worthwhile design principles

==>>> another principal.. is to understand.. that it is really easy to move plants.. and very forgiving in the proper season..

and to understand.. that NO ONE.. i mean no one.. plants once.. and wins ... a garden evolves.. its just like war.. there is no 'plan' once you engage the enemy ....

the principle .. is that right now .. you start taking notes.. so that come sept .. when nights are reliably cool ... you start moving your garden around ...

the other thought i had ... was bulbs nearer the front.. so you can enjoy them.. w/o tromping thru spring soil [avoiding compaction] .... which are usually later over-planted with annuals ...

ken

For sure it is optimal to move plants in the cooler and wetter spring and fall but I move something....whenever. Careful digging, excellent soil amendments and lots of regular water has convinced me that most perennials have little difficulty surviving even a mid summer change of location.

Good to mention about bulbs Ken. I am planting more and more but this fact couple with my anytime transplanting has me too often digging up these same bulbs :(.

1. Design your "backbone" (shrubs, trees) first; this you want to be more or less permanent. It needs to look good in all seasons, so you have to imagine what it will look like during the bare months of winter - which is why "winter interest" shrubs are so valuable in our colder zones. Think evergreens, fruiting shrubs (winterberry hollies are excellent up here), interesting bark. Lots of nurseries have design services where they will draw up a sketch for you; enlist help if you need to, the backbone is the most important part of the whole process.

2. Right plant, right place rule: Give a plant what it wants, and it more than likely will perform well.

3. If you don't like the foliage of a perennial, (a) don't plant it, or (b) don't put it in a prominent spot (better yet - hide the foliage behind other plants).

4. Have fun and experiment - perennials are fairly forgiving. I'm never "done" - every season I find some spot that needs tinkering with for whatever reason. Another reason why the backbone is so important; even if I feel some area that needs re-arranging/tinkering, the garden as a whole still looks good with those anchoring plants.

Just because a plant blooms tall, doesn't mean it goes at the back of the border.

Case in point: Thalictrum rochebruneanum 'Lavender Mist'

When in bloom, this one can top 6 feet, but the small flower produced by the hundreds are very light and airy and almost appear to float above the garden. You need to see them up close to really appreciate their beauty. After blooming, the flowering stalk cut back, the plant returns to a very modest 20 inches or less in height with very appealing columbine-like foliage.

Verbena bonariensis also comes to mind, but without the nice foliage - another âÂÂflower-floaterâ in my book.

Kevin

I've learned not to put my daffodils and tulips right at the front since the dying foliage is unsightly. If I put them behind a plant or two, like your columbine they look good when they are blooming and the perennials are short, but are hidden behind taller foliage when they get ratty looking.

Sturdy bushes are great for growing clematis on, especially some of the less dense clematis.

Excellent suggestions. Thank you. I understand well your example of Thalictrum. Here is a picture of the top bit of my 1 year old Splendide which is just over 6 feet tall. It has been an excellent addition to my garden.

What a lovely combination , rouge21.

Thanks nhbabs. Actually my poor photography skills are evident as the "Splendide" flowers are a beautiful pink and yet here they are a washed out white.

rouge ~ Thalictrum 'Splendide' is one of my favorite perennials!! i've had it (2 plants actually, the third one didn't make it) for the past 3 years, and love it more and more. so graceful, airy and charming. and it blooms for a very long time, if you count the bud stage and i do -- i love the little round spheres before they open almost more than the fully opened bloom. it is a very tall plant in bloom, over 7 feet for me, and just lovely in the gardens. it's late in popping up in the spring, and every year i hold my breath to see if it survived another winter, lol. so far, so good!

Thanks for your experiences with your "Splendide" roxanna. It is for sure my best one or two new plants in my garden this season. And even though it is so tall it takes up a very small footprint in one's garden...so even a smaller residential garden can hold it.

I assume that you need to stake your 7 foot "Splendide"?

Does T. Splendide seed around? I currently have a nice lavender flowered Thalictrum (have long ago lost the record of its name) that seeds quite a bit though not invasively. It's tough to remove the flower stalks without shattering the seeds, so one that didn't need deadheading within a short time period would suit me better.

I'm never "done" - every season I find some spot that needs tinkering with for whatever reason.

we can sit together on this bench... :-)

I plant very much for foliage height & character. The blooms are fleeting, the foliage is there all season. I'm always messing with placement for height & contrast