BLOOMTOWN

Design Tip: Plant evergreen shrubs behind winter blooming plants

In the example below, the orange blooms of the witch hazel (Hamamelis x 'Jelena') are much more visible when backed by the evergreen shrub (Pittosporum tobira 'Tall and Tough') than when backed by the open sky, where the blooms would have a tendency to disappear.

 

 

Another group of shrubs that would benefit from this treatment is the winter hazel (Corylopsis), Corylopsis pauciflora, pictured on the left.

Actually any delicately-blooming, deciduous shrub could likely use the extra help. Other examples that come to mind include dawn viburnum (Viburnum bodnantense 'Pink Dawn'), Stachyurus praecox, and Edgeworthia chrysantha.

 

 

Winter Container Ideas

A couple of super-simple winter containers that I did recently for a client are shown in the photos below. Both are dominated by structural evergreen plants of varying foliage colors and textures accented by reliable winter bloomers. 

This star of this container is the ubiquitous Yuletide camellia (Camellia sasanqua 'Yuletide'). Though common, it still pleases me to no end to see it blooming its heart out all winter. I especially like it in combination with the Yucca filamentosa 'Golden Sword' which shines like a beacon; brightening this ensemble on dreary winter days. Also included is a purple-leaved Heuchera 'Frosted Violet', Helleborus x ballardiae 'HGC Pink Frost' which will bloom later in spring, and blue fescue with its evergreen blue tuft contributing textural contrast.

This container is in a sheltered but very shady, bordering on dark, spot at a covered front entry. The bright variegation of the Carex morrowii 'Evergold' acts like a footlight for the boldly textured Schefflera taiwaniana 'Yuan Shan.' The bright, shiny faces of the Helleborus niger 'HGC Jacob' blooms add further sparkle.

 

Window Box Planting Bloomtown July 2011

I couldn't be more pleased with how my window box planting is developing this year. Screaming orange begonias brighten my spirits and my dining patio. This simple combination includes vivid orange begonias, copper-toned coleus, drippy-drapey cream-variegated creeping charlie vine and frothy green foxtail asparagus fern.

Dicentra spectabilis 'Goldheart'

 

In honor of Valentine's day I offer up this lovely combo of heart and stars -- a golden bleeding heart (Dicentra spectabilis 'Goldheart')  with Omphalodes cappadocica 'Starry Eyes' at its feet.

Pretty in Purple

This springtime scene was captured in my garden in NE Portland, Oregon several years ago. This purple-prevalent planting scheme is dominated by a red leafed Japanese maple (Acer palmatum dissectum), Rhododendron 'Anah Kruschke', Australian mint bush (Prostanthera rotundifolia) and a blue flowering clematis hybrid. This largely monochromatic planting scheme is enhanced by the variety of flower shapes, different foliage textures, and the variation in the hue and intensity of the color.

Textural Contrast in Foliage

These two super common plants are a potent illustration of how powerful textural contrast can be in planting design. Even the ubiquitous boxwood and laurel become more interesting when viewed in the same "eyeshot" as in this photo here -- definitely stronger together than each is alone.

A foliage-driven garden

I designed this foliage-driven planting scheme for a client in NE Portland, Oregon and it looks good all year. At the time the first photo was taken, its interest is solely derived from pleasing constrasts in the texture, form and color of foliage. While there are floral players that come into play at different times during the season, they're considered a bonus, as in the addition of Echinacea 'Sundowner' and an annual purple fountain grass (Pennisetum 'Rubrum'), which provide bloom color and movement to this scene later in the summer as illustrated in the second photo. 

 

The foliage-driven planting in early June

A close-up view a couple of months later in mid-August.

Photos from Bloomtown

OK, so I've been busy and haven't been able to post in awhile. It is spring fer chrissakes! But I know what you're thinking ... the least I could do is post a few photos, right?

Along the path in the back garden. That's Heuchera 'Georgia Peach' in the mid-ground.

A tapestry of foliage and flowers; figuring prominently here is: Saxifraga x geum 'Dentata', Heuchera 'Plum Pudding' and Geranium c. 'Lawrence Flatman'.

That's Clematis 'John Warren' traipsing through a red, cut-leaf maple with Rhododendron 'Anah Kruschke' in the background.

 

This is taken in the front, parking strip garden. Cordyline australis 'Paradise', Sambucus 'Sutherland's Gold', Allium 'Globemaster' and Allium 'Mt Everest' are key players.

Bloomtown - a garden vignette

This year, I've re-worked this scene to the left of my front steps as you approach the house. Earlier this spring I removed a much-loved, but poorly-situated Stipa gigantea because it was spilling over onto the steps at the front entry creating a bit of a hazard and, more generally, looking unkempt.

Last year, in preparation for this renovation, I removed the ultra-pink Rosa 'Gertrude Jekyll' and replaced it with the equally fragrant and statuesque Rosa 'Abraham Darby' whose coloring is less insistent and more in keeping with my current color palette. He's not showing his bloom yet in this photo but will be a major player as the season unfolds. Other key players, counter-clockwise from the bottom left, include Anemanthele lessoniana, Lonicera 'Baggeson's Gold', Helianthemum 'Henfield Brilliant', Taxus 'Sentinalis' and Physocarpus 'Diabolo.'

I added the container this spring to showcase a favorite cordyline called 'Pink Sensation' that I picked up last year. The container contributes strong, all-season structure, bringing the entire scene into sharp focus. Voila!

Fall Vignette

Cotinus 'Royal Purple', Melianthus major, Cordyline australis, and a variety of other plants make up this late-fall medley in my front parking strip.