While most garden designs are meant to be visually striking, great designs consider other senses such as scent. Fragrance, the sense that evokes memory more than any other, is easy to integrate into a landscape design. Some plants, such as roses, “Korean spice” viburnum and the native shrub summer sweet, produce fragrant flowers. Other plants have fragrant foliage, such as the herbs lavender, mint and thyme.
Landscape Design Idea III - Shade Gardens
In the gardening world shade presents both challenges and opportunities. While it's true that most large-bloomed and colorful perennial do best in full or part sun, there are a number of shade tolerant perennials which are prized for their unique foliage and a few for their flowers. Some of the best shade loving perennials include:
- Coral Bell (Purple Foliage)
- Japanese Forest Grass (Yellow Foliage)
- Daylily (Wide Range of Colorful Flowers)
- Host Hybrids (Wide Range of Foliage Types in Terms of Color and Size)
- Astlibe (Both Interesting Foliage and Vibrant Flowers)
- Japanese Painted Fern (Grey/Green and Purple Foliage)
- Foam Flower (Large Blooms)
This list is not complete and only scratches the surface of potential planting options.
If you need help with an idea for a shade garden, let us know. We're available for consultations.
Plan Ahead
Happy New Year! Now is the ideal time to plan your new garden projects. Begin this spring ready to go with a new landscape design in hand. Please contact us whether you're looking for ideas for a new flower garden or are planning a large scale changes to your garden. We're happy to help.
Recent Before & Afters
Some before and afters of a recent garden design. An existing garden of old and winter damaged yews and junipers was removed to make way for a new garden. The new landscape design called for mostly evergreens (the exception being a Dwarf Korean Lilac). Upright Arborvitaes and Japanese Holly give the planting bed some height while the Purple Gem Rhododendrons, Lilac and Hidcote Lavender add color to the garden (something which was missing from the space). A low Boxwood hedge defines the garden's edge
Summer Borders
In Bloom
The early summer flowering perennials are in full bloom.
New Planter Design
A couple new planters we created last week. One with flowers and a topiary evergreen and one with flowers and "Morning Light" Maiden Grass.
Flower Pots & Planters
Some planting we did this week.