When unexpected visitors drop by to see your garden, do you ever wish they’d come last week when the phlox were at their height or next when the dahlias would be popping?
Careful planning, perhaps even reorganizing your garden, will save you such dispiriting moments.
The secret: develop a high point of interest, beginning with early spring bulbs, for every few weeks as the season advances.
As the scene shifts, one section will always be so outstanding that guests will overlook the tag end of the iris or the budding sweet William and delphinium, simply because there is something much prettier to see.
List Of Plan To Grow Next Year
First, make a complete list of everything you grow or plan to grow next year, including annuals, biennials, perennials, flowering shrubs, and trees, classified by blooming periods.
You will come up with something like this which fits us here in Livonia, Mich.:
- Late April. Crocus, Siberian squill, glory-of-the-snow, anemone, trout lily, snowflake.
- Early May. Forsythia, Virginia bluebell, dwarf iris (atroviolacea), daffodil, hyacinth, shadblow.
- Late May. Tulip, primrose, magnolia, flowering crabapple, pear and plum, narcissus, intermediate iris, Siberian wallflower, redbud, flowering almond.
- Early June. Apple, early daylily, bleeding heart, Tamarix, spirea, Siberian iris, peony, lilac, buttercup, Spanish hyacinth.
- Late June. Iris, coral bell, sweet William (white), painted daisy, clove pink, veronica, Oriental poppy, rose, beauty bush, mock orange, spider lily.
- Early July. Lythrum, delphinium, floribunda rose, sweet William (pink shades), daylily (yellow, gold), rambler rose, yucca, Shasta daisy, astilbe, globe thistle, gaillardia, meadow-rue (yellow).
- Late July. Rudbeckia, perennial phlox, daylily (coral, purple, tawny), hollyhock, monarda, globe thistle, henryi lily, Shasta daisy.
- Early August. Blue spirea, phlox, rudbeckia, butterfly bush, hibiscus, meadowrue (lavender), rose of Sharon, zinnia, petunia, snapdragon, flowering tobacco, Chinese forget-me-not, cosmos, rose.
- Late August. Hosts lily (white and lavender), physostegia, sunflower, miniature daylily, perennial ageratum, rose, dahlia, giant marigold, aster, zinnia, cleome.
- September. Mexican sunflower, dahlia, hydrangea, chrysanthemum, gladiolus, giant marigold, perennial ageratum, rose, delphinium (repeats), gaillardia.
Now You’re Ready To Plan Your Pictures
Consider color, height, habits, and idiosyncrasies. Siberian iris and bleeding heart, for example, bloom simultaneously, blend their colorings, and both prefer a shady, woodsy habitat where buttercup wouldn’t do.
Remember, these highlights need not be intricate. Deep blue Siberian squill between low evergreens and a yellow or white crocus border makes a delightful early spring scene.
Try Forsythia In Early May
In early May, try forsythia and daffodils beside a little shadblow tree. Be sure to separate solid yellow daffodils from the forsythia. Instead, use orange- or scarlet-cupped varieties interspersed with a staggered row of blue hyacinth and a dwarf iris (atroviolacea) border.
After mid-May, the plant choice widens. Perhaps you will want magnolias and flowering crabapples in front of white-flowering pear and plum trees.
An Irregular Stretch of Tulips
Wide pink varieties, or one combined with lavenders—stand alone. But here are some things to keep in mind:
- Show off a clump of white tulips or narcissus (Thalia) beneath a redbud.
- Yellow tulips against a green background make a lovely backdrop for interplanting pansy-purple intermediate iris and brilliant orange Siberian wallflower. Use a yellow primrose border.
- Red tulips are exquisite near white fruit trees.
- Play up pink peonies, white lilacs, lavender lilacs, and white peonies if they bloom together with you, edged with blue forget-me-nots and apricot violas, respectively.
- Use tiny flowers—Siberian squill, pink and blue forget-me-not—as foreground with feathery Tamarix.
- Delphinium, Foxglove, Canterbury bells, and sweet William make delightful neighbors.
- Plant lavender meadowrue beneath a white rose of Sharon
- Pink phlox with blue spirea
- Coral daylily (Amulet) with giant white zinnia
Extreme Contrast For Outstanding Effects
Always plant clumps or masses, never rows. Try extreme contrasts for outstanding effects.
Here are a few:
- Deep blue delphinium and red climbing roses
- Painted daisy and veronica
- Yellow iris
- Orange Oriental poppy
- Yellow briar rose
- Purple
- Fuchsia petunia
- Blue lobelia
- Pink double hollyhock
- White petunia
- Garnet dianthus (Westwood Beauty)
- Red monarda
- White alyssum
- Flame-colored phlox (Charles Curtis)
- Chinese forget-me-not
- Yellow daylily
- Purple butterfly bush
- Pink hibiscus
- Lavender asters
- Dubonnet butterfly bush
- Copper-toned dahlia
- Yellow French marigold
- Sunflower
- Giant orange marigold
- Red and giant yellow zinnia
44659 by Margaret Hoare