Theme gardens can be fun for adventurous gardeners who want
to shake things up.
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Colorful annuals. Their raison d’etra, reason for living, is to bloom and
make seeds. To keep them full of their bright and beautiful blossoms frequent culling
of the old blooms is the s secret. Paying attention to color combinations will
enhance bedding petunias such as blue and yellow; red, white and blue; primary
colors-red, yellow and blue; all pastels.
Perennials are friends forever. The
trick here is to plant staggered bloomers. Daffodils and tulips for spring give
way to lupine and peonies in April and May. June is for roses (and brides) and
July owns lilies. Hibiscus and other members of the family (Rose of Sharon) for
late summer, and we all appreciate summer’s wind up with splashes of intensely
colored mums and sunflowers. There are many beautiful perennials to be planted
in between. Careful attention to foliage varieties is also important for a
successful perennial bed: spiky Crocosmia, spreading Dianthus, and pretty
round-leafed Baptismia australis which has an herbal gray cast to its foliage.
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Butterfly and humming bird gardens are
always fun. Certainly the tiny hummers appreciate blooms where they can dip in
and steal a drop of nectar, but I’ve seen them take a tiny taste of flat but
colorful yarrow. My son gifts me a huge fuchsia for Mother’s Day which is the
very day I usually spot the first humming bird. They love this plant! Hummers
prefer trumpet shaped blooms they can dip their long bills to drink the nectar,
but I have observed them sipping from a daisy.
Shade gardens are wonderful underneath
shaded walkways. Besides the enormous
varieties of hosta, spring bulbs can be followed with blue bells and other
shade loving perennials. Brunneria is a precious substitute for hosta. Deer
treat it with disdain. Begonias have a large variety for annual shade; my
favorite is non-stop begonia in their vivid colors. Spring blooming shrubs are
glorious such as rhododendrons, azaleas, dogwood and many others that liven up
the woods before the trees leaf out.
Cutting gardens are
wonderful for those who appreciate fresh cut bouquets for inside. Reserve a bed
especially for: gladiola, tall zinnias, phlox, sunflowers, snapdragons,
lisianthus, lilies, just a few of the varieties that are splendid cut flowers.
… which leads me to call attention to my latest Cozy
Adventure/ Mystery, Whispers of Danger and Love.
The heroine is a
landscape architect who speaks gardening. She struggles with a client who
demands a cutting garden mid summer, (and a hunky detective who seems bound to
destroy her plants.) I enjoyed relaxing in her garden even as I created it from
my own imaginings. It was also fun to watch the sparks fly between a couple who
knew each other as children but must readjust their thinking as adults.
Emma Lane is a gifted author who writes cozy mysteries as Janis Lane, Regency as Emma, and spice as Sunny Lane.
She lives in Western New York where winter is snowy, spring arrives with rave reviews, summer days are long and velvet, and fall leaves are riotous in color. At long last she enjoys the perfect bow window for her desk where she is treated to a year-round panoramic view of nature. Her computer opens up a fourth fascinating window to the world. Her patient husband is always available to help with a plot twist and encourage Emma to never quit. Her day job is working with flowers at Herbtique and Plant Nursery, the nursery she and her son own.
Look for information about writing and plants on Emma’s new website. Leave a comment or a gardening question and put a smile on Emma’s face.
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