SEPTEMBER EXTRA 2020 birdsandblooms.com 55
DANITA DELIMONT/SHUTTERSTOCK; PHOTO COURTESY OF TERRA NOVA NURSERIES, INC., WWW.TERRANOVANURSERIES.COM
annualsorperennials.Inthefall,placespring
bulbsbetweentheplants.Or,ifspaceallows,
addsomeshrubsforstructure.PickaPalette
Theeasiestwaytocreateacohesivelookisto
chooseacolorandrepeatitthroughtheseasons.
Forexample,youmightstartwithorange
Icelandpoppies(Papavernudicaule)forspring
color,thenallowMangoTangohyssoptofillin
thespotinsummer.Nearby,addaplantwith
foliagethatturnsorangeinfall,suchaslittle
bluestemgrass(Schizachyriumscoparium).
Finally,possumhawholly(Ilexdecidua)shows
offinwinterwithbrightorange-redberries.The
hyssop,grassandhollyallattractbirds,too.AddPortableInspiration
Ifyouseebarespotsnow,containersarea
quickfix.DavidCulp,authorofAYearat
BrandywineCottage,usespotsfilledwith
bold-leavedtropicalplantstoaddstructure
inhisPennsylvaniagarden.Hesays,“If
yourgardenisbasedontexture,itwillhold
togetherlonger.”Davidsuggestsreplanting
thecontainerswithseasonalcolorsand
bloomersthroughouttheyear.Buysmaller
plantersthatcanbemovedeasilytoenhance
spotsthatbecomebareorlessinteresting
duringcertainseasons.PlanforaView
“Inwinter,Iliketoseethesnowonthelimbs
ofmytrees—fromadistance.Asin,from
insidemyhouse,”Davidsays.Berealistic:
Ifyou’renotplanningontakingaramble
throughthegardenoncolddays,growplants
withwinterinterestwhereyoucanviewthem
fromthewindow.Putthemorelushplantings
aroundoutdoorseatingareasforsummer.
Afour-seasongardengivesyouthechance
todiscoverthespecialjoysofeverymonth.
Withalittleplanningnow,youcancreatea
year-roundsanctuarytoenjoywiththebirds
andwildlifethatshareitwithyou.•HelenNewlingLawsonwritesandgardensin
Georgia,wheresheenjoystheoutdoorsnearly
everymonthoftheyear.Followhergardening
adventuresonInstagramat@SpotOn_Gardens.YEAR-ROUND BOUNTY
Birds always add appeal, no matter the season.
Offering food and shelter, these stunners, from flowers
to large trees, shine at different times of the year.BLAZING STAR
The purple flower spikes
attract hummingbirds and
then turn to seed in fall.
COTONEASTER
Autumn Inferno is a shrub
that offers fiery red fall
foliage for you and small
red berries that birds can’t
get enough of.
HOLLY Its long-lasting
berries are an important
winter food source.COLUMBINE
Hummingbirds love the
bright spring flowers.
SERVICEBERRY
This native tree is one
of the earliest sources of
summer fruit for birds,
and it hosts caterpillars.
ELDERBERRY
The flowers on this shrub
provide nectar and are
followed by tasty berries
appearing in late summer.Plant sedum, blue spruce or switchgrass in
summer for gorgeous fall color.