ACHIEVING YEAR ROUND INTEREST IN YOUR GARDEN
By Christin Bryk
March 24, 2015
NewsWithViews.com
March is such a wonderful time of the year as your spirit feels the life of rejuvenation in the air, the birds bring sound and new growth emerges. As the seasons change I find myself gravitated toward instant plant gratification, something to get my fix of color at that time of year. This has been the most difficult habit to break. There is one annual I fail to give up in this regard and it’s the Ranunculus. The multiple petals of sweet softness are hard to resist.
As a landscape designer I have found great experience in creating a diary of seasonal interest by jotting down observations of plants in my own garden or others that have caught my eye. We are to believe that there are four seasons to the garden, but as you take the time you will realize there is much more to enjoy than the traditional four seasonal changes of the year.
This diary of plant material provides inspiration and helps keep me on track for planning multiple gardens. This achieves interest throughout the year and not just filling a need for instant color and texture of the season I am planting in. When I look at a space, I envision the layer of evergreen interest that will provide the structure for the whole year. There are many interesting conifers, broadleaf evergreen shrubs or even deciduous material that have striking bark during the winter months to draw upon. This is a vital part of planning a garden that will get you through the dreary months providing key components to create embellishing vignettes. These plants will play different roles throughout the year giving you something to look forward to.
As the first of spring unfolds, I thoroughly enjoy seeing bulbs such as daffodils and tulips arrive. There is something so rewarding about planting bulbs in fall and having to wait for their beauty to surface that always brings great joy for me in my garden. I always select early, mid and late varieties of tulips to have them for an extended amount of time. The February lenten rose (Helleborus orientalis) have arrived. They are very reliant and add a pop of color at this time of the year. They are a spectacular plant to mass near pathways, patios or even above retaining walls, since you will be able to view their dangling flowers from a vantage point.
The winter daphne (Daphne odora) is in optimal bloom in my garden and the fragrance is heavenly. This particular daphne is a great evergreen broadleaf that provides structure as well. The fragrant sweetbox known as Sarcococca ruscifolia’s bloom time has come a little early this year. This is another great evergreen broadleaf that offers a delightful scent.
The common lilac (Syringa vulgaris) flowers come alive in early spring. If you want to add a few different varieties to provide additional seasonality you can include some hybrid lilacs (Syringa villosa) that will bloom in late spring to early summer. The bloomerang purple lilac (Syringa x ‘Penda’) will bloom in early spring and again in mid-summer to fall.
Crape myrtle (Lagerstroemia indica) have many benefits to the garden. They provide a long bloom time starting in the middle of summer. As the temperatures decrease into fall they have brilliant orange and reddish leaves that are retained for an extended amount of time. When the leaves fall, the striking bark is even more noticeable as it ages. There are many flower colors to choose from to fit within a particular pallet for any style of garden.
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Witch hazel (Hamamelis X intermedia) is another gorgeous plant that offers exceptional fall color that develops tuffs of flowers appearing in winter that range from yellow, orange to red depending on the cultivar. Flowering crabapples and holly share an array of different color berries in the winter months. The paper bush (Edgeworthia chrysantha) displays creamy yellow fragrant clusters at the tips of this well branched plant in late winter. The blooms are stand-alone until the leaves unravel in spring.
I always look forward to enjoying these wonderful plants I have shared with you and hope that one of them may find a place in your garden that will provide seasonal interest.
© 2015 Christin Bryk - All Rights Reserved
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Christin is the owner of PenniesWorth Acres Nursery & Mountain View Landscaping and has been part of the landscaping industry for over 15 years. She finds a great passion in designing residential outdoor living spaces for her clients to enjoy. Using knowledge of both design and building techniques allows her to approach each project from both a creative and logical standpoint. Christin enjoys leading the transformation process, drawing upon all styles of design to create a space tailored to the end user and their families.
When she is not playing in her garden she enjoys volleyball, photography and spending time with her family, friends & animals. Christin and her husband Jedediah lives in the Grants Pass community and are both Hidden Valley High School graduates.
Website: PenniesWorthAcres.com
E-Mail: mountainviewdesign@gmail.com
