super impact for spring

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a year of perennials Spring

Super Impact for Spring

For most people, the new year beginson January 1, but for gardeners, the new

year begins with the first sign of spring and

the start of the new growing season. Whether

you spend your winters buried in snow or are

simply stuck with endless dreary days looking

at empty perennial beds, the first blooms of

the year are definitely something to celebrate.

Thinking Spring

Of course, cold-climate gardeners arent theonly ones who enjoy a perennial planting of

early bloomers. If you live where summers

are too hot to make the outdoors enticing,

a garden based on spring flowers may be the

best way of getting your gardening fix before

you retreat indoors to the air conditioner.

Spring gardens are also perfect for any space

thats heavily shaded by deciduous trees insummer, as woodland wildflowers are natu-

rally adapted to strut their stuff before the

trees leaf out and block the sun.

Wherever you live, spring gardens tend

to be primarily pastel plantings: pinks, blues,

soft yellows, and pale purples, along with lots

of white. These colors often look faded and

tired in the strong light of summer, but in

spring, they never fail to look fresh and cheer-

ful. And because spring pastels rarely appearjarring no matter how you combine them,

youre bound to have a gorgeous garden even

if youve never planned a perennial garden

before in your life.

Extending the SeasonIn many climates, spring tends to come in

one big bang: a few weeks of glorious color,

then its back to shades of green for the rest

of the growing season. If you like to wait for

mild weather to stroll or sit in your garden,

its fine to fill it with the classic mid- and

late-spring lovelies, such as old-fashioned

bleeding heart (Dicentra spectabilis) and hybrid

tulips. But if you enjoy seeking out the very

first flowers of the year, make an effort to

choose some extra-early bloomers as well,

like hellebores (Helleborus), scillas, and snow-

drops (Galanthus). By spreading out the

bloom times, you can extend your spring

display from just a few weeks to well over

2 months.

Brilliant yellow-greens

combined with pinks and

lavenders define spring for

many gardeners.


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168 putting perennia ls to wo rk

A Fantastic

Spring FlingWant to try your hand at a spectacular springperennial garden? This design links a small tree and

a medium-sized shrub to create a half-sun and half-

shade planting with plenty of beautiful blooms for

the entire spring season, followed by attractive

foliage for some summer and fall interest. If you

already have trees and shrubs in your yard, its easy

to modify this plan or create your own island bed

design; besides adding undeniable beauty, linking

individual plants into larger beds cuts down drasti-

cally on tedious trimming chores. Keep in mind thatyou dont have to install this kind of garden all at

once. Instead, you could start planting the perennials

closest to the shrubs, then gradually expand the beds

until they meet.

plant list

Alchemilla mollis 5 plants

Anchusa azurea 3 plants

Aquilegia flabellata var.pumila f. alba 3 plants

A. Magpie 3 plants

Armeria maritima Bloodstone 6 plants

Asarum europaeum 8 plants

Athyrium niponicum var.pictum 3 plants

Aurinia saxatilis 3 plants

Carex elata Aurea 3 plants

C. muskingumensis Oehme 3 plants

Cercis canadensis Forest Pansy 1 plant

Delphinium Blue Bird 3 plants

Dianthus barbatus Sooty 8 plants

D. Baths Pink 3 plants

Dicentra Snowflakes 3 plants

D. spectabilis Goldheart 1 plant

Digitalis lutea 6 plants

Euphorbia amygdaloides var. robbiae 3 plants

E. Jade Dragon 3 plants

E. polychroma 3 plants

Geranium macrorrhizum Spessart 3 plants

G. sanguineum Album 3 plants

Helleborus x hybridus Mrs. Betty Ranicar 3 plants

Heuchera Purple Petticoats 5 plants

x Heucherella Rosalie 3 plants

x H. Sunspot 3 plants

Hosta Guacamole 1 plant

H. Tokudama Flavocircinalis 1 plant

Iberis sempervirens Alexanders White 3 plants

Milium effusum Aureum 3 plants

Papaver orientale Pattys Plum 1 plant

Phlox divaricata London Grove Blue 3 plants

P. stolonifera Sherwood Purple 3 plants

Polygonatum odoratum Variegatum 5 plants

Pulmonaria Little Blue 3 plants

P. saccharata Pierres Pure Pink 5 plants

Smilacina racemosa 3 plants

Tiarella Cygnet 3 plants

T. Tiger Stripe 3 plants

Viburnum carlesii Compactum 1 plant

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planting plan

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designers checklist

Dont keep your distance. With their pale colors

and delicate forms, spring blooms are best when

viewed up close. Whenever possible, then, site a

spring garden where you can walk all the way around

it: in an island bed, rather than in a border up against

a wall or fence. A path through the garden is a plus.

A bench is welcome too, because it lets you enjoy the

beautiful forms and fragrances at close range.

Get twice the beauty from the same space. Want

to have your spring garden do double duty? Make it a

spring-and-fall planting instead. This is a great way to

get the most from your gardening space if you tend tobe away often during the summer. And because some

early bloomers leave ugly gaps as they go dormant

after flowering, tall and bushy fall bloomers are perfect

for keeping the garden looking lush throughout the

summer.

Plan for the future. Before you start designing a

spring garden, give some thought to how it will look

once the main show is over. If you can site it where

you wont have to look at it for the rest of the year,

your job is easy; go ahead and pick whatever appeals

to you for a spectacular early display. Otherwise, be

careful to choose perennials that have good summer

foliage as well as pretty spring flowers.

Dont sell your spring garden short. Few earlybloomers are more than 3 feet tall and many of them

are significantly shorter, so spring gardens tend to lack

vertical interest. Shrubs and small trees can be a big

help in giving your garden structure and a more com-

fortable scale and add seasonal beauty as well.


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Alchemilla mollis(Ladys mantle)

Mounds of scalloped, light green leaves

send up airy sprays of tiny, yellow-green

flowers from late spring to midsummer;12 to 18 inches tall and about as wide. Cut

back plants by about half in midsummer

for a flush of new foliage to enjoy for the

rest of the growing season. Zones 39.

ALTERNATIVES: Alpine ladys mantle (A. alpina).

Anchusa azurea(Italian alkanet)

Eighteen-inch-wide clumps of narrow,

hairy green leaves on 3- to 5-foot stemstopped with narrow, branching clusters

of rich blue blooms in early summer.

Tends to be short-lived. Zones 38.

ALTERNATIVES: Blue larkspur (Consolida ajacis).

Aquilegia(Columbines)

These classic late-spring, and early-

summer perennials feature nodding

blooms accented with spurred petals over

clumps of three-lobed, blue-green leaves.

A. flabellatavar.pumila f. alba (dwarfwhite fan columbine) is about 8 inches

tall and wide with white flowers.

Zones 49.

Magpie (a.k.a. William Guinness) has

deep-purple-and-white blooms; about

2 feet tall and 18 inches wide. Zones 38.

ALTERNATIVES: Another columbine with white

or purple flowers.

Armeria maritima Bloodstone(Bloodstone sea thrift)

Tight, 4- to 6-inch-tall buns of slender,

evergreen, grasslike leaves; clustered,

deep reddish pink blooms atop 8-inchstems from late spring to early summer;

spreads 6 to 12 inches across. Zones 48.

ALTERNATIVES: Another species or cultivar.

Asarum europaeum(European wild ginger)

Evergreen, 3-inch-tall carpets of rounded,

glossy, deep green leaves; rhizomes

spread 1 foot or more; insignificant bell-

shaped, brownish blooms. Zones 48.

ALTERNATIVES: Hexastylis shuttleworthii.

Athyrium niponicumvar.pictum(Japanese painted fern)

Low-spreading mounds of silvery gray

fronds on arching maroon stems look

good from late spring to frost; about 18

inches tall and 2 feet across. Zones 49.

ALTERNATIVES: Any cultivar (Silver Falls,

Ursulas Red) or upright hybrid Ghost.

Aurinia saxatil is(Basket of gold)

Evergreen, mounded clumps of gray-

green leaves; dense clusters of bright yel-

low blooms in late spring and early sum-

mer; 1 foot tall and wide. Zones 48.

ALTERNATIVES: Any basket of gold cultivar or

ladys mantle (Alchemilla mollis).

Carex(Sedges)

Easy grass relatives prized for foliage.

C. elata Aurea (Bowles golden sedge)

has upright or arching, bright yellowblades thinly edged with green in graceful

clumps; 18 to 24 inches tall, 18 inches

across. Zones 58.

C. muskingumensis Oehme (Oehme

palm sedge) produces upright stems that

bear horizontal green leaves edged in

gold; 2 feet tall and 18 inches across.

Zones 38.

ALTERNATIVES: Yellow Tradescantia Sweet Kate

and blue fescue (Festuca glauca).

Delphinium Blue Bird(Blue Bird delphinium)

Three- to 4-foot stalks are clad in deeply

lobed green leaves and bear spikes of

white-centered blue flowers in late spring

or early summer; spread to about 2 feet.

Best treated as a biennial. Zones 37.

ALTERNATIVES: Annual blue larkspur (Consolida

ajacis), Italian alkanet (Anchusa azurea), or

another 3- to 4-foot-tall delphinium cultivar.

Dianthus(Dianthus, a.k.a. pinks)

Clustered flowers rise above basal clumps

of narrow green or blue-green leaves.

Baths Pink produces 6- to 8-inch-tall

clumps of blue-green leaves, with fra-

grant, soft pink flowers on 1-foot stems

from mid- to late-spring to midsummer.

About 1 foot wide.

D. barbatus Sooty (Sooty sweet

William) is a biennial or short-lived

perennial with red-tinged leaves and deep

maroon blooms in late spring to early

summer; 1 to 2 feet tall and 1 foot across.Zones 38.

ALTERNATIVES: For Baths Pink, another simi-

lar-sized species or cultivar, such as cheddar

pink (D. gratianopolitanus); for Sooty, Dunnets

Dark Crimson or Euphorbia dulcis Chameleon.

A SAMPLING OF Beauties for Sun and Light Shade

Alchemilla mollis

Aquilegia Magpie


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Dicentra(Bleeding hearts)

These traditional spring favorites produce

pink or white heart-shaped blooms.

D. spectabilis Goldheart (Goldheart

bleeding heart) has bright yellow spring

foliage and arching, 3-foot stems withdangling pink hearts in mid- to late

spring; clumps are 2 feet across. Cut back

the stems lightly in early to midsummer

to encourage new growth. Zones 48.

Snowflakes is a hybrid that grows in

mounds 10 inches tall and wide, with

finely cut green foliage and white flowers

from mid-spring through much of the

summer. Zones 38.

ALTERNATIVES: For Goldheart, the common

green-leaved D. spectabilis; for Snowflakes,

try Langtrees or D. eximia Snowdrift.

Digitalis lutea(Yellow foxglove)

Spikes of small, tubular, pale yellow

blooms rise over glossy, deep green leaves

on 2- to 3-foot stems in late spring and

early summer; spread to about 1 foot.

Zones 39.

ALTERNATIVES: D. grandiflora.

Euphorbia(Spurges)

These early bloomers come in a wide

range of sizes. When broken, their leaves

and stems exude a milky sap that can be

irritating to the skin, so wear gloves

when working around them.

Jade Dragon is a hybrid that forms

dense, shrubby, evergreen clumps of blue-

green foliage topped with reddish new

foliage, plus large chartreuse bloom clus-

ters from mid- or late spring into sum-

mer; height and spread to about 30

inches. Zones 69.E. polychroma (cushion spurge) forms

12- to 18-inch-tall rounded mounds of

medium green leaves topped with bright

greenish yellow, flowerlike structures

from mid-spring to early summer; spread

is 18 to 24 inches. Zones 49.

E. amygdaloidesvar. robbiae (Robbs

wood spurge) forms 1-foot-tall, spreading

carpets of evergreen, deep green foliage

accented with clusters of chartreuse

flowers from mid-spring to early sum-

mer; height in bloom to 2 feet, spread to

18 inches or more. Zones 69.

ALTERNATIVES: Any other hardy euphorbias.

Geranium(Hardy geraniums)

These mound-forming perennials come

in a variety of sizes, leaf shapes, and

bloom colors.

G. macrorrhizum Spessart (Spessart

bigroot geranium) forms spreading car-

pets of aromatic, deeply lobed, light green

leaves, with deep pink flowers from mid-

or late spring well into summer; height

to 18 inches and spread to 2 feet. G. san-

guineum Album (white bloody cranes-

bill) has starry, deep green leaves and

white flowers in late spring and early

summer. Zones 48.

ALTERNATIVES: For Spessart, try Bevans Vari-

ety or Ingwersens Variety; for white bloody

cranesbill, G. clarkei Kashmir White.

Helleborus x hybridus Mrs. Betty

Ranicar(Mrs. Betty Ranicar Lenten rose)

Evergreen clumps of leathery, deep green

leaves arise directly from the ground,

with double white flowers atop separate

stems in early spring; height and spread

to 18 inches. Zones 59.

ALTERNATIVES: Any other Lenten rose or

Christmas rose (H. niger).

Heuchera Purple Petticoats(Purple Petticoats heuchera)

Mounded, 1-foot-tall clumps of dark

purple leaves have ruffled edges. Airyclusters of small pinkish white flowers

blossom atop 18-inch stems in late

spring and early summer; spread is

12 to 18 inches. Zones 49.

ALTERNATIVES: Any other purple-hued

heuchera.

x Heucherella(Heucherella, a.k.a. foamy bells)

Heuchera-like mounds of lobed leaves are

accented with 18-inch flower spikes in late

spring; foliage clumps are 8- to 12-inches

tall and 12- to 18-inches across. Rosalie

has green leaves and pink flowers.Sunspot has bright yellow foliage with

a red star in the center of each leaf, and

deep pink flowers. Zones 59.

ALTERNATIVES: For Rosalie, any other

heucherella; for Sunspot, try Amber Waves

heuchera or Beedhams White lamium

(Lamium maculatum Beedhams White).

Hosta(Hostas)

These classic, no-fuss perennials are

grown primarily for their foliage, which

comes in a variety of shapes, sizes, and

colors to fit any shady garden. Gua-

camole has chartreuse, edged with green

leaves and fragrant, near white flowers on

30-inch stems in late summer. Tokudama

Flavocircinalis has large blue leaves

irregularly edged with gold, plus pale

lavender flowers atop 2-foot stems in

early to midsummer. The foliage clumps

of both are 18 inches tall and 4 feet wide.

Zones 39.

ALTERNATIVES: Any other hostas in the same

color and height range.

Iberis sempervirens Alexanders

White(Alexanders White perennial candytuft)

Shrubby, 8-inch-tall mounds of narrow,

dark green leaves are smothered in clus-

ters of white flowers throughout spring;

spread is 12 to 18 inches. Zones 38.

ALTERNATIVES: The straight species (I. semper-

virens) or another cultivar.

Milium effusum Aureum(Golden wood millet, a.k.a. Bowles golden

grass)

Tufts of narrow, upright or arching leaves

are bright yellow in spring, fading to yel-

lowish green in summer. Loose clusters

of tiny, yellow, non-showy flowers in late



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spring and early summer; height is 12 to

18 inches, spread to 1 foot. Zones 58.

ALTERNATIVES: Tradescantia Sweet Kate or

golden Hakone grass (Hakonechloa macra

Aureola).

Papaver orientale Pattys Plum(Pattys Plum Oriental poppy)

Huge cupped flowers with crinkled, pink-

ish purple petals and a black center bloom

atop 30-inch stems in late spring and

early summer; the 2-foot-tall and -wide

clumps of toothed leaves die back to the

ground by midsummer. Zones 49.

ALTERNATIVES: Another purple, pink, or white

Oriental poppy.

Phlox(Phlox)

Early-flowering phlox are a must-have for

the spring garden.

P. divaricata London Grove Blue

(London Grove Blue woodland phlox)

has mid- to late-spring clusters of fra-

grant, light blue flowers atop 1-foot stems

clad in narrow green leaves; foliage height

is 6 to 8 inches and spread is to 18 inches.

Zones 48.

P. stolonifera Sherwood Purple

(Sherwood Purple creeping phlox) bears

blue-purple flowers atop 6-inch stems inmid- to late spring, over 3-inch-tall car-

pets of deep green leaves; spread to 1 foot.

Zones 28.

ALTERNATIVES: Other cultivars of these

species.

Polygonatum odoratum Variegatum(Variegated Solomons seal)

Arching maroon stems clad in cream-

edged green leaves look good from spring

to frost. Small, green-tipped white flowers

dangle below the stems in late spring;

height to 2 feet, with a spread of 1 to

2 feet. Zones 48.

ALTERNATIVES: Variegated fairy bells (Disporum

sessile Variegatum).

Pulmonaria(Pulmonarias)

Hairy green or silver-spotted leaves in

showy clumps are 10 inches tall and 12 to

18 inches across, typically with clusters

of pink buds and blue blooms atop 1-foot

stems in early to mid-spring. Little Blue

has narrow leaves with silvery white

spots. P. saccharata Pierres Pure Pink

is noteworthy for its salmon-pink buds

and blooms. Zones 38.ALTERNATIVES: Any cultivar.

Smilacina racemosa(False Solomons seal)

Clumps of upright or arching, 30-inch

stems are clad in lance-shaped green

leaves and topped with plumes of creamy

white flowers from mid- to late spring,

followed by red berries in summer.

Zones 49.

ALTERNATIVES: A white-flowered astilbe, such

as Deutschland.

Tiarella(Foamflowers)

These top-notch shade perennials feature

foliage in a wide range of shapes, often

with maroon or deep purple markings,

plus brushy bloom spikes to 1 foot tall

through spring. Cygnet has deeply

lobed, dark green leaves with near-black

centers; Tiger Stripe has broad, light

green leaves with purplish veins. Both

have pinkish white flowers and formspreading clumps 6 inches tall and

(eventually) 2 feet wide. Zones 49.

ALTERNATIVES: Any cultivar.

SPRING-FLOWERING PERENNIALS LOOK GREAT when theyre in their glory,

but once theyre past bloom, many of them are, lets face it, quite unattractive.

In addition, some early bloomers go dormant (die back

to the ground) after flowering. Its no wonder that aperennial garden based on early bloomers is nothing

to look at by midsummer.

One way to get around this is to keep a few extra

annuals on hand to pop in for some summer interest.

Its smart to set out these fillers before the early bloomers have died back

completely; otherwise, you risk making bulb kebabs by spearing them with

your digging fork or slicing the buried crowns in half with your spade. Another

option is to pair summer-dormant perennials and bulbs with plants that will

spread out or flop over into the empty space, such as daylilies and hostas.

*

Stephanie Says

The ShowGoes On

Phlox stolonifera Sherwood Purple

super impact for spring

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