Gardens Alive Design

Duvall

Gardens Alive Design

Landscape Design

By: Kirsten Lints

November 18, 2008

Theme: The plants that enhance.  The fact that you already have a wonderfully planted and maintained front yard and built bed in the back in which to add perennials is a gardeners dream.  The final product will enhance the backdrop of your home and native trees, add spring-time appeal

and value to an already established yard. 

Focusing on low maintenance, drought tolerant, native, and spring blooming; this design is in keeping with your needs.  With the foundation already present, planting the correct plants to both front and back beds will add the touch that make the yards sparkle.

Regardless of your future plans, your yard should inspire, motivate and add enjoyment to your soul.  In keeping with your needs of low maintenance, spring blooming, and hardy plants that will grow well in mostly native soils; my hope is that your yard will be a source of pleasure. 

With a home that is cream colored with sage trim and dark metal accents; plants with glossy, dark-green evergreen leaves and spring blooming perennials of blue-purple, red and white flowers will add much to the landscape plants present.  Besides adding lots of color, the varieties of plants suggested also are workers, add much interest, and are the popular yet crowd-pleasing colors in gardening.  Be sure to add large blocks of the same plant for a tidy look, which the landscape drawing illustrates. 

Repeating themes such as large sharp boulders that are used as the retaining wall will add quite a touch to any flower bed.  They could be added anywhere to add interest and soften the scape.  Be sure to add the same style of rock throughout front and back beds to add interest and create year round texture.

To optimize the view from the street and create an eye catching entry, add plants and compost that freshen and liven up the front beds.  Tying the front and back yards together by adding some of the same plants to both locations and adding more of plants that are already established are also major considerations.  My suggestion is to transplant shrubs that are better as backdrops to the backyard and replace with spring blooming evergreens that highlight the entry.

For both the front and back yards, good quality compost must be added to ensure the health of the plants.  Then add the largest shrubs and working to fill in with the smallest flowers.  Don’t forget to shop at the 2 for 1 sale at Molbaks late June or early July, if you are still looking for perennials at that time.  Plants from Molbaks are reliable and carry a one year guarantee.  They also have an early bagged and burlap sale for nursery items in February or earlier.

Quality bulbs can be purchased from http://www.brentandbeckysbulbs.com

Some suggested plants to add to your front landscape include;  

December thru May

Viburnum tinus ‘Spring Bouquet’

            This versatile evergreen shrub is truly easy to grow. Dark green foliage offsets the fragrant white blooms in late winter and spring as well as the metallic blue berries in summer.  Growing six feet high and eight feet wide when mature, ‘Spring Bouquet’ has a compact habit that showcases both flowers and berries.

December thru May

Winter Heath - Erica carnea ‘Porter’s Red’, ‘Springwood White’, or Erica × darleyensis ‘White Perfection’(less hardy but twice as large when mature) – pick one for throughout the yards

            Heaths produce the most flowers in full sun. Plant them in well-drained soil to prevent root rot. If soil has high clay content, add plenty of sand or compost to increase drainage. Heaths have very fine roots, so give them regular watering during summer dry spells to prevent root damage. Heaths also require acidic soil so add no lime to these plants. After the blossoms have faded, gather all the branches together, as though you were making a pony tail, and clip them neatly across their tips. This will remove most of the faded flowers and encourage growth from the center of the plant.  Grows 4 to 6 inches high and 12 to 18 inches wide. 

Early Spring

Star magnolia - Magnolia stellata ‘Waterlily’

              Flowers perfume the air with a delicate, but substantial, fragrance. ‘Waterlily’ blooms one to two weeks later than typical star magnolias, giving it the advantage of missing some of the late frosts. It grows into a large, rounded shrub or can be trained into a small tree with careful pruning. Star magnolias get golden fall color and have an attractive, somewhat twiggy branching structure of soft, grey branches. Be careful when gardening under magnolias as their roots are fleshy and easily damaged. It flowers best when planted in full sun but also grows well in half day sun or bright open shade. Good soil is important for this plant. Give it well-drained, fertile, humus-rich soil and regular summer watering. Little pruning is required other than removing dead and broken limbs or rubbing and crossing branches. Pruning is best done after flowering. Too much pruning can cause suckers that spoil the natural beauty of this plant. The best approach is to give star magnolias plenty of width and to leave them alone. A ten-year-old plant reaches 8 to 12 feet tall and 7 to 10 feet wide. Mature specimens can reach up to 20 feet tall with time, spreading to 15 to 18 feet.

Early Spring

Crocus with white flowers

    One of the first flowers of spring, they may even peek through some of the last snows for a sweet touch.  Plant 10-15 bulbs/square foot and 3 inches deep by digging a wide deep hole and backfill.  These bulbs are easy to plant, spread, shrivel into very little after blooming, and continue to come back with no work each year.  They grow 3-6” high, depending on the variety chosen.

April thru frost

Lithodora

            Certainly a high performer in the garden with an early bloom at the same time as daffodils and tulips and it doesn’t stop until frost.  This low maintenance plant can withstand drought and poor soils and will even self seed if left undisturbed.  Prune back by 1/3 in July if it looks lanky and it will refill nicely.  Grows 6” tall and 2 feet wide.

June thru frost

Perennial geranium - Geranium 'Rozanne'

            An outstanding hardy geranium. It is noted for its long bloom time – from June until frost in some areas – producing many large, 2½-inch, clear blue flowers with white centers. These rise above the leaves to about 15 inches high. The foliage of Rozanne forms a tidy mound to about 10 inches high and 18 inches wide.  This hardy geranium prefers full sun, fertile, humus-rich soil and regular water during summer dry spells. It does not tolerate poor drainage, especially in winter. Cut the stems and leaves to the ground in late fall as they turn brown and mushy.  Rozanne is a deciduous, herbaceous perennial that has trailing stems with deeply cut leaves. It mounds to 15 inches high and 18 inches wide.

Year round

Convex-leaf Japanese holly - Ilex crenata ‘Convexa’

            This form of Japanese holly, Ilex crenata ‘Convexa’, is fast growing and is a very good hedge either sheared or un-sheared. It is a handsome utility plant that is durable alternative to the slower growing boxwood. Sheared it is best when the ultimate desired size is 4 to 5 feet high and the same width or left to grow un-sheared 5 to 6 feet high and wide. Dark evergreen leaves that are convex easily distinguish the selection and make an elegant backdrop to the flower garden or provide strong form in architectural gardens. Ilex crenata ‘Convexa’ is durable, plastic and easy to manage; a real workhorse in the garden.  Sun to part-shade and drought tolerant this plant is adaptable to clay and sandy soils. If shearing as a hedge you will need to clip it twice in June and then late July or early August. It grows more rapidly than boxwood but is more durable as well.  Left un-clipped Ilex crenata ‘Convexa’ will grow as a spreading shrub 5 to 6 feet high and 8 to 10 feet across.

The Backyard

Continuing the theme that you have established in the front will create continuity; evergreen, spring color, large masses of the same plant, and a thick layer (6-10 inches) of composted must be added.  Fertilizing will be not needed if good compost is added each year.  Compost added each year also decreases watering needs and smothers weeds seeds therefore decreasing many gardening chores and improving the vigor of the plants.  If it isn’t possible to add this much compost to the back bed because of the steep slope, existing soil will need to be removed.  I would be happy to take all of your extra soil and rock.  Purchase composted manure from Hollandia, Pacific Topsoil ($35/pick up load of dark quality top soil), or Dwayne on

Adding the same plants and rocks that are in the front will tie the yards together.  Repeating themes such as large sharp boulders that are used as the retaining wall will add quite a touch to any flower bed.  They could be added anywhere to add interest and soften the scape.  Be sure to add the same style of rock throughout front and back beds to add interest and create year round texture.  For a polished & professional look, use an edger stone around all flower beds and match the stone used for the retaining walls in the front and back yards.  Other ideas to incorporate stone into the landscape are in the photos below.        

Some suggested plants to add to your back landscape include;

Year round

Gaultheria shallon - Salal

The single best ground cover for northwest gardens, salal is a do it all plant. Long recognized as one of the best foliage plants for flower arranging, it is also one of the most adaptable in the native repertoire. It can be grown short, if pruned back, hedged into wave like drifts, allowed to grow rampant and irregular. It will also grow where almost nothing else will, in deep under story forest groves, moist or dry soils, in full sun or deep shade.  It has shiny evergreen leaves, white to pink flowers and purplish/black berries.  2-6’ tall and wide.  Can be purchased from the Snohomish Conservation District sale.

Year round

            Varigated redtwig dogwood - Cornus alba ‘Elegantissima’

            Variegated redtwig dogwood is a work-horse shrub, giving a great deal for the little it asks in the way of care and attention. In the spring, bright gray-green leaves emerge with a wide, irregular margin of pure white. Enjoy its autumnal display of gold, apricot and rose-red. Once the leaves have dropped in late fall, its vibrant red stems are revealed, adding interest to the winter scene. Once the shrub is established, it grows quickly and won’t miss armfuls of branches; bring them indoors for arrangements or place them in your containers of dormant perennials and decorate them with white lights for winter festivities. The stems of this shrubby dogwood are brightest red when they are young. To encourage this new growth, cut a few (or all, if desired) stems to about six inches above the ground in late winter. Variegated redtwig dogwood is a deciduous shrub that can eventually get to 10 feet high and wide, but it can easily kept smaller with pruning. It gradually spreads from the base, sending out upright shoots with red twigs.  Purcased from the Snohomish Conservation District sale is red osier dogwood.

Year round

Holly – Ilex meserveae; ‘Blue Boy,’ ‘Blue Girl,’ ‘Blue Prince,’ ‘Blue Princess,’ ‘China Boy,’ ‘China Girl,’ ‘Berry Magic’ & ‘Ebony Magic’

If you want lots of berries and beautiful holly foliage, these hybrids listed above are not only beautiful year round but also are not invasive as is the common holly. With its bright red berries (found only on female plants), and shiny evergreen leaves; it grows as a shrub or tree. The fragrant male and female flowers are found on separate trees; they occur in clusters, and are white in color. The dark green leaves are spiny, and have a waxy texture.  To give your holly shapes of your own choosing, prune back the tips of the current season's growth in late summer, autumn, or winter. All are evergreen with a dense habit and take heavy pruning.  If you have an old holly plant on your landscape which you wish to rejuvenate, 'hat rack' it in late winter by cutting back the branches by half to three-quarters of their length. The remaining plant will have few leaves and look like a hat rack, but in spring it will flush out with new foliage from all the pruning cuts. In two to three years, it will be fully covered in leaves. Hat racking will result in a plant much reduced in size, but still full of foliage.  All above cultivars reach 15-18 feet or less. 

Year round

Dryopteris erythrosora – Autumn fern

Autumn fern is an easy-to-grow evergreen fern that features bronzy-red new growth. Upright young fronds contrast nicely with the glossy, dark green mature fronds. The overall effect is quite colorful throughout the growing season, with coloration more pronounced in bright light conditions. Dryopteris erythrosora spreads slowly by underground rhizomes, becoming a groundcover in time. It grows well in part shade, where it is fairly drought tolerant. If desired, old fronds can be removed at their bases in March if they look weather beaten after winter. Dryopteris erythrosora is an evergreen fern that grows up to 24 inches high and wide. Also suggested are deer fern & sword fern which can be purchased from the Snohomish Conservation District sale.

Year round

Cotoneaster adpressus ‘Little Gem’

Cotoneaster adpressus ‘Little Gem’ is a dense, semi-evergreen, compact grower that produces brilliant red berries and is very easy to grow. Multifaceted, this cotoneaster can be used as a groundcover, in foundation plantings, as edging at the front of beds, in rock gardens, and it looks nice cascading over banks and retaining walls. ‘Little Gem’ requires very little pruning, usually just damaged branches but will take a hard pruning to produce a tighter plant or to renovate an older plant. Cotoneaster adpressus ‘Little gem’ grows best in a moist but well drained soil in full sun. It is a very adaptable plant and will tolerate part shade and a variety of soil conditions. It is also very drought tolerant once established. Because it will root-in when branches come in contact with the soil it makes a terrific groundcover plant. It has small, ½ inch, dark green leaves with small rose-tipped white flowers in spring and dark red fruit in the fall. As an added bonus, in fall its foliage changes to flaming red. This plant will only reach about 12 inches in height and has a spread of about 24 inches.

December thru May

            Viburnum tinus ‘Spring Bouquet’

            This versatile evergreen shrub is truly easy to grow. Dark green foliage offsets the fragrant white blooms in late winter and spring as well as the metallic blue berries in summer.  Growing six feet high and eight feet wide when mature, ‘Spring Bouquet’ has a compact habit that showcases both flowers and berries.

December thru May

            Winter Heath - Erica carnea ‘Porter’s Red’, ‘Springwood White’, or Erica × darleyensis ‘White Perfection’(less hardy but twice as large when mature)

            Heaths produce the most flowers in full sun. Plant them in well-drained soil to prevent root rot. If soil has high clay content, add plenty of sand or compost to increase drainage. Heaths have very fine roots, so give them regular watering during summer dry spells to prevent root damage. Heaths also require acidic soil so add no lime to these plants. After the blossoms have faded, gather all the branches together, as though you were making a pony tail, and clip them neatly across their tips. This will remove most of the faded flowers and encourage growth from the center of the plant.  Grows 4 to 6 inches high and 12 to 18 inches wide. 

Early Spring

Japanese flowering cherry - Prunus ‘Berry’ cascade snow ™

In spring the tree is covered with large, single, snow-white blossoms. The foliage that follows is dark green and looks great throughout the summer. In autumn the leaves change to shades of yellow and bronzy orange.  Prunus ‘Berry’ CASCADE SNOW™ prefers full sun and well-drained soil. It grows best when given regular summer watering. This flowering cherry forms a broadly columnar tree reaching 18 feet high and wide in ten years, maturing at about 25 feet high by 20 feet wide. Most cherry trees develop thick roots near the soil’s surface, so they should not be planted too near pavement. 

Early Spring

Red flowering currant - Ribes sanguineum

            The native flowering currant welcomes spring with a showy array of rosy-pink buds softening to a rich, clear pink. The early spring flowers have a spicy fragrance and are a favorite of over-wintering hummingbirds. This deciduous shrub is a vigorous grower and a reliable performer in the garden.  Tough and durable, flowering currant tolerates poor soils and drought once established. In very dry locations, occasional summer watering will promote better growth. The best bloom is in full sun, but it will still have plenty of flowers in partial sun and bright open shade. Very little pruning is required to maintain the loose upright habit. If a branch strays too much out of bounds it can be removed. Plants will often sucker to form a small patch.  This deciduous shrub has a loose upright, branching habit, maturing to a soft oval shaped outline. A ten year old plant is about 7 to 8 feet tall and about 6 to 7 feet wide.  Can be purchased from the Snohomish Conservation District sale.

Early Spring

Star magnolia - Magnolia stellata ‘Waterlily’

            Flowers perfume the air with a delicate, but substantial, fragrance. ‘Waterlily’ blooms one to two weeks later than typical star magnolias, giving it the advantage of missing some of the late frosts. It grows into a large, rounded shrub or can be trained into a small tree with careful pruning. Star magnolias get golden fall color and have an attractive, somewhat twiggy branching structure of soft, grey branches. Be careful when gardening under magnolias as their roots are fleshy and easily damaged. It flowers best when planted in full sun but also grows well in half day sun or bright open shade. Good soil is important for this plant. Give it well-drained, fertile, humus-rich soil and regular summer watering. Little pruning is required other than removing dead and broken limbs or rubbing and crossing branches. Pruning is best done after flowering. Too much pruning can cause suckers that spoil the natural beauty of this plant. The best approach is to give star magnolias plenty of width and to leave them alone. A ten-year-old plant reaches 8 to 12 feet tall and 7 to 10 feet wide. Mature specimens can reach up to 20 feet tall with time, spreading to 15 to 18 feet.

Early Spring

Crocus with white flowers

            One of the first flowers of spring, they may even peek through some of the last snows for a sweet touch.  Plant 10-15 bulbs/square foot and 3 inches deep by digging a wide deep hole and backfill.  These bulbs are easy to plant, spread, shrivel into very little after blooming, and continue to come back with no work each year.  They grow 3-6” high, depending on the variety chosen.

March - July 

Dicentra spectabilis ‘Alba’ – White bleeding heart

A fun alternative to the native bleeding heart, this varieity has ferny leaves & white blooms that occur almost simultaneously at the start of Spring. It flowers endlessly from April to July. D. spectabilis clumps commonly go dormant in summer, but if it is in a shady spot with persistent moisture, they can retain their spring leaves up until there is a real heatwave. When the weather cools in autumn, 'Alba' has a significant rebloom. It dies back in winter, reappearing quite suddenly in March. White bleeding heart likes moist rich soil, in bright or dappled shade. Although they love our Northwest acidic soils, their actual ideal is neutral to slightly alkaline pH, so can be planted almost anywhere that is cool & moist.  Alba easily self seeds and can be spread like foxglove. It can easily grow to three feet high & fountaining outward to two feet or wider.

Mid-March

Daffodil varieties that naturalize include; Ice Follies, Tete-a-Tete, Flower Record, Delibes, Unsurpassable, Barrett Browning, Scarlet Gem, Geranium, Cheerfulness, Peeping Tom, Mount Hood, Spellbinder and Carlton (photos are in order of names listed above)

            Daffodil are the most effective, long term perennial available.  The daffodils listed above are naturalizing, meaning that they will come back every year.  Planted behind a short shrub and in front of a perennial, its leaves that need to die back naturally will be covered by the surrounding plants.  Tidying by cutting off browned leaves is only necessary where seen.  Plant 3x the height of the bulb by putting 10 – 12 bulbs about 3” apart/round hole.  Each hole should be about 1 foot apart.

Early April

            Galium odoratum; Sweet woodruff

            If you are looking for a quick growing ground cover to use throughout the back landscaping, this vigorous grower will not disappoint.  Sweet woodruff is very attractive and has fine-textured in foliage, forming a solid mat of dense groundcover with small white flowers.  When crushed, the foliage smells like sweet freshly-mown hay.  It grows 6-12” tall and blooms in late spring. 

April thru frost

Lithodora

            Certainly a high performer in the garden with an early bloom when daffodils and tulips begin and it doesn’t stop until frost.  This low maintenance plant can withstand drought and poor soils and will even self seed if left undisturbed.  Prune back by 1/3 in July if it looks lanky and it will refill nicely.  Grows 6” tall and 2 feet wide.

June thru frost

Perennial geranium - Geranium 'Rozanne'

            An outstanding hardy geranium. It is noted for its long bloom time – from June until frost in some areas – producing many large, 2½-inch, clear blue flowers with white centers. These rise above the leaves to about 15 inches high. The foliage of Rozanne forms a tidy mound to about 10 inches high and 18 inches wide.  This hardy geranium prefers full sun, fertile, humus-rich soil and regular water during summer dry spells. It does not tolerate poor drainage, especially in winter. Cut the stems and leaves to the ground in late fall as they turn brown and mushy.  Rozanne is a deciduous, herbaceous perennial that has trailing stems with deeply cut leaves. It mounds to 15 inches high and 18 inches wide.

Extras

A very inexpensive way to cover any bare patches in shade or sunny beds that you want to smother the weeds and add texture is to simply and quickly poke in tons of nasturtium seeds of various colors; red, orange, yellow in early May.  The spread very nicely and have wonderful leaves.  The flowers can be snacked upon for the sweet nectar in the bottom of the tube or even the entire flower eaten in a salad for a radish-like zip.  They can even self seed for the following year!          

Garden art should be placed where it is framed against a background or contrasting in front of another element or nestled amongst some plants.  In selecting garden art, choose pieces that fit with the feel of your home and family but also feel free to pick a piece that inspires, reminds, or makes one smile.

Gardening Calendar

January          

February

March

            Prune red twig dogwood, cotoneaster, cherry, and holly if desired.

April

            Plant containers but move inside if a frost occurs.

May

            Prune heath, viburnum after bloom is finished and star magnolia, if needed.

            Tidy daffodil and fern after they turn brown by sweeping under other perennials or cutting.

June

            Prune Japanese holly for shape.

Be sure to water every day during the hot parts of the summer.  Using a soaker hose and timer are recommended for at least 5 minutes twice daily.

July

            Prune lithodora and currant if needed.

August

            Prune Japanese holly for shape.

September

October

            Remove brown parts of geranium and bleeding heart plants if necessary.

November

December

Month 1 Landscaping  - January

            Add 6-10” of composted manure and/or nutrient rich topsoil. 

Line beds with rock that matches existing retaining walls.

Add rocks and garden art.  

Add gravel to walk area beside garage.

Order Conservation District Sale items.

Month 2 Landscaping  - February

            Price items needed for landscaping.

            Check at Molbaks for bagged and burlap sale and plant if possible.

Year 3 Landscaping  - March

            Pick up plants from Conservation District Sale and plant the same day.

Add pots and hanging baskets to front door entry, bring in if a freeze occurs.

Early in the month, move all plants listed on landscape drawing to back flower bed.       

            Late in the month, purchase and plant all other plants.

If I were to add one element of my own; it would be to create something that symbolizes your family; maybe 4 rocks in an arrangement that symbolize your family, maybe 2 large branches creatively interwoven, or maybe a sculpture placed somewhere that stirs happiness, rejuvenation, and strength.

You have a wonderful sense of maintenance and color that I hope you take what I have created and make it your own to fit with the lifestyle of your family.  Break down the big tasks and set goals to accomplish what you have in mind and set aside the time on the calendar.  Also, stick to the 3 month plan for financial reasons and a sense of balance. 

Please know that I am here to help support you in the steps needed.  I would love to chat about challenges and accomplishments.  It was my pleasure to create, inspire, and dream for you.  I hope that looking out your windows makes you smile.

Please let me know if you have further questions, concerns, or needs.  Most of all have fun!

Happy Gardening;