Planning for Spring…

Last weekend while many of you were busy in the kitchen prepping for your Thanksgiving dinner, I was in my front garden planting tulip and allium bulbs.  It was a warm, bright sunny day…not like in past years when my fingers were frozen to the bone!

Relative to a serious gardener (like Martha!), I’m just a rookie, making many rookie mistakes.  These mistakes are not only time consuming, but over the long run,  can be costly.

A friend who was visiting last week noticed that I had started digging holes to plant the tulips.  She questioned my strategy, saying she digs a trough instead.  I had already started writing this post at that time and read about how professional gardeners (and serious gardeners like Martha Stewart) lay out a plan and plant 100’s of tulips at once.  This ultimately guarantees a much superior showing in the spring.  My method is slow, backbreaking and offers only a spotty display.

Admittedly, my garden space is a fraction of the size in comparison, but as I was plodding along, I had an “ah-ah” moment.  Next spring, I want to fill in the blank spaces by layering from back to front to create a more lush landscape.   I now have a varied selection of white hydrangea, which makes up the foundation planting, but I need more variety to add foliage interest and flowering perennials that bloom throughout the spring/summer season.  I visualize the tulips I just planted fitting in nicely, but over the winter, I will be thinking of what else I can plant to complement this plan, all the while keeping in mind the formal design I’ve started.   My front garden faces north, so hostas and ferns may be good options.

 

PS:  These are the last of the peonies that I’ve saved in my fridge since June.  A bouquet of spring flowers in October is all the encouragement I need to start planning for next year.

xox Judy