If you live with trees, you’re probably blessed with an abundance of leaves every fall. For many people, fallen leaves are just a seasonal nuisance to be disposed of as quickly as possible. Fortunately, savvy gardeners know that using leaf litter is a natural and effective way to protect, feed, and beautify our garden spaces, and it’s free!
Blue Star Juniper with natural leaf mulch
Utilizing autumn leaves in our gardens can be as simple as letting them lie where they fall, especially in woodland settings. Undisturbed, the leaves provide not only nourishment for all the varied plant life but also shelter for creatures and overwintering insects. Plus, I happen to love the natural look that leaf mulch creates in my home landscape.
Using leaf mulch in this garden ties it into the woods beyond
Another way to use fallen leaves is to shred them with a lawn mower for flower bed mulch. These smaller leaf pieces will break down quickly to add nutrients to the soil and won’t suffocate your perennials under their weight. Dry, shredded leaves are incredibly lightweight to carry around and make any mulching chore that much easier!
A newly planted garden with traditional bark mulch Two years later, the same garden with leaf mulch just naturally blends into this forest edge setting
Want to save your leaves for later use? Whole fallen leaves can be piled up and composted in their own designated spot or added to an existing compost pile. They will break down more slowly than shredded leaves but, over time, you will end up with rich leaf humus – the best garden soil additive around!
Japanese Painted Ferns appreciate a humusy soil
Leaf humus is beneficial in the garden as a nourishing soil conditioner, improving aeration and encouraging healthy root development while also aiding in moisture retention throughout the hot and dry summer months.
A Rainbow Leucothoe fits right into this woodland garden
If you haven’t utilized autumn leaves in the garden before, I urge you to give it a try. Your future garden will thank you!
As the colorful display of early spring bulbs fades away for yet another year, many gardens fall into a mid-spring flower gap – that pause before the summer perennials and tender annuals really get the party going!
The following are some dependable early perennials I grow in my own gardens that get me through the mid-spring flower gap and beyond with color, fragrance and form:
Creeping phlox with early spring companions – Photo by Nancy Marie Allen
CREEPING PHLOX
A classic spring perennial here in New England, creeping phlox blooms prodigiously for several weeks beginning in May and is a sight to behold when planted en masse as a garden edge or along rock walls. If I had to choose one plant to carry my gardens through to early summer, creeping phlox would be it!
Close-up of Snow-in-Summer – Photo by Наташа Беликова on Pexels.com
SNOW-IN-SUMMER
My mother grew Snow-in-Summer in her garden, so for me this plant has pleasant associations that bring me back to my childhood. Although Snow-in-Summer is an absolute stunner when covered with snowy white blooms in May, it continues to please all season long with soft, silver-blue foliage.
Yellow Iris complement a purple Bloomerang Lilac – Photo by Nancy Marie Allen
IRIS
Iris are typically thought of as June perennials, but many are early bloomers that add subtle fragrance and bold, sword-like foliage to our garden beds. In the photo above, this bright yellow variety never disappoints when it blooms with the lilacs!
Basket-Of-Gold Alyssum – Photo by Nancy Marie Allen
BASKET-OF-GOLD ALYSSUM
Golden alyssum looks best when planted in rock garden crevices or spilling over walls with other May bloomers. A stellar companion for all shades of creeping phlox!
Jack Frost Brunnera looks lovely all season – Photo by Nancy Marie Allen
I place these two plants together because they have a similar look to their foliage and flowers although the Brunnera is a larger plant and more sun-tolerant. Both have silvery foliage and tiny, sparkling blue flowers that resemble forget-me-nots. In my opinion, Brunnera and Lungwort light up a shady spring garden like nothing else!
Geranium Macrorrhizum – Photo by Nancy Marie Allen
EARLY HARDY GERANIUM
Hardy Geranium Macrorrhizum is a May bloomer with bright magenta flowers that rise on dainty stems above the rounded leaves. As a bonus, fall sometimes brings shades of crimson to the foliage. This particular geranium makes an excellent groundcover as it slowly spreads to fill in any spaces. Hardy geraniums are perfect companions for cottage gardens!
Sweet Woodruff grows beneath a Hemlock tree – Photo by Nancy Marie Allen
SWEET WOODRUFF
Delicate-looking Sweet Woodruff is an excellent ground cover to grow under trees where it sparkles in the dappled shade. This plant will spread via runners to quickly fill shady areas as long as there is adequate moisture. Lovely for naturalizing in woodland gardens!
Versatile Solomon’s Seal – Photo by Nancy Marie Allen
SOLOMON’S SEAL
I know I sing the praises of this plant on a regular basis, but Solomon’s Seal is hard to beat for versatility in the garden! Tall and highly ornamental with its artistic splashes of white, variegated Solomon’s Seal will quickly form impressive colonies. I find that it grows equally well in full sun to full shade, and even dry shade. Charming, fragrant bell flowers dangle along the stems in spring and you can look forward to golden foliage and berries in the fall!
Pink Bleeding Heart – Photo by Nancy Marie Allen
OLD-FASHIONED BLEEDING HEART
This large, almost shrub-like plant, makes a powerful floral display in May but then magically melts away once temperatures heat up. Because of the ephemeral nature of Bleeding Heart, be sure to plant them next to summer perennials such as ferns or hostas which will easily fill those vacant spaces come summer.
All of the above plants are deer and rabbit resistant and hardy in my Zone 6 New England garden. The Iris, Basket-of-Gold Alyssum and Snow-in-Summer prefer full sun locations while the Solomon’s Seal, Creeping Phlox, Geranium and Old-Fashioned Bleeding Heart tolerate both sun and part shade. The best plants for shady gardens are the Brunnera, Lungwort and Sweet Woodruff.
Every fall, I’m pleasantly surprised to find that some of the loveliest silver hues come late in the gardening season. Perhaps it’s the colder temperatures or the way autumn’s softer light is reflected on the leaves that brings out the intense color. Maybe it’s simply because there is little left in the garden to draw my attention, but I’ve found that silver foliage plants are definitely more striking in November than they are in July.
The featured photo above is Snow-in-Summer or Cerastium tomentosum, an old-fashioned perennial that is covered with enchanting pure white flowers in May. After blooming, the finely textured silver foliage remains a lovely focal point in the garden although these plants prefer and look best in cooler temperatures.
‘Sweet Romance’ Lavender is a workhorse in the sunny summer garden producing abundant wands of fragrant deep purple blooms over a long season while also attracting many pollinators. Although ever so pleasing to us, the deliciously sweet scent of Lavender repels deer and rabbits.
‘Berggarten’ Sage makes an eye-catching addition to the herb or flower garden with its bold yet softly textured leaves. Not only is this plant extremely showy but it also makes an excellent sage for use in the kitchen!
Japanese Painted Ferns incorporate a tapestry of colors on each and every frond while retaining an overall striking silver sheen.
‘White Nancy’ Lamium is one of my favorites for filling in garden gaps as this plant loves to politely ramble and spread amongst its neighbors without overpowering them.
Lamb’s Ears or Stachys byzantina should be included in every garden for its softly textured leaves that just beg to be touched! A classic grown with roses in the June garden, Lamb’s Ears also looks stunning next to white or blue flowers which are remarkably enhanced by its pleasing silver coloration.
Cobweb Hens and Chicks or Sempervivum arachnoideum is a remarkably hardy succulent that loves to tuck itself along and in between rocks or pavers. Colorful early summer blooms on long arching stems look like something from an alien planet but it’s the unusual cobwebby rosettes that make this plant special year round. An easy and fun plant for children to grow!
‘Excalibur’ Pulmonaria or Lungwort is an early spring charmer with pink to blue, forget-me-not style flowers. Long after blooming, the elegant lance-shaped leaves hold their striking silver color well into late fall!
With fall planting season just around the corner, late August is the perfect time for evaluating our flower gardens and planning for any changes we’d like to see next season.
Start by taking a good look at your garden space(s), preferably with a notebook in hand, and jot down what you liked about this year and what needs changing. Ask yourself a few questions: What were your best performers this year and would you like to add more? Is it time to divide some overgrown perennials? Would you like to attract more birds, butterflies and bees? Do you need to focus more on xeriscaping with plants that require minimal water? And, what about adding some spring bulbs to extend your garden season with early color? Defining your garden goals and writing them down provides a convenient checklist to work from.
Now is also a good time to think about garden color, whether you grow perennials, annuals, or a combination of both. Do you love bright pops of red, orange and yellow or is a soothing pastel palette more your style? If you’re like me, you may want to use all of these colors over the season. For example, my earliest spring flowers and those that bloom through June tend to be pale yellows, pinks, purples and blues, while July through September blooms lean towards bolder and warmer colors.
When cool and warm colors are used together, they can really enhance one another such as the blue hardy geranium with golden Rudbeckia in the photo above. I also like to use white as it adds softness and elegance to any color scheme. Looking at a color wheel for reference will help you easily find colors that work together, whether analagous and side by side in the same color family or complementary at opposite ends.
As you dream about next year’s colorful flowers, don’t forget the importance of having good garden soil. Try to get into the habit of adding compost to your garden every fall for its valuable nutrients and moisture-retentive qualities. You can just layer it on top of your garden, around existing plants, and let the rain and snow of winter do the rest of the work. In the spring, add a generous layer of shredded bark mulch. Trust me, if you do these two things every year, it will make the difference between a garden that’s just surviving and one that’s thriving!
Successful gardening requires devotion and commitment, but even with all that enthusiasm, it’s easy to become overwhelmed by the sheer work involved in dividing and moving plants, improving soil, creating new flower beds or restoring old ones. However, by writing your goals down and prioritizing what’s most important, you can tackle one task at a time over months or even years, eventually ending up with the beautiful garden you’ve always wanted!
Have you ever noticed how accents of silver and gold really add sparkle to the holidays? By using these same colors in our gardens, we not only enhance the beauty of surrounding plants but substantially increase our overall botanical bling!
In my woodland garden, shown in the featured photo above, silver and gold perennials are used together to draw one’s attention to this shady spot. Although the garden would still look lovely with just green plants, it would lack the drama that these brighter plants impart.
Golden ‘Dancing Queen’ Hosta helps companion plants shine (Photo by Nancy Marie Allen)
Golden perennials and shrubs are all the rage right now and it’s easy to see why. These garden gems are useful in that the eye is immediately drawn to them and because of this phenomenon, they are especially effective in brightening darker, shady areas. Hostas, Creeping Jenny, Bugbane, Heuchera, Heucherella, Golden Oregano and Japanese Forest Grass are just a few gold foliage plants to use in shade to part sun.
Golden Hostas, Bugbane and Creeping Jenny make this shade garden glow (Photo by Nancy Marie Allen)
Gold in the sun garden can be absolutely dazzling in its brightness! Golden-striped ‘Color Guard’ Yucca is a particularly bold accent plant and one of the best for dry, sunny sites. ‘Aztec Gold’ or ‘Sunshine’ Veronica are excellent low-growing groundcovers for smaller gardens, while ‘Sun King’ Aralia, eventually growing 4 to 6 feet in height and width, should be given plenty of room to spread. Some Hostas such as ‘Golden Sculpture’, ‘Sum andSubstance’ or ‘Sun Power’ can also tolerate sun, although morning sun with some afternoon shade is always best for these beauties.
‘Color Guard’ Yucca (Photo by Nancy Marie Allen)
With a few exceptions, many gold foliage perennials tend to ‘burn’ with too much sun. You may notice the leaves blanching out (whitening) or the edges turning brown, especially in warmer climate zones. If you find this to be the case, just move your plant(s) to a little more shade until you find the perfect spot!
Silvery ‘Jack Frost’ Brunnera looks striking next to a Blue Angel Hosta (Photo by Nancy Marie Allen)
While far more subdued in appearance than gold, silver foliage plants also bring welcome light to the garden and blend well with both hot and cool colors. Some easy-care silver plants for shade include Brunnera, Lungwort, Lamium and Japanese Painted Fern. Even without flowers, their striking foliage patterns create visual interest all through the growing season!
Berggarten Sage (Photo by Nancy Marie Allen)
Sun lovers like Lambs Ears and Berggarten Sage become even more intensely silver in color as temperatures dip. An added bonus with these plants is their soft fuzzy texture that begs to be touched!
Summer blooming Rose Campion produces abundant cool white or hot pink flowers that contrast boldly with its silver-leafed stems, while Snow-in-Summer is an early spring bloomer with bright white flowers that nearly cover the ground-hugging tiny silver leaves. Other sun-loving silver plants include Russian Sage, Artemisia, Silver Thyme and Lavender.
Silver plants also tend to ‘glow’ at dusk and because of this make excellent additions to white flower or moon gardens!
Rose Campion is a classic silver foliage perennial (Photo by Nancy Marie Allen)
The well-known Burl Ives song includes the lyrics, “Everyone Wishes for Silver and Gold.” Instead of just wishing, I encourage you to add some of these sparkling plants to your garden next spring!
Some of us are lucky enough to have the perfect amount of sunlight in our gardens from spring to fall, but many gardeners have to deal with a mixed bag of brightness going anywhere from full sun to deep shade, sometimes within a single flower bed! The challenge for new and experienced gardeners alike is to find plants that will tolerate varying degrees of sunlight and still perform admirably.
Sun and shade plants working together in late summer
DON’T BE AFRAID TO EXPERIMENT
The only area in my yard that gets full sun all season is a small plot reserved for vegetables. The rest of my garden beds, which include flowers, shrubs and herbs, enjoy varying degrees of sunlight.
Over the years, I’ve acquired a lot of perennials that supposedly tolerate partial shade and have found that some perform better than others, so I experiment by moving plants around to sunnier or shadier locations. In doing this, I’ve discovered that many full sun perennials do just fine with less-than-optimal sunlight while certain shade perennials can be surprisingly tolerant of quite a bit of sun.
The garden in June
WORK WITH WHAT YOU HAVE
My largest and most challenging flower bed in terms of changing light follows the foundation of the house on three sides and goes from full sun to full shade with everything in-between!
Early blooms of Daffodils, Hyacinth, Bleeding Heart and much more carpet my garden in April and May, but June is when this garden is at its sunny best with stunning Alliums, Peonies, Lady’s Mantle and Hardy Geranium. Other plants join in as summer heats up with Echinacea and Rudbeckia blooming in early July and continuing until September.
In the shadiest areas of this garden I’ve included a strong supporting cast of Ferns, Hostas, Brunnera, Solomon’s Seal and Astilbe which enjoy morning sun right through July. Some of these plantings I’ve overlapped and repeated so that there’s a sense of cohesion throughout the border.
Over time the abundance of light slowly diminishes and by mid-October, the sun quickly dips behind the tall trees that surround the property, leaving the garden with just some soft dappled shade as it ends another year. In spite of the drastic changes from spring to fall and light to dark, I’m still delighted by pleasing vignettes all season thanks to using reliably strong summer bloomers and combining them with lots of bold foliage, color, texture and form.
Hardy Geranium ‘Rozanne’ blooms from June until frost
COUNT ON VERSATILE PERENNIALS
There are some plants that bloom over many weeks and I’ve come to count on these for season-long color. In fact, the lovely blue-violet hardy geranium known as ‘Rozanne’ is the longest blooming of all my perennials and one I keep spreading around for that reason. A true garden gem, ‘Rozanne’ is an excellent example of a versatile perennial that will tolerate going from bright sunlight to mostly shade and still bloom like crazy from June until frost!
Rudbeckia ‘Goldsturm’ with Asters and Sedum
Another one of my perennial favorites for bloom longevity is Rudbeckia ‘Goldsturm’ which lights up my garden like liquid sunshine from July to September. Even sun-loving Echinacea tolerates semi-shade and, although the plants are not as large or as vigorous as they would be in full sun, they hold their own and bloom until summer’s end. Autumn Joy Sedum is also remarkably shade tolerant and looks fabulous in all stages of growth, plus the dark russet seed heads are beautiful right into winter!
‘Dancing Queen’ Hosta, ‘Red Flash’ Caladium and Japanese Painted Fern
USE STRIKING FOLIAGE
Where flowers are absent or diminished due to encroaching shade, dramatic foliage plants can take a garden from humdrum to sensational! I especially love Hostas for their bold and striking foliage. They’re remarkably sun tolerant in spring and summer but it’s later in the season when I really appreciate their versality for, even without blooms, these plants can carry a shady border until frost. Golden and chartreuse varieties such as ‘Dancing Queen’ are particularly bright and contrast nicely with darker greens. Silver and frosted foliage plants such as Lamium, Lambs’ Ears, Japanese Painted Ferns and Brunnera also light up the shade while the varied hues of Caladiums add dazzling color!
Sweet Alyssum is an annual that adds delightful fragrance to non-stop blooms
INCLUDE FLOWERING ANNUALS
The list of flowering annuals for sun and/or shade is seemingly endless! I like to think of these one-season wonders as garden fillers since they easily tuck into small spaces and give the garden a lush appearance. Pick some contrasting or complementary colors to pair with your perennial plantings and enjoy non-stop blooms until frost! Annuals are also a great way to fill out a newly planted perennial garden while your other plants mature.
Echinacea is one versatile perennial
PAY ATTENTION TO GEOGRAPHY
Our geographic locations and hardiness zones also affect how plants grow and thrive in different levels of light. For example, a Hosta growing in the coldest regions of zone 3 will tolerate much more sun than one in southern zone 9. So, my experience with gardening in Northeastern Massachusetts could be very different from yours, even though we may grow the same plants.
Color, Texture and Form
EMBRACE MAKING CHANGES
The important thing to remember when working with a garden challenge is that you can always change what doesn’t work. Fall is the perfect time for us to do garden renovations, so don’t be afraid to experiment by moving a poorly performing plant to a better location or trying a new plant altogether. I’ve just added some ‘Heritage’ roses and ‘Six Hills Giant’ Nepeta so it will be interesting to see how they fare next year in this sun and shade garden.
Challenges can be blessings in disguise so embrace making changes and look forward to a garden that will only keep getting better!
With so many styles of pots to choose from these days, you may be wondering what type is best. In today’s blog, we’ll discuss the benefits of different pots and how to let your plants help you decide on their perfect home!
Photo by Nancy Marie Allen
TERRA COTTA
If I had to choose one ideal all-purpose planter, it would be the classic terra cotta or “baked earth” flower pot. These russet colored clay pots create a healthy home for plants because they’re naturally porous. This means that air and moisture can easily pass through the clay creating a more natural and “breathable” environment for plants. Terra cotta also darkens when the potting soil is moist and then lightens as the soil dries out, thus making a good indicator for when it’s time to water!
Photo courtesy of Bartlomiej Koc on Pixabay
Terra cotta dates back to ancient times when it was used for making everyday vessels, building materials and art sculptures, so when we use terra cotta flower pots, we’re also connecting with history!
Although some consider these common pots to be strictly utilitarian, I adore their natural good looks and collect them for use indoors and out. They age beautifully, developing a darker patina, variations in color and even moss over time.
Photo courtesy of PublicDomainPictures on Pixabay
Almost all plants will thrive in terra cotta pots but SUCCULENTS, CACTI, PALMS, SNAKE PLANTS and POTHOS especially benefit from terra cotta’s ability to dry quickly by allowing excess moisture to escape through its porous walls. If you tend to overwater, terra cotta pots may help save your plants!
CERAMIC
Photo by Nancy Marie Allen
Ceramic or glazed pots appeal to the artist in all of us because of their endless variety of colors and designs. They are basically clay pots which have been glazed with a decorative coating that makes them non-porous. Because of this, ceramic pots take longer to dry out between waterings, making them especially useful for outdoor summer planters or moisture-loving houseplants. In the photo above, baby succulents appreciate the extra moisture in these small ceramic pots.
Photo by Nancy Marie Allen of Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens
Large, colorful ceramic pots are particularly stunning when they complement or contrast with outdoor plantings and garden art such as in the grouping above. Houseplants that enjoy the even moisture ceramic provides include FERNS, MOSSES, PEACE LILIES, AFRICAN VIOLETS and BEGONIAS. If you often forget to water your plants, then ceramic pots may be your best choice.
PLASTIC
Photo by Nancy Marie Allen
Plastic flower pots have come a long way in recent years with many now designed to look like their heavier and more costly cousins. As you can see in the photo, the large plastic planter on my front stoop looks just like terra cotta when filled with plants.
Photo courtesy of ThriftyFun
The main virtue of plastic is that it’s very lightweight so even large-sized planters can be moved around with ease. It’s also relatively inexpensive, neatly stackable for storage, recyclable, and you can’t beat the convenience of small plastic pots for starting plants indoors.
Photo courtesy of Bobana Kovacevic on Pixabay
Plastic pots are extremely versatile and can be used with a variety of plants, both indoors and out. Most of the houseplants we purchase in stores and garden centers come in the standard plastic nursery pots we’re all familiar with. Although these are usually the least attractive choice for your table or windowsill, they’re easy to hide inside a décor-friendly cachepot!
HYPERTUFA
Photo courtesy of GARDEN.ORG
Hypertufa pots are rock-like creations made from Portland cement, perlite and peat moss although coloring and decorative materials such as pebbles, leaves or shells are also sometimes added.
Making hypertufa pots and troughs has recently become a popular hobby and many people are taking it to an art form. In the photo below from Serenity Cove, simple fern fronds elevate this planter to an elegant garden creation.
Photo courtesy of SERENITY COVE
Although hypertufa pots can be used inside for houseplants, it’s outdoors where they really shine. Unlike terra cotta, ceramic or most plastic planters, they are completely weatherproof, holding up to the freezing and thawing cycles of winter without cracking. This means you can plant them with hardy perennials and leave them outside year round!
Photo courtesy of SERENITY COVE
While Hypertufa pots and troughs lend themselves to all sorts of planting designs, they’re especially suited to FAIRY GARDENPLANTS, ROCK GARDEN PLANTS, HERBS, GROUNDCOVERS, SEMPERVIVUM and shade lovers like FERNS, ORCHIDS and MOSSES. In fact, you can easily grow moss on the rough surface of these pots to make them look like they’ve been in the family for generations!
These are just a sample of the many types of pots available to gardeners today. Find styles that you love for indoor as well as outdoor use and then fill them with your favorite plants!
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It has been a brutally hot and dry summer here in Northeast Massachusetts and I’ve done more than one rain dance while praying for a good soaking! Yet, in spite of these harsh conditions and pests galore, the gardens have carried on with abundant growing, blooming and producing.
Speckled Caladiums with Japanese Painted Fern, Hostas and Lamium (Photo by Nancy Marie Allen)
Over the years I’ve come to rely on robust plants such as perennial Sedums, Echinacea, Rudbeckia, Ferns and Hosta. Not only do they survive hot and arid summers, they sleep through frigid New England winters only to rise again with renewed vigor in the spring! Then there are the annuals such as Marigolds, Portulaca, Zinnias, Sweet Alyssum and Salvias that take whatever nature throws at them, all the while smiling back with joyful flowers.
Pink Caladiums with Japanese Painted Ferns (Photo by Nancy Marie Allen)
Even though I always count on my usual cast of characters to carry me through the growing season, every spring I like to try at least one new plant and take it for a test drive. If it succumbs to insects, critters or weather, I’ll mourn and give it a decent burial but chances are I won’t plant it again.
A red Caladium with Black-eyed Susan, Fern, Hosta and Campanula (Photo by Nancy Marie Allen)
The new kid on the block this year was the tropical Caladium, a plant I’ve often admired but was always hesitant to grow. After all, how could such a delicate-looking beauty possibly hold up to heat, drought and hungry pests? But, after finding a bargain bag of fifteen Caladium bulbs at Home Depot this past winter, I decided to try starting them under grow lights in my heated basement. Potted up in early March, it took several weeks before leaves began to emerge but once they started, they grew vigorously. After hardening them off outdoors for a couple of weeks in early June, they were ready to move to their permanent summer homes.
Low-growing pink Caladiums with Ferns, Hostas and Astilbe (Photo by Nancy Marie Allen)
Of the fifteen bulbs planted, thirteen somehow survived to adulthood. Some of the Caladiums I gave away while others were tucked into shady areas in my flower beds. Two brilliant matching reds were planted in pots on either side of the front door. Although those planted in the garden have grown surprisingly well with very little rainfall and lots of benign neglect, the two planted in pots have thrived with the extra watering and regular feeding they’ve received.
Tall Caladiums make a great thriller plant for summer pots (Photo by Nancy Marie Allen)
I have to admit that I didn’t have high hopes for any of them making it through the summer. Surely every insect in the neighborhood would find these exotic beauties and proceed to chomp off their heads! On the contrary, none of the plants were affected by pests or disease and have grown with a serene vitality all their own.
A summer planter with Caladium, Heuchera, Begonia and Creeping Jenny (Photo by Nancy Marie Allen)
Caladiums have large diaphanous heart-shaped leaves in shades of pink, red, white and variations thereof including speckles, spots, veins and bold green edges. They are medium-sized plants, growing from 1 to 3 feet in height, sometimes with a canopy of leaves. With such a variety of colors and sizes to choose from, garden design possibilities are endless!
A bold red Caladium (Photo by Nancy Marie Allen)
Native to the tropics, Caladiums love hot and humid weather and respond well to a little extra feeding with liquid kelp or seaweed. They positively light up shady gardens where they are most at home but I find some morning sun helps intensify their striking colors. Although they prefer evenly moist soil, they don’t like to be waterlogged and can even tolerate some dryness once established. Occasionally they will bloom with a calyx similar to a Peace Lily or Anthurium, but with leaves this stunning, who needs flowers?
White Caladiums light up the shade garden (Photo by Nancy Marie Allen)
What surprises me the most about growing Caladiums is how well they blend in with my established shade garden plants while adding bright spots of color. Their bold foliage looks especially fetching with the delicate fronds of Ferns or Astilbes and, as you can see in the photos, they make a striking addition to planters. If you live in an area with warm summers, I hope you’ll give Caladiums a try in your pots and flower beds next year. I know I’ll definitely be planting them again!
Some of the sweetest garden vignettes are not planned – they happen by chance! And it’s those unexpected but delightful scenes that give gardening its magic.
A deep purple Drumstick Allium is the perfect companion for pink Hollyhock Mallow
If you’ve had a garden for a number of years, you already know what I’m talking about, for at some point every year there are plants that willingly volunteer themselves for duty. The most common are flowers that have self-sown from previous years’ plantings, but seeds may also be carried by birds from a neighbor’s yard or blown on the wind from a wildflower patch down the road. However these plants find our gardens, it’s always a pleasant surprise when they bloom in a companionable way!
Rose Campion in shades of white, blush and bright pink has a long bloom time and readily self-sows
Rose Campion, Daisies, Yarrow and Black-eyed Susans are some of the plants that enthusiastically spread themselves around the yard every year. In the photo below, wild Black-eyed Susans look like they belong next to the mahogany ribs and silvery fronds of a Japanese Painted Fern. Unplanned and unexpected, these two garden companions bring out the best in each other!
Japanese Painted Fern and wild Black-Eyed Susans enhance each other’s colors
Sometimes plants happen to like certain conditions in our gardens and take up permanent residence in unusual places. Along the stone wall surrounding our vegetable garden, native ferns have found a perfect home! Amazingly, these plants grow in fulI sun all day but manage to get enough moisture from the rocks surrounding them to thrive.
Native Fern Volunteers
Some enchanting color combinations also happen by chance. Many times we place one plant next to another without really knowing if the colors will work together. Color in our gardens is not always dependable in that plants may have a different look when planted in full sun as opposed to part shade, or when viewed in the soft light of morning or at dusk. We may plant seeds or bulbs expecting a certain hue but ending up with something altogether different. All of these variations can make or break a garden’s color scheme, so when colors perfectly harmonize, sometimes it’s just a lucky accident.
Blue Peachleaf Bellflower, Pink Grapefruit Yarrow and Purple Drumstick Allium blend harmoniously
Last fall, I planted a group of drumstick alliums in a garden with other summer bloomers in shades of blue and pink. Since I’d never planted them before, I wasn’t at all sure about the color and how it would look with my other plants. Earlier this month, I was delighted when not only did the rich purple of the alliums make the perfect color companion to my other perennials, these whimsical gems also started attracting honeybees like crazy!
Honeybees can’t get enough of these sweetly scented alliums
Our gardens are constantly changing and each year is different from the last. One thing we can rely on, however, is that beautiful and unexpected things will happen – delighting, surprising and rewarding us for being devoted gardeners!
September and October have been very busy gardening months for me so I’d like to share some of what’s been keeping me outdoors and digging up my yard!
The thing I really love about gardening is that if a design doesn’t work, you can always change it. This autumn I decided to rearrange and enlarge my shade garden, a smallish space that included a birdbath, ajuga, bleeding heart, hostas, ferns, brunnera, a clematis and cimicifuga (bugbane) planted together in a tiny tapestry of color and form. (In the photo below the old-fashioned pink bleeding heart has already gone dormant and the purple clematis isn’t visible) I had originally planted the bugbane off to one side of the birdbath on the right and placed two large hostas behind it but after a few years this large plant overwhelmed the hostas, hiding them from view, and limiting the morning sunlight they received. I had to rethink my design and reposition these plants to enhance their beauty and create a more pleasing vignette. At the same time, I wanted to expand the overall size of the garden using plants I already had on hand.
The original shade garden (Photo by Nancy Marie Allen)
Once the weather cooled off in mid-September I dug up the cimicifuga, separated it into three clumps and repositioned these in back of the garden. Although these plants and most of the green lady ferns have already died back and are not visible in the following photos, they will create a tall backdrop for next year’s garden. The large ‘Royal Standard’ hosta (which you can see behind the birdbath above) was relocated to the space vacated by the bugbane where it will receive the extra sun needed for abundant blooms. A ‘Gold Standard’ hosta was moved to the left and a little behind the brunnera to brighten up that darker area. After moving these plants to their new homes, the stage was set to add more shade plants and expand the existing garden.
Variegated Solomon’s Seal will add a vertical accent and glimmer of white behind the blue brunnera while golden hostas and Creeping Jenny will draw the eye in (Photo by Nancy Marie Allen)
On the far left side where the shade from a hemlock kept the lawn from growing was a similar sized area just right for planting with more shady beauties. In the spring I’d incorporated some compost into the soil and added some Sweet Woodruff to quickly fill in and cover ground. A layer of mulch kept it moist over the hot and dry summer months. Now, I worked filling the space just to the right of this groundcover with more compost and shade-loving plants. A white ‘Bridal Veil’ astilbe, some variegated Solomon’s Seal, a small white-edged hosta and ‘White Nancy’ lamium were added to the garden while more Japanese painted ferns were repeated, marrying the old design with the new. I continued by spreading the dark purple rosettes of ‘Black Scallop’ ajuga and tendrils of bright ‘Creeping Jenny’ in the foreground to define and soften the curvy edge. When all the perennials were in, I added 50 critter-proof bulbs of allium ‘Cowanii’ for striking white accent blooms in late spring and early summer.
Next spring the newly planted left side of the shade garden will fill in with Sweet Woodruff, Japanese painted ferns, ‘Bridal Veil’ astilbe and more hostas (Photo by Nancy Marie Allen)
Although most of the plants are now beaten and bedraggled from several cold nights, you can still imagine how the garden will look next year when each month will bring something new! It’ll be stunning in spring with the blooms of pink Bleeding Heart, the deep purple flower spikes of ajuga, the delicate blue sprays of brunnera and the white flower clusters of Sweet Woodruff; even the Solomon’s Seal will be sporting tiny white bells along its tall stems. As the season progresses, the feathery white plumes of the astilbe, along with the white flowers of the allium bulbs and ‘White Nancy’ lamium, will share the stage with the purple ‘Arabella’ clematis. Summer will bring spikes of hosta blooms in shades of white and pale lavender while the towering cream-colored wands of the cimicifuga will take up the rear. Behind the stone wall, three new Pieris planted in May will slowly join with the mother shrub to form an evergreen and deer-resistant hedge behind the shade garden, uniting it with the woodland beyond.
Pieris shrubs edge the woodland behind the shade garden (Photo by Nancy Marie Allen)
The varied shades of blue and purple in the foliage of the ajuga, the Japanese painted ferns, the ‘Looking Glass’ brunnera, and large blue-leaved hosta are enhanced by the sunny greens, golds and accents of white also repeated throughout. Even when little or nothing is blooming, the many colors, textures and forms of the shade plants themselves will keep this garden looking lively and bright!
Creeping Jenny behaves best in pots (Photo by Nancy Marie Allen)
A word of caution! Golden Creeping Jenny (Lysimachia nummularia ‘Aurea’) is an aggressive spreader and considered invasive in many areas. I like to use it in pots and planters where it’s easily contained and nicely fills the role of ‘spiller’ with its trailing habit. However, in the garden, this innocent-looking plant with its tiny bright leaves can spread like wildfire! Each year, I keep it in check by removing large segments and pulling it back from crowding other plants. I’ve found that the ‘Black Scallop’ ajuga, another vigorous spreader, seems to hold its own next to Jenny since its thick mat of rosettes prevents other plants from easily taking hold.
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