After the early bulbs and perennials of spring have bloomed and faded, many of us experience a garden pause before the June bloomers begin their show.
If you find that you need more color to bridge the gap from spring to summer in your garden, here are a few plants that will easily tie the seasons together!
OLD-FASHIONED BLEEDING HEART
Dicentra Spectabilis, commonly known as Bleeding Heart, is easily the best perennial for blooms that go from early May into June and sometimes beyond. You most often see these plants in the classic pink or white but there are new varieties now available including some with red flowers and golden or fern-like foliage.
In my gardens, bleeding heart begins its show along with the daffodils and continues well into peony season without missing a beat! Bleeding Heart prefers some afternoon shade and is cold hardy to Zone 3.
BRUNNERA
Also known as Siberian Bugloss or False Forget-Me-Not, Brunnera is an early spring bloomer here in New England. Although the delicate blue flowers tend to fade as June rolls around, these plants easily carry on through summer with their stunning silvery foliage.
Brunnera positively shines in the shade garden, blending well with Hostas, Solomon’s Seal and Astilbes amongst others. Brunnera is cold hardy to Zone 3.
HARDY GERANIUM
Bigroot Geranium or Geranium Macrorrhizum is the first of my hardy geraniums to bloom, typically in mid to late May. The bright magenta flowers rise above the foliage on delicate looking stems but there is nothing delicate about these plants. Tough, reliable and drought-tolerant, Geranium Macrorrhizum forms an attractive mound, slowly spreading by rhizomes which make it an invaluable groundcover for sun to part shade.
Trim back the flower stems after blooming and the attractive foliage will look fresh all summer, sometimes turning red in the fall. This very hardy geranium is cold tolerant to Zone 3.
CLEMATIS
Clematis are often thought of as fussy plants but they’re actually very easy to grow in a sunny garden. They come in an amazing array of colors, flower forms, and heights from short to tall, and bloom times stagger throughout the growing season. Taller clematis will need some kind of support for their climbing vines while shorter ones can be allowed to ramble playfully around and through other plants.
If you love clematis, try an early blooming variety to get the show going. Guernsey Cream clematis is one that blooms for me in mid-May with creamy white blooms. Most clematis are hardy to Zone 4 but check to make sure the variety you choose is one that will grow in your area.
IRIS
Many Iris are June bloomers but there are a few early varieties that will make your May garden pop with color. If you’re partial to these beautiful plants and have the space, you can easily stagger the flower show for several weeks.
Iris are sun lovers and hardy to Zone 3. In the photo above, an unknown yellow bearded variety gifted by a neighbor blooms along with the lilacs!
VARIEGATED SOLOMON’S SEAL
Variegated Solomon’s Seal brings fragrant blooms and a touch of sparkling white to the late spring garden. The wild form naturally grows here at the edges of the forest, but the variegated fragrant variety (Polygonatum Odoratum Variegatum) is one I have grown in my gardens for years.
The remarkable thing about Solomon’s Seal is that it’s a plant at home in full sun to full shade. Yes, that’s right, the plants shown above grow in full sun in one of the hottest areas of my yard which is a testament to its toughness and versatility. In my shaded gardens, this same Solomon’s Seal grows in great swaths, the white variegation lighting up the shadows.
The tiny white bell-shaped blooms which hang along the stems in spring become dark berries in summer and the foliage turns a soft gold in the fall. This is a perennial that truly spans the seasons!
Plant Variegated Solomon’s Seal where it will have plenty of room to grow for these plants love to spread themselves around. Winner of the 2013 Perennial Plant of the Year Award and hardy to Zone 3.
ALLIUMS
The impressive globes of Alliums add drama and texture to our late spring gardens like nothing else! Many grow from bulbs although a few grow from rhizomes such as our common chives. Again, there are early, mid and late varieties to choose from along with a huge size range from ground-hugging to towering. Alliums love a full sun location and are hardy to Zone 4.
All of the above plants are deer and rabbit resistant in my Zone 6 New England gardens.
