DIY Network

Adding Flowers Adding Flowers From "Weekend Landscaping" episode WKL-104

So far, we've laid out a flagstone path, planted a grove of redbud trees and planted some ground-hugging shrubs. Now we're ready to plant the stars of any garden: the flowers.

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• First to go in are daylilies (figure A). These popular garden choices, which stay green year round, produce spectacular blooms (figure B) on stalks that stand from 2' to 3' high and bloom in succession during the warm months.

Note: Wild daylily flowers are mainly yellow or orange; hybrids come in many colors.

Figure A

Figure B

• We're planting this very much like a rock garden, so adding grasses to the palette is a natural choice. The icy-blue foliage of blue fescue (Festuca Cinera 'Elijah Blue') (figure C) adds interest and makes a terrific border or groundcover. Its color works well with the blue tones of the juniper, creating a smooth transition to the side of the pond (figure D). It produces fine blond spikes that totally change its look when it's in bloom.

  Figure C

  Figure D

  
  

  Figure E

• Also added to the mix is dwarf horsetail (Equisetum scirpoides) (figure E). Although it's a reed rather than a true grass, it is nonetheless very grasslike in appearance. It adds a striking vertical element, but be warned: it tends to be invasive.

  Tim Thibault of Descanso Gardens says, "Turf grasses actually inhibit the growth of woody plant species, and when you eliminate the turf, you allow those plants the freedom to grow to their capacity. Also, turf grasses are from areas of the world where they get much more water--generally West Coast marine climates, which we don 't have a whole lot of on this continent. And when you get rid of the turf grasses, you can incorporate things that have a much more water-friendly habit."

• Fox Red curly sedge (Carex Buchananii) is very grasslike, with reddish-bronze foliage, and it has a dramatic upright habit. Its texture and color provide strong contrast to other plants in the garden. Since this plant likes a bit of shade, we're clustering them under the redbuds. The sedge provides a strong vertical element along the walkway. They do take a bit of time to get started after they're first planted, but just be patient.

• Next up are asters. When the deck on the property was upgraded, asters were planted along the base to form a lovely garden, and more asters will now be used to blend the two gardens together. The asters planted here (Triumph aster [Aster x alpellus 'Triumph']) bloom from late summer through fall, a time when few other plants are blooming (it's wise to plant a garden so there will be something interesting to look at as long as possible). These dwarf perennials, which won't get any taller than 15", will grow in clumps just as wide, so the garden will have a lot of pretty color late in the season.

  According to horticulturist Bart O'Brien, "The reason plants are oftentimes more successful when grown by flagstones or boulders is because in the wintertime they warm up faster because of the mass of the rock or flagstone, and in the summer they insulate the root system from the extremes of heat."
  

  Figure F

• Crimson Curls coral bells (Heuchera x 'Crimson Curls') is perfect for a rock garden. It's grown for its leaves (figure F), but it also produces dainty flower spikes that are very charming. It's glorious in the spring, when it boasts not only striking crimson foliage but also sprays of white bell-shaped flowers, making it a real eye-catcher. It will grow into a good-size mound over time, so give it some space.

Time elapsed: 11 hours.