Monday, May 9, 2011

Spring is finally here

It's been a long, LONG winter...
And because winter is all white and beige,
I want to see color in the spring and have planned accordingly.

No need to fear color...here I have a Japanese maple next to a lilac tree...stunning isn't it?

Though there are many types of Spirea, I thought this Spirea "Gold Mound" was the perfect foil for this Japanese maple.

I love the contrast of the bronze Sedge grass, black Mondo grass and Tradescantia "blue and gold". The purple iris in the background is just the icing on the cake. As the Sedge grows it will become nearly copper colored.

Even this Primrose looks colorful with it's creamy flower and yellow eye. This one is planted in a spot that even weeds won't grow, just a crevice alongside a path and yet it thrives...Primrose are perfect for such spots as in a rock garden.

I also love this Solomon's Seal, growing deep in the shade,
it seems to glow with it's variegated foliage and white drop flowers.

Worth the mention, now's the time to tie up your daffodil foliage...you never want to cut it down...the foliage needs to completely ripen to produce next years flowers. However it takes a while and I find it becomes floppy and can crush surrounding plants and makes the garden look messy, so I simply gather it up, fold it over and secure with a piece of twine...feel free to be creative with what color of twine you use. When it turns all brown, you can just yank on the bunch and it will pop out and you can throw the entire thing on your compost pile...you DO have a compost pile right?

Happy Gardening!