Birds & Blooms Extra! - USA (2020-09)

54 birdsandblooms.com SEPTEMBER EXTRA 2020

PREVIOUS SPREAD AND THIS SPREAD, CLOCKWISE FROM TOP RIGHT: GAP PHOTOS/ RICHARD BLOOM (2); COURTESY OF PROVEN WINNERS - WWW.PROVENWINNERS.COM;

Coralberry

Punch

calibrachoa

Cedar waxwing

in serviceberry

Georgia Peach

coral bells

his time of year, your yard is

likely a bounty of blooms, but

there are plenty of ways to make

your garden more interesting

through all four seasons. To keep the show

going beyond summer, you can take action now

in a number of ways, including steps to create

cover and provide food for birds and wildlife.

Think Foliage Before Flowers

A plant’s greenery usually sticks around much

longer than its blooms. Plan a plot primarily

with foliage in mind, as garden designer Karen

Chapman recommends in her co-authored

book Gardening with Foliage First. She says,

“If the foliage is gorgeous, you’re going to be

happy immediately. Then layer flowers, berries

and bark into that framework.”

Karen also suggests being open to different

cultivars with distinct foliage. For example, if

you like the way weigela’s spring flowers draw

hummingbirds, she says, “Look for a variegated

form or one with dark maroon foliage.”

Stephanie Cohen, author of The Nonstop

Garden, has an even simpler tip to try when

shopping. “Put your hand over the flower,”

she says. If you still like what you see when

focusing just on the foliage, then buy it.

Build Up Structure

Annual beds look bleak in winter. Add an

edge of low-growing junipers or a backdrop of

broadleaf evergreens to help your flowers pop

during the summer. In quieter winter gardens,

these shrubs will have enough presence to

stand on their own.

Layer Waves of Color

A four-season garden doesn’t mean you have

to stick to plants that look fantastic all year

long. Not only will that limit your choices,

but your garden may seem static and boring.

Instead, try succession planting. This strategy

blends plants beautifully from one season

to the next and still allows for your favorite

short-lived blooms.

One way to use succession planting is to

grow new plants over any leftover foliage from

your spring bulbs. Stephanie says, “Plant a few

late-emerging perennials like daylilies over

the bulbs. Take care not to dig too deeply,

which would disturb them.”

Next, make note of any large blocks of

T