Layering

As I walked through the garden, I finally realized how much layering for succession blooming I have done in the past few years.  Interplanting for continuous blooming cannot be haphazard, i.e., nothing invasive or plantings that cannot be cut down after blooming.  Lilies don't count because their stalks are so slender other plants can easily grow up around them.

I have lilies coming up throughout the garden with daylilies, roses, phlox and shasta daisies.

Lilies coming up in the front garden behind daffodil and daylily foliage.

Lots of layering here with roses, shasta daisies, phlox, daylilies, lilies, and snapdragons.

Short to tall all the way back, Heucherella Stoplight, rose, daylily Amelia, phlox Blue Paradise and David

Lilies are great to plant between early flowering daylilies like Happy Returns.

Lilies are great coming up through groundcovers placed behind flowering spring shrubs and bulbs.

Foxglove and phlox are just meant to be layered behind shorter plantings.

The rhodies are behind a stone wall right next to my front door.  They are attractive all year, but it is refreshing to look down and see hostas and ferns taking over the show.

Little Lime Hydrangea  is leafing out through the daffodil foliage, grows about three feet tall.

Allium and daffodils come up through Sweet Woodruff in the spring only to be replaced by phlox, iris, daylilies, roses and clematis.

I treat bulb foliage in different ways depending on where it is located and how much it interferes with other plantings.  I give most of the daffodil foliage a little haircut when all of the blooms are gone also cutting off the seed head in the process (this conserves energy for flower production next year).  I come around again a month out and cut a little more foliage off to let in light to other layered plantings.  My last cuts around the end of June just low enough so they do not interfere with other plants and in most cases this still leaves quite a bit of foliage.

I have never had a problem with the daffodils returning for a stunning display the following year, never have left my daffodils yellowing and sprawling all over the ground unless they are in a garden bed where I don't see them.

Blue Spike Muscari coming up in the same area where daylilies will enhance the summer garden.

Heuchera Southern Comfort coming up through the groundcover

Starlight Hydrangea

Even behind and next to Brunnera Silver Wings there are lilies and daylilies taking over.

Valerie Finnis Muscari and Geranium Magnificum are spring bloomers and can be cut down when done blooming for Heuchera Carmel and Heuchera Miracle to fill the area.

There is a row of very large bleeding hearts on the north side of my home, but as we know bleeding hearts die down during the summer with no redeeming qualities except yellow foliage and stems.  This is a Japanese Painted fern ready to take over.

Peach Flambe Heuchera is getting ready and I will remove a few stalks of the bleeding heart to give it more light.  This will not affect the next years blooming of the bleeding heart.

 Stoplight Heucherella coming up under the bleeding heart

Carrots planted under the daylilies - by the time the carrots need lots of sunlight the daylilies will be cut down.

The radishes look very lush don't they?

Same scene a day later, the rabbits have made a visit!

Support Your Plants

It sounds like a new movement doesn't it?  But, I really mean it literally, don't hesitate to support your treasured plantings by any means possible.  Several years ago at my other homes I said if a plant can't stand on its own it doesn't belong in my yard.  Well that eliminated many of the garden plants that have become my favorites.

We love decorative trellises, however, when covered with blooming plants the beauty is not visible!

Even the newly planted need a support to climb.

Pergolas are a great support but will probably require some ties to keep the plants headed in the right direction.

These are two type 2 clematis growing on one support.

Smaller clematis, six feet and under, do well on teuters.

In my small yard with fencing all around it is almost impossible to grow taller plants without plant supports.  The fence interferes with all around light so the plants bend forward.  I read a great article in Fine Gardening last year about using supports in the garden and this gave me the courage to go all out this year displaying my plants in the best possible manner.

This year I am ringing the Miscanthus Udine to keep it from encroaching on the pathway.  When the grass is grown the rings become invisible.

I brought the little metal fences from my last house and have always used them to keep the carex off the path.  Again, they will become invisible as the grass grows.

Blue Paradise Phlox is a favorite but it is much more floppy than other varieties.

The Limelight Hydrangea needs a little reigning in to keep it's branches from leaning over the neighbor's driveway, decorative fencing out in front is the answer.

Persicaria Polymorpha is a beautiful plant and this is my last ditch effort not to give it up.  It got beaten up pretty badly last year in our violent storms.  I have ringed them because the fence does not prevent the stems from breaking.

Lastly, the alley garden is fully supported this year, makes a big difference to ring them.

Many of my garden plants are supported by other plantings, i.e., daylilies coming up in front of Becky Shasta Daily, roses in front of phlox and lilies, etc.  But, if you really want to grow it you may have to support it!

Frost, Frost, Stay Away!

I remember covering up my containers in May last year because of a frost warning.  It is hard to believe what the garden looks like this year with trees blooming and leafed out, blooming shrubs and flowers.

Amelanchier Regent

A small Serviceberry about four feet tall

Viburnum Carlesi Compactum

I put this in last spring to replace one that became diseased.

It is difficult to find shrubs for the small garden but lately there seem to be smaller versions of many favorites.

I decided not to use fertilizer on the bleeding hearts or the carex grass this year.  Last year I fertilized and everything went crazy.  I could barely keep up trimming down the grass and the bleeding hearts were almost four feet tall.  They are still big but a more appropriate size for eight year old specimens.

Brunnera Angel Wings

Not as showy as Jack Frost but lovely with light blue flowers

Brunnera Jack Frost

Pulmonaria Raspberry Splash

The leaves of the Brunnera and the Pulmonaria remain showy in the summer border.

Heuchera Miracle

I purchased this last summer at Home Depot and the picture had the veining but the plant did not.  The new spring growth looks like the photo and this one will take full sun!

Heucherella Stoplight

The heucherellas (cross between heuchera and tiarella) are much hardier than the tiarellas and the foliage is stunning along with tall feathery blooms into the summer.

A view is important during all seasons and it doesn't matter if it comes from your garden or your neighbors!

Hyacinth Blue Jacket

Tulip Orange Emperor

Around The Garden

It is difficult to believe that plants are popping all over this early spring garden, some almost a month early.

The Star Magnolia was a beauty this year but it is already beginning to wilt and brown because of the heat.

The PJM Rhododendrons seem to be able to handle the heat.

I almost didn't plant forsythia in the front garden because their blooms are so short-lived.  However Forsythia Greenstem is a winner, only three feet tall and bright lemon yellow flowers and long lasting.

One little primrose came back from last year.

Daffodil Itzim
Very early and lasts much longer than Tete-A-Tete

Daffodil Fortissimo

Daffodils Marieke and Mount Hood

Daffodil Spellbinder

Chanticleer Pear

The tulips are opening, ferns are coming up, bleeding hearts are blooming.  I had better take some photos, just hope we don't get frost!