How can one call a garden a “no flower zone”? Aren’t gardens about flowers? Yes but…
Hostas and Ferns
This aphorism popped into my brain upon waking up one morning in early June and contemplating summer’s work ahead. Sure, upon arising, my wrist and back provided a keen reminder that indeed I had gained a handle on things. After all, by now the garden looked “presentable.” I had raked winter’s debris, yanked out dandelions and garlic mustard and spread the Moo Doo and mulch. How long would this last though?
Heading to my kitchen that looks out on the garden, I was contemplating the tasks ahead: cutting back columbines, bleeding hearts, and irises while digging out some of the alliums that multiply ad infinitum. Sure, they had all been a joy to behold but by now they had come and gone. To “go” any further though they would need my help…
Strolling out on the lawn with my mug of steaming coffee, I couldn’t help but hear the nagging words: “oh dear, those irises also need dividing” or: “ the time has passed to dispose of the drooping, yellowing daffodil leaves…” Glancing towards the peony buds, I could already envision them teeming with ants and soon turning brown and wilted. I rushed back into the house for another cup of coffee.
Although the British are known for their cottage gardens with ebullient colors galore, further south the Italians are credited with by their elegant outdoor rooms with peastone pathways following symmetrical lines, strategically placed emerald cypresses, fountains and, if you’re lucky a cool, hidden grotto. The borrowed landscape from rolling Tuscan hills doesn’t hurt either. On the other side of the globe, the Japanese are quintessentially minimalist with their carefully chosen and planted rocks and meticulously pruned woody plants. Splashes of hot colors can still emerge in key focal points when spring brings azaleas and fall chrysanthemums. And, yes, April’s cherry blossoms may also come and go, however, one of their “moments” includes carpeting the ground below with their delicate pink and white petals.
“Flowers have long been admired and used by humans to beautify their environment but also as objects of romance, ritual, religion, medicine and as a source of food.” (Wikipedia). However, in my book, they need not be a source of painstaking labor. How true this is as both we — and the garden, grow older. As so many landscape styles and traditions including contemporary trends show, less is more.
On a more practical level, where do we go from here? Shrubs, grasses, ferns and other foliage plants, set within attractive — and enduring — hardscapes such as stone walls, small granite boulders, bird baths or other water features, generously make up for the more labor intensive and ephemeral flowers. Of course, not all are difficult and summer annuals will splash us with blossoms until late September’s frost. Ah,…but don’t most annuals demand deadheading, watering and fertilizing? And while most deciduous shrubs do flower (after all, most plants rely on cross-pollination), they need not require painstaking deadheading to look attractive. And they certainly don’t require staking.
With abundant and subtle shades of green that run the gamut from silver blues to lime greens, a garden will look lush and distinguished. It is even exciting when jazzed up with variegated patterns and textures. Let’s not forget that many deciduous shrubs also come in shades of yellow (think Spirea ‘Mellow Yellow’), burgundy (think Smokebush) and even black. Sambucus or Elderberry ‘Black Lace’, aka “the poor man’s Japanese maple” is a knockout in any garden.
Smokebush
Finally, deciduous shrubs have the added advantage of participating in fall’s hot colors while evergreens hold their own and provide a reassurance that all is not lost.
This brings me to the loveliness of a garden with year around interest. As colors fade from the summer garden, I know I can look forward to splashes of color from the bright stems of my red-osier dogwoods (Cornus sericea ) or the less utilized lime green ‘Flaviramea’. And let’s not overlook berry producing shrubs such as cotoneaster, winterberry, and inkberry. Endowed with orange, fire engine reds or black shiny berries from fall to spring, they grow all the more stunning when seen against a carpet of white snow. Birds also love winterberries!
To expand the palette in the garden with colors reminiscent of straw, amber, copper and rust, ornamental grasses will always remain high on my list. Their summer inflorescences (grass flowers and seed heads) are dramatic and long lasting. Such inflorescences couldn’t be more graceful as the plants gently sway in the wind. With a little backlighting from a setting sun, grasses are pure magic. A visual delight.
Credit Rich Pomerantz
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