrichum oblongifolium). Some taller plants flop in a lush garden setting, so buttress them with other medium-high to tall plants. Think about and design for the issues that will come up down the road, and when you design your garden, those issues won’t make the garden appear worn, spent or generally unattractive.
Design for winter. Perhaps nowhere else is the garden’s deepest being found than in the shadows, bones and decay of winter. Where there is silence there is the opportunity for reflection, healing and better understanding. That understanding comes from a sense of what is and isn’t working in the garden, from plants to hardscapes to the function the garden must serve for people, as well as from knowing that life is in actuality still fully present. Countless bees, butterflies, beetles, moths and wasps are sleeping in carved-out stems, under leaf litter and in the soil. Snow graces woody stems and the tops of spent flowers while birds take shelter in grasses.
Group flowers for pollinators. You can make it easier for bees and butterflies flying overhead to spot a great pit stop. Drifts and masses of blooming plants, like this Rocky Mountain zinnia (Zinnia grandiflora, zones 4 to 7) provide a more powerful beacon than solitary or scattered plants. So when you mass your species — say, in groups of three, five or seven — you’re not just bringing cohesion and balance to your landscape, you’re providing a lighthouse for pollinators.
Winter matters. Don’t just think about how plants look in summer while in bloom. Look ahead to the cold season when some pretty stunning displays also happen. Long after the petals have wilted, what structure will your plants carry through the winter? What subtle, earthen tones will they hold, and how can you play them off one another?
Ground covers level and focus the visual field. Here’s a great example of how the ground plane, filled with one blooming plant, can draw the eye forward through a design. The gravel path leads us into the larger planting and out to the water, but the creeping thyme (Thymus serpyllum, zones 4 to 8) ground cover frames and guides, too, like runway lights. If there were a variety of flowering species down low, we’d get lost in the visual chaos, and the calm and serenity the garden is evoking would be lost. Even though this is a water’s-edge scene, I can’t help but think of a woodland trail. There, you’d see the trail edge filled with a few species all adrift as they move deeper into the forest canopy. Plants shown: Creeping thyme, blue oat grass, Siberian iris (Iris sibirica, zones 4 to 9), Victoria California lilac (Ceanothus ‘Victoria’, zones 8 to 10), Palace Purple coral bells (Heuchera micrantha ‘Palace Purple’, zones 4 to 9)
Of course you can be more more formal with succulents too, as in this space, where purple echeveria is woven among grasses. You can clearly see the larger pattern of the drifts forming in this close-up of the garden, and how similar heights help the landscape feel cohesive and thought out. Plants shown: Echeveria (Echeveria ‘Afterglow’, zones 8 to 11), Elijah blue fescue (Festuca ‘Elijah Blue’, zones 4 to 8), blue moor grass (Sesleria caerulea, zones 5 to 9) and blue oat grass (Helictotrichon sempervirens, zones 4 to 8), with a mix of blue foxtail agave (Agave attenuata ‘Nova’, zones 10 to 11) and orange Libertia (Libertia peregrinans, zones 8 to 10)
This is a close-up of a much larger garden, but you can see how drifts and masses are working on both informal and formal levels among the plants themselves. Grasses up front encircle the coneflowers, while both lead up to the taller Joe Pye Weed blooming white. There’s both a formal, stepped succession of height we expect in a tended garden, and a more informal surprise as the viewing angle changes from point to point; the intermingling drifts provide new vistas as we walk the landscape, creating surprise and cohesion at the same time. Plants shown (click photo to see the plants tagged): Spotted Joe Pye Weed (Eupatorium maculatum ‘Bartered Bride’, USDA zones 3 to 8; find your zone), Ruby Star purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea ‘Ruby Star’, zones 4 to 9), Shenandoah switchgrass (Panicum virgatum ‘Shenandoah’, zones 4 to 9), Hubricht’s bluestar (Amsonia hubrichtii, zones 4 to 9)
Keep smaller spaces simple. Going with a smaller plant palette doesn’t mean limiting your choices or garden experience. A small space can quickly become overwhelmed and chaotic when there are too many plant species or their size overwhelms the space. Think about shorter plants and using more of one kind. Let’s say you have a 100-square-foot garden — maybe you’d use four to six different plant species but have 10 of each. Then if you clump them together or have drifts intermingle, you create intrigue and formal style without the perceived visual chaos of more plant species.
Create a wilder look. Nature expresses self-similarity — it repeats itself over and over in patterns that can be mapped mathematically. In other words, nature is a geometric fractal, a pattern that duplicates itself on small and grand scales. Think snowflakes, coneflower heads, trees, mountains and coastlines. In a garden you can intermingle drifts of plants. Toss in a few massed clumps of flowers amid a backdrop of grasses, then repeat that flower and grass pattern elsewhere on a larger or smaller scale — say, three of a kind here, seven of a kind there. If you have a large area, you can do this with bigger plants and more of them; in a small space, choose smaller plants with a more limited species palette.
Bring tall and even sprawling plants close to the path. Trust me, they won’t bite, so why not put a 6-foot-tall Joe Pye Weed or coreopsis near a path so people can actually see it, smell it and hear the pollinators? Tall plants don’t always have to go in the back, and short ones don’t have to go in the front. Spice things up — surprise, tickle and tease. Touching plants is a mood enhancer, just like hugging is. And when you’ve got those taller plants knocking into you as the breeze picks up, go ahead and embrace them with a big bear hug — just make sure no one else is looking.
Leave the soil alone. In vegetable beds, it’s a great idea to amend the soil to suit whatever goodies you’ll be growing, matching soil nutrients to plants. But in most gardens, it’s best to use what you have, matching plants to the native conditions. Plus, tilling soil destroys the structure and a lot of beneficial life. (It’s said there are more life forms in a tablespoon of soil than there are people in the world.)
row a backyard meadow. Native sedges, when chosen properly for the region, make excellent, low-maintenance (often mow-free) lawn alternatives, perfect for covering large expanses of yard. The Carex species, such as Carex pansa, shown here, are particularly good for this purpose.
Gain textural contrast. The fluffy, feathery fronds of ornamental grass provide softness amid hardscaping like fences, pathways and walls. Allowing the grass to spill over the edge of the planting area is a great way to soften the edges of a path or sidewalk, as shown here.
Forest pansy redbud. With four-season interest Cercis canadensis, or forest pansy redbud, provides a great focal point in any yard. "This is especially true in the front yard," notes Sims, "where land mass tends to be smaller." Redbuds, like the one in this project by The American Gardener, are rated for full sun but, according to Sims, prefer afternoon shade. USDA zones: 5 to 9 Height: 20 feet Color: Blooms pink in early spring; turns purple in fall; deciduous Light requirement: Full sun Water requirement: Regular
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