A Garden Guide
Dream it, build it, watch it grow! by Amy M Adams
During the long winter months snuggled up in blankets, a wandering mind produces dreams and visions of lush foliage, colourful flowers blooming
and
trailing
vines.
It's
February
in
the
Northern
Hemisphere. Like vines, these dreams entangle themselves into my cold reality as I long for the warmer days. Yet, all the while knowing in my heart that they will come.
The first signs of spring appear as the day slowly becomes longer, only to be shunned as a cold wind hurts my skin. Tricking my brain for a short while, I go to the local nursery greenhouse and bathe in its warmth
dreaming
of
spring.
So,
even
though
it
is
cold
and
my
patience wears thin, it gives me something to look forward to.
I begin to plan the succession of blooms in my garden. What kind of garden will I plant this year? Flowers? Herbs? Veggies? and what colour combinations would be nice to see together? What worked last year? What didn't? How will I arrange my pots and containers? or my furniture? Not only is it important to dream, imagining will help you in the planning process.
Allow yourself to dream big.
One of the beauties of gardening is that it teaches us patience. Your first-year garden won't look like your third-year garden. It will be worth the effort and the wait and, that isn't to say your first-year garden won't be spectacular - oh - it can be! Simultaneously your garden space will present to you its limits that you will have to work with if you like it or not! Keep in mind that the planning process is fluid and, as long as you keep a garden, it will be an evolution. This is where we start. Dream it and take small action steps.
Put pen to paper - laying the foundation for your space. Planning is the first step where you dream your vision into reality and follow it up with action. Planning isn't simply sitting down and writing it out. Planning includes wandering in your neighbourhood and parks to find wonder and beauty; visiting garden centres, and staring blanklyoff into the nether-regions of your imagination too. It can include looking at real-life books and magazines at the library or searching through images on gardening boards on Pinterest! You can even get those cards with colour paint samples, then play with colour.
Do these things intermittently, and all the while add these
thoughts and ideas to this book; glue your paint chip colours in here in colour combos you love or jot down a flower you are interested in adding to your garden. Don't limit yourself.
Salvia Salvia
Coleus Coleus
This ornamental's flowers are not
very
showy
but
their
leaves are spectacular. Coleus comes in a variety of colours from
a
bright
fuchsia
and
green leaf to autumnul tones of
red.
There
are
numerous
colours available and will fill in areas quickly. A great additive to an annual bed of flowers. In cooler climates it is grown as an annual.
Late Summer & Early Fall Flowers 30. 31. 32. 33. 34. 35. 36. 37. 38. 39.
Aster (Aster sp.) Chrysanthemum (Chrysanthemum sp.) Japanese Anemone (Anemone japonica) Showy Sedum (Sedum sp.) Hosta Plantain Lily (Hosta sp., H. sieboldiana) Bergenia (Bergenia lingulata) Blue Fescue (Festuca species) Pampas Grass (Cortaderia selloana) Hardy Cactus (Opuntia pyracantha) Foxglove (Digitalis sp.) (biennial)
Intermingled with images and the names of the plants on this list, you'll find some planting tips and facts about many but not all of the plants on this list.
First Blooms Primula commonly called primrose comes in a variety of colours and is a shade-loving early spring delight. They can be naturalized in grassy areas and can be used in garden beds, borders or containers. Iberis
sempervirens
also
known as candytuft produces sweet fragrant flowers and is frequently used as a ground cover. Once the flowers fade you
are
left
with
evergreen
foliage. Dicentra eximia
spectabilis
is
a
shade.
and
must-have
Bleeding
flowers
look
like
d. for
heart
a
delicate
heart. Choose from all white flowers or soft pinks to deep rich pinks and purples. Their leaves are delicate yet showy. Aquilegia known
sp.
as
is
commonly
columbine
can
be
started from seed, flowering in
the
will
second
drop
year.
and
Seeds
germinate
around your first plants. Phlox subulata comes from a large
family
and
in
this
grouping moss pink is shown. This
is
a
and
is
available
pinks,
groundcover
whites
in
plant
purples,
and
other
colours. Basket-of-Gold Aurinia
Alyssum
saxatile
is
not
or the
annual plant known as sweet alyssum.
This
is
the
early
spring blooming perennial.
Tip: Always add annuals in-between at the appropriate time to fill in the gaps and for continuous bloom once these have passed their blooming season.