The photo above features a carpet of Chionodoxa siehei (Siehe’s Glory-of-the-Snow) flowering in early April. With a little bit of planning, it’s possible to create a lush landscape that offers variety, texture and color throughout all four seasons, including winter.
This post is mainly tailored to a zone 7 landscape and garden plan focusing on perennials. Whether you call it a rotating landscape, a layered garden or an all-season garden plan, perennials tend to be main points of interest, so we’ll focus on these, even though shrubs and trees such as Japanese red maple can offer striking color from spring to fall.
First Spring Flowers
Many consider crocuses to be the first bloomers, but they aren’t. Chionodoxa luciliae (Glory-of-the-snow) bloom February through march and come in blue, pink and white varieties. The variety noted in the photo, Chionodoxa siehei blooms in April.
Waves of Summer Flowers
With a little planning, overlapping waves of summer blooms can make a garden a trill to experience from week to week, In early summer, Delphinium, Iris magnifica and Oriental poppy add splashes of bright color. In mid summer, Bee Balm, Day lilies and Hollyhock are star performers. In late summer, Tiger lilies, Japanese iris and Globe thistle are in their glory.
Fall Bloomers
There is a large variety of fall bloomers to choose from. But there are some top choices. Dahlia, Aster and Chrysanthemum are all fall classics. It would be difficult to envision pumpkins and harvest scenes without them. These varieties actually begin blooming in late summer and continue to bloom in fall.
Winter Performers
Though blooming flowers are quite rare in winter, thee are certain plants that just look more beautiful in snow. For example, evergreen Frosted Viburnum setigerum (Tea Viburnum) displays its brightly colored fruits in the winter and offers a stunning contrast to the white snow. There are also a variety of tall ornamental grasses that look beautiful in the snow, Miscanthus (maiden grass) is on such example. The rich silver and tan tones of ornamental grasses in winter can offer a beautiful aesthetic in and of themselves.
- Choose perennials for their beauty and fragrances, but also consider their blooming seasons when you plan your landscape.
- Don’t clump all of the season’s bloomers in one area, but spread them out so the landscape has a continued sense of interest and balance.
- Keep track of what’s working and what isn’t and re-propagate the specimens that are doing well. Split grasses and perennials when opportune.
