Colorful Spring Gardens:
In the spring, while t
s and shrubs are still showing their pale g
n new growth, the e
y border generally consists of colorful bulbs and a few e
y blooming
s against a backdrop of g
n foliage and brown earth. Spring bulbs are
haps the most important fl
r in the e
y spring garden. Spring bulbs, a welcome sight after a long winter, offer the e
iest blooms of all garden fl
rs. Some bulbs will last until the e
y
s begin to bloom in May and June.
There are also some ey blooming shrubs which can provide the garden with colorful fl
rs. Forsythia and witch-hazel, for example, bloom long before many
s even begin to emerge from the soil. In fact, in the middle of spring and e
y summer there are more shrubs and t
s in bloom than at any other time of year.
Most ey blooming
s are quite suitable for the shade garden. They’re able to take advantage of the sun while it still reaches the ground beneath deciduous t
s which have yet to form their leaves. Wood
d gardens are often the most colorful
dscapes in the spring since many native, shade tolerant fl
rs bloom e
y in the season.
A at e
y blooming
for the garden is iris which ranges in color from white to purple and in size from a few inches to 4 feet. Bleeding heart is a short lived yet stunning pink blooming
which is at home in both the shade garden the wood
d garden. Columbine, an easy to grow
, blooms in a variety of colors. Some of the showiest e
y season fl
rs include poppy and peony and lupine.
Though there are many ey blooming garden p
ts, g
n is still the dominant color in the spring
dscape so choose a few p
ts with interesting foliage. Hosta grows in many shades of g
n including blue-g
n and gold-g
n. Hosta forms the
fect backdrop for spring fl
rs. Everg
ns provide the garden with beautiful shades of g
n year-round. Variegated foliage, like that of the emerald and gold euonymus, brightens up the garden with a mix of light and dark colors.
Spring bulbs, such as tulips, daffodils, blue bells and crocuses, are pted in the fall and blooms as e
y as March. Bulbs are a very versatile fl
r as they’re suitable for the
garden, the shrub bed or even for p
ting in the lawn. They’re most effective when p
ted in masses so p
t quite a few in each area.
Ey blooming
s are generally short lived and often quickly lose their lush g
n foliage (poppies