In perusing my favorite gardening websites the other day, I came across some really cool, different looking plants such as the Purple Fritillaria and the Hair Allium. These guys were super unique and I had to find a place for them in my garden. If you’re anything like me,

The repeating red hues of this garden help to unify the landscape in spite of the many different types of plants used.

you love plants. You love getting creative and experimenting with new plants and bulbs that add a different twist to your garden and make it stand out from all the rest.

While creativity and boldness are great attributes of wonderful gardeners, sometimes this “all caution to the wind” approach can leave a garden looking random and not extremely pleasing to the eye. While each individual plant was selected for its unique and excellent characteristics, planting too many different varieties and not enough of each can create more of a jumbled mess then anything else. Does this mean you have to give up your love for trying new things and being adventurous? Most definitely not! By paying attention to the following attributes while selecting your plants, you can create a garden space that is not only interesting but also pulls the eye in with common characteristics which will lead the on-looker visually through the garden:

Color: Most everyone has at least two or three colors which they find most pleasing in the the landscape. So you want to try allium and coneflowers? Why not stick within the same “color palette” rather than trying to do too much with a little space? This can be done with many different plants. If you’re in love with daffodils but want to avoid the “one of everything” look, try repeating the yellow of the center of the daffodil in the petals of another. By playing off some of the insignificant colors of one flower, you can make a much more “connected” and cohesive look with all of the other flowers.

Texture: So you’re in love with ornamental grasses but don’t want to stick to just one variety. That’s fine! Plant clusters of like-varieties throughout your garden space to carry on the theme. If you’re big into succulents but still want variety and interest, couple them with

The pure yellow daffodils intermixed with the others helps to bring out the yellow centers of the white blooms.

other plants of the same texture like Hens and Chicks or different varieties of the sedum. The same can be true of bulbs. If you love the thin, elegant foliage of the dutch iris, planting it among another thin-leafed perennial like daylilies can help blend the two plant types together.

If you’ve found something you like in the garden, stick with it! Want to add variety? Go right ahead! Just remember to try to avoid the “hodge podge” look by playing off some of the key elements. This will add harmony to your landscape and be very pleasing to eyes of all who pass by!

Until next time,

Have a question about which fall planted bulbs to plant in your garden or any other bulb gardening topic? Ask Bridget! Email her at bridget@bulbblog.com! If she features your question in a future post, you’ll receive a Holland Bulb Farms coupon for your next order with Holland Bulb Farms!

This ‘F.M. Joyner’ Caladium is a great spring planted bulb for a garden which gets large amounts of shade in the summer. 

Spring or Fall Bulbs: Who Says You Have to Choose?

“I had planted fall bulbs in a small garden area and now I am wondering if I am able to plant Spring bulbs in the same garden without hurting the daffodils, tulips, hyacinths, and crocus?”

~Paula

One of my readers, Paula, asked the above question in a recent email. And this is how I answered: ABSOLUTELY! Making use of the same garden space to plant both summer-/fall-blooming and spring-blooming bulbs is a great use of different plants for year round color! Planting dahlias and gladiolus next to daffodils and tulips is not only a good idea, it is a necessity for an “all bulb garden”. Here are three quick tips when planning a garden of this kind:

1. Be sure you know where your previously planted bulbs are located, or be prepared to accidentally dig some up . The best course of action is to plant your fall planted bulbs FIRST, and then plant your spring planted bulbs while your spring bloomers are actively growing. This way you will know exactly where the other bulbs are planted. If this does not work for you, simply mark the plants with small popsicle sticks while they are growing. This will tell you approximately where not to dig when you go to plant your bulbs for the next season.
2. If you do accidentally unearth a bulb which you did not intend to, simply re-plant it at the appropriate depth. Chances are, it will still come up at the correct time if the roots were not badly damaged.
3. Consider the sunlight conditions in the designated area carefully when selecting your bulbs. Just because tulips (which like full sun) do well in your flowerbed, does not necessarily mean that canna lilies (which also require full sun) will do well. Keep in mind that a place in your yard which receives full sun in the early spring time, may not receive this much sun once all of the trees have leafed out. In some cases, you may need to select full sun bulbs for planting in the fall but ones which can withstand partial shade in the summer months (which are planted in the spring).

So go for it! Be daring and plant both types of bulbs in the same garden! I promise: they’ll get along just fine And congratulations to Paula for having her question featured in this post! She now has an extra $5.00 to spend on her spring planted bulbs from Holland Bulb Farms!

Spring is here!

Until next time,

Got a gardening question and need some help? Why not ask Bridget?! Send your question to bridget@bulbblog.com. If she features your question in a blog post, you’ll receive a coupon for $5.00 off your next order with Holland Bulb Farms!