89
COUNTRY GARDENS // FA LL 2019
spring summer autu mn
HOW TO
PLANT FOR
CONTINUOUS
COLOR
Blooms never take a break in
Elizabeth Schwartz Bohlman’s garden,
thanks to a glorious canvas of living
color that spans three seasons.
“What I love about this garden is
the diversity of flowers I was able to
plant because I have everything from
full sun to shade,” she says. “Most of
the garden gets primarily the softer
morning sun, which a lot of plants
like.” Here are her tried-and-true tips
for cultivating a captivating outdoor
show that stands the test of time:
BE VIGILANT ABOUT
DEADHEADING FLOWERS.
Regularly removing spent flower
heads helps plants channel their
energy into creating new blooms,
particularly for repeat bloomers such
as perennial salvias and coneflowers.
ACCENT GARDEN STRUCTURES
WITH MULTIPLE PLANTS.
Elizabeth planted her arbor with four
different climbers, each with different
bloom times, so that each season
offers a dazzling display. A ‘Nelly
Moser’ clematis blooms first, followed
by a ‘New Dawn’ climbing rose,
honeysuckle, and finally trumpet vine.
FILL IN COLOR GAPS WITH
ANNUALS WHEN NEEDED.
New Guinea impatiens are Elizabeth’s
go-to annual because their color is
long-lasting and they thrive with little
care. “I also place pots of annuals
where a perennial has already gone
to sleep to keep the color going,”
she says.
DON’T OVERLOOK
THE POWER OF FOLIAGE.
Variegated hostas, which light
up shady spots in Elizabeth’s garden,
make excellent fillers for bare areas.
“I also use heucheras as a wonderful
backdrop to flowers because
their foliage comes in a variety of
colors such as purple, light green, and
variegated hues,” she says.
LAYER PLANTS OF VARIOUS
HEIGHTS SO THAT EACH HAS A
CHANCE TO SHINE. “I place spring
flowers up front so the color appears
there first then it moves back to taller
plants like the ‘Zagreb’, ‘Moonbeam’,
and ‘Baby Sun’ coreopsis in the
summer,” Elizabeth says.
Creeping phlox
(Phlox stolonifera)
Bee balm
(Monarda didyma)
Peony
(Paeonia lactiflora)
Shasta daisy
(Leucanthemum × superbum)
Black-eyed Susan
(Rudbeckia hirta)
Columbine
(Aquilegia vulgaris)
Veronica
(Veronica spicata)
Sweet autumn clematis
(Clematis terniflora)
Allium
Allium spp.
Coneflower
(Echinacea purpurea)
ELIZABETH’S FAVORITE STANDBYS FOR
EACH SEASON:
Butterfly bush
(Buddleja davidii)
New England aster
(Symphyotrichum novae-angliae)
