Spring Plant Combinations for Seasonal Interest

Bridge the gap between daffodils and daisies with these uncommon designs

If you ’re world-weary with the time between fade spring ephemerals and blossom summertime beds , you ’re missing out on an exceptionally beautiful stop in the garden . The waking landscape painting declare oneself uncommon design hypothesis as it rise and falls through three sequential wave of ontogenesis . Short - experience bulbs are follow by longer - exist spring combinations , which are tailed by efflorescence that extend into summertime . Think back to last spring . Did you impatiently glance among the tulips ’ brown foliage for planetary house of emerging summer favourite ? If so , you ’re belike not get the most out of springtime . You should be too pleasantly cark by the season to be project into summertime . Look over the conform to combining , and consider adding some vernal vignette to your garden . Next spring , you ’ll wonder why you had n’t done so already .

A warm color enlivens spring greens

Most of the leaves in our gardens are green . A whole swath of green leaves creates a monochromic video display , which can cause the eye to glaze over . spicy colors are unusual in the beginning of the spring up full point , so tossing one into a commixture of like - colored cool look is a room to overtop attending . The red - hot fire hook in this compounding adds some liveliness to a verdant sameness of spruce , hops , and deodar cedarwood . smatter warm or cool tones onto the other can make an early - time of year combination as vibrant as any later in the year .

1 . prosperous hops(Humulus lupulus‘Aureus ’ , USDA Hardiness Zones 4–8 )

2 . Blue spruce(Picea pungenscv . , Zones 2–8 )

3 . cherry-red - hot poker(Kniphofiacv . , Zones 5–9 )

4 . Deodar cedar(Cedrus deodaracv . , Zones 6–9 )

Set the stage for fleeting beauty

Though saltation - blossom specimen trees are often the highlight of the early time of year , they should n’t be left to stand alone . Counter their blossoms with a base of dark colors and foliage . If there were no corresponding weight to the design , the many small blooms up high on the tree diagram would attend like an awkward , pigmented haze . The pink - dapple branches of this redbud are complemented by cotoneaster , yucca , and New Zealand flax . These support plants balance the design : flush up high-pitched , foliage down low . do summer , when the Cercis canadensis finishes its show and flip out , the cotoneaster will bloom and the flax will stand out in contrast to the tree ’s heart - shape leaves — an inversion of the early semblance and weight distribution .

1 . Redbud(Cercis canadensiscv . , Zones 4–9 )

2 . Yucca(Yuccacv . , zone 4–11 )

3 . New Zealand flax(Phormium tenaxcv . , Zones 8–11 )

4 . Cotoneaster(Cotoneastersp . , geographical zone 4–8 )

“Early season” doesn’t just mean “bloom season”

The texture and colour of young leaf add as much involvement to the garden as blossoms do . Though barberries book onto their leaves yr - around , they push out new growth in spring , which makes them appear more fresh and vivid . mate with the similarly refreshed false cypress and daphne , this agreement becomes a demonstration of other - time of year renewal . Combine different type of leaves in springtime combinations , and watch as they flush out in nappy harmony .

1 . ‘ Aurea Densa ’ false cypress(Chamaecyparis lawsonia‘Aurea Densa ’ , Zones 5–9 )

2 . ‘ Atropurpurea Nana ’ Nipponese barberry(Berberis thunbergii * ‘ Atropurpurea Nana ’ , zone 5–8 )

3 . Bonanza Gold ™ Nipponese barberry(Berberis thunbergii * ‘ Bogozam ’ , Zones 5–8 )

4 . ‘ Briggs Moonlight ’ daphne(Daphneburkwoodii‘Briggs Moonlight ’ , Zones 4–7 )

See invading alert below .

An airy arrangement lifts the mood

At this clip of yr , most branches are busy leafing out , so creating a light , airy look with shrub is easy . Pair twiggy stems with swaying flora so that passing gusts can summon them ; even the slight sway can produce a dainty display of lightness . The bloom of this azalea and unfolding Amygdalus communis seem in plenty . But because they ’re pocket-sized and sit on comparatively bare branches , they do n’t slip attention from the spirit house in front of them — the focal point of the design . The naked paperbush branches also sum up loft to this vignette . The flowers will eventually fade and the leaves will fill in the space left behind , but these long - limbed plants will remain to form a light backdrop to the impenetrable sculpture .

1 . ‘ Hino - ruby ’ azalea(Rhododendron‘Hino - ruby ’ , Zones 5–9 )

2 . ‘ Alba Plena ’ inflorescence almond(Prunus glandulosa‘Alba Plena ’ , Zones 5–8 )

3 . Paperbush(Edgeworthia chrysantha , zone 6–10 )

Use this season to try new perspectives

A alone citrus tree growing in a terra - cotta pot is a vulgar sight . This tangerine , set in an extralarge concrete container , is a bracing take on that ceremonious composition . The color of the yield in the tree is repeated by the flowers of the sedum in the container foundation , making this combining a block of color rather than just a tawny floating canopy . The ocean lavender planted at ground horizontal surface provide a complemental contrast , sum up to the overall drama of the scene . If there ’s something you ’ve wanted to try in the garden , like a unexampled plant , colouring , or design construct , this is the metre to go for it . An early - season experimentation might prove to be a stopper , like this one . If not , it will be a matter of the yesteryear in a issue of calendar week .

1 . Tangerine(Citrus reticulata , Zones 9–10 )

2 . Sedum(Sedumsp . , Zones 3–11 )

3 . Sea lavender(Limonium latifolium , Zones 7–9 )

Designs limited to only pastels look better on fabric - softener promotion , not in flower bed . Pairing idle coloring with more intensely pigment cousins keeps a combination from looking washed out . These pastel Oriental poppy are animate by the genus Tanacetum ’s deep pink flowers with vivid jaundiced centers , which provide exciting points of interest throughout the design . Once the poppy slice , the tanacetum will stay and be joined by other well - coordinated companions .

1 . Oriental poppy(Papaver orientalecv . , Zones 3–9 )

2 . ‘ Robinson ’s Red ’ tanacetum(Tanacetum coccineum‘Robinson ’s Red ’ , Zones 5–9 )

DESIGN TIPS

Four tasks worth your time

Antonio Reis is an assistant editor .

Photos : Allan Mandell ; Saxon Holt

*Invasive alert: Japanese barberry (Berberis thunbergii)

This plant is considered invasive in AL , CT , DE , GA , IA , IN , KS , KY , MA , MD , ME , MI , MN , NH , NJ , NY , PA , RI , SC , VA , VT , WI , and WV .

Please visitinvasiveplantatlas.orgfor more information .

ok Gardening Recommended product

A.M. Leonard Deluxe Soil Knife & Leather Sheath Combo

Fine Gardening receives a commissioning for items purchase through connection on this web site , including Amazon Associates and other affiliate advertising programs .

Get our late crest , how - to articles , and instructional videos sent to your inbox .

Signing you up …

8 Fantastic Fall Plant Combinations for Lovely Late-Season Gardens

Perfect Plant Combinations for the Mountain West

Designing a Garden in Layers

Plants for Property Lines

Join Fine Gardening for a free employ live webinar featuring Dr. Janna Beckerman , a renowned works diagnostician as well as professor emerita at Purdue University and the ornamental technical manager …

When I spotted a special sand dollar cactus ( Astrophytum asterias ) at the Philadelphia Flower Show a few month ago , I jazz I was in problem . With a delicious colour formula …

When we only prioritize plants we want over plant our landscape need , each time of year is filled with a never - stop list of chore : pruning , pinching , watering , treating , amending , and fertilizing , with …

Video

Touring an Eco-friendly, Shady Backyard Retreat

You must be careful when you inscribe the backyard of garden clothes designer Jeff Epping — not because you ’re likely to trip on something , but because you might be dive - bombed by a pair …