How to Design Exciting Flowerbeds Throughout the Seasons; a book review for Bookpleasures.com

Perennial Companions: 100 Dazzling Plant Combinations for Every Season, Tom Fischer, Richard Bloom & Adrian Bloom, Timber Press

Tom Fischer never fails to dazzle us when he produces his little gems of garden books. This publication contains unusually beautiful photographs that reproduce the intense pleasure that only flower gardening can provide. There are one hundred plant combinations portrayed in this book, not only to admire, but also to inspire readers to create their own beautiful flowerbeds throughout the blooming seasons. For sourcing these exquisite images, we are grateful to the very talented Richard Bloom and Adrian Bloom.

a midsummer to late summer combinationPhoto credit: Richard Bloom and Adrian Bloom, used with permission.Once the gardener has become accustomed to selecting, planting, growing, and caring for perennials, the next step is to use plants to compose visually exciting compositions. Some call it nature’s eye candy. For this project, the garden is a canvas, and the plants are paint colors and texture. This is about flowerbed design and one does not need a Bachelor of Fine Arts with a major in Design to understand or master it. All it takes is patience and a love for experimentation. Moving plants around, until a beautiful combination is achieved, is not difficult work.

Composing with flowers and foliage is an opportunity for gardeners to connect with the creative side of their brain and to have some fun. By using one’s imagination, one’s eyes, and a shovel, the experimentation does not have to be hard work. If anything, it is quite enjoyable and rewarding. Given the thousands of perennials available for us to work with, and the extraordinary range of plants' shapes, colors and textures, the possibilities for beautiful flower combinations are endless.

early summer combinationPhoto credit: Richard Bloom and Adrian Bloom, used with permission.The purpose of this book, therefore, is to act as inspiration, to help unleash the creativity that lays hidden deep within all of us. No one is exempt from creativity. It is there; one just has to find a way to connect with and coax it out. The visual inspiration contained within this book is for just such a purpose. Open up any page and, instantly, one may become smitten by the beauty of the seasonal compositions.

To achieve this powerful affect, Richard Bloom and Adrian Bloom photographed eye-catching flowerbeds in many world-class gardens. In the UK they found :- Bressingham Gardens, in Norfolk, Eastgrove Garden Cottage Nursery, in Worcestershire, Glen Chantry, in Essex, Hulwood Barn, in Suffolk, Lady Farm, in Somerset, Merriments Garden, in East Suffolk, The Picton Garden, in Worcestershire, RHS Wisley, in Surrey, Scampton Hall Garden, in North Yorkshire, and The Thumbit, in Suffolk.

In the USA, the gardens that were sourced are: - Chanticleer Garden, in Wayne, Pa., New York Botanical Garden, in Bronx, NY., and Dennis Schrader’s and Bill Smith’s Garden, in Mattituck, NY. Some of the designers whose work is represented in this compilation of seasonal beauty include Adrian Bloom, Judy Pearce, Tom Stuart-Smith, Piet Oudolf, and Ann James.

mid-spring to late spring combinationPhoto credit: Richard Bloom and Adrian Bloom, used with permission.So that there is no mistake about the artistic purpose of the book, only some technical information about portrayed plants is provided; the author wisely recommends further online research for any needed elaboration. After all, this publication is a visual stimulant, not a primer.

Although I have written about this before, it must be repeated that the beautiful graphic design, that identify Tom Fischer’s Timber Press books, transform them into thrilling must-haves for gardeners - books so versatile that they may also serves as hospitality gifts, token presents, and stocking stuffers.

Hemerocallis Sticker Shock; Eye-catching, Expensive Daylilies

Every season, in early January, the daylily catalogues arrive like precise clockwork. I am deliberating whether or not I will order more fans this year for a garden that cries out enough hemerocallis already! Being the undisciplined plant collector that I am, it’s difficult to resist adding more.

To deflect attention away from the empty order sheet that wants to be filled, I decided to play a mind game. Using the catalogue from Hemerocallis Montfort, a local grower in the foothills of the Laurentian Mountains, I made a hypothetical collection of those plants that combine strong, eye-catching visuals, with high to very high prices tags. By coincidence, most of the selection is better suited for a hot-colored garden.

Long hours and much energy are invested in breeding new varieties of hemerocallis. Primarily, that accounts for the higher prices. It will take from three to six years before they become more affordable. Until then, this assortment will not appear on my to buy list. 

 Bass Gibson is  bright yellow and orange with exceptionally toothy edges. Strong thick scapes grow 32 inches high, with 3 to 5 branches, flowers measure 5.5 inches and are sunfast until late afternoon. Plant  produces 20 to 30 buds, dormant foliage, and blooms early to mid season.

Running Hot has flowers that bloom red with a ruffled gold edge and measure 6.5 inches. The scapes reach 28 inches high, with wide laterals, 4-way branching, and 30 to 35 buds. With beautiful low arching evergreen foliage, it blooms early to mid season.

Jennifer Trimmer produces blooms that measure 6 ¾” in lavender purple with watermark and knobby gold edge, foliage is evergreen, and scapes are 30 inches tall. The breeder is so impressed with the appearance of this variety that he has named it after his daughter. It blooms early to mid season with repeats.

Ruckus  has blooms measuring 5.5 inches on 28 inch scapes. Flowers are yellow with brushed cinnamon rose highlights with fireworks all over the petal edges and most of the sepal edges, flowers midseason, dormant foliage.

Dances with Giraffes produces two branches of very tall scapes reaching  60 inches high, with massive cascading blooms that measure 8 inches across, flowering medium late with a 26 bloom count, in gold yellow with a green throa; foliage is dormant.

Kathrine Marin has a watermark on cherry pink coloring with wide, knobby creamy-gold edges. The 6-inch flowers are borne on strong 33-inch scapes, having 3 to 4 branches. Each branch has 5 to 7 buds, creating a high bud count, foliage is semi evergreen and flowers bloom mid season to late.

Orange Grove  produces a flower in pumpkin orange with red eye and serrated edge. Its tall elegant scapes reach 33 inches high and hold flat heavy iridescent blooms that measure 6.5 inches across in an outfacing manner for perfect viewing; 4-way branching (2 laterals plus terminal “y”), 35-40 buds, blooms early with repeats; evergreen foliage.

Brunnera Jack Frost; Does it Really Need a Perennial of the Year Award?

Photo by Walters Gardens, Inc.

Recently, the Perennial Plant Association selected Brunnera Jack Frost as Perennial of 2012. Many of my garden writing colleagues reported this news as the innocuous, recurring, marketing strategy that it is; except for one who was unhappy. This garden writer argued that such awards are responsible for taking exquisite, unusual, and beautiful perennials and turning them into common, over used ones. I disagree.

I believe that how a plant is used, that is, where it is placed and how it is combined with other plants, is more important than its exclusiveness. There are flowerbeds around the world that have been designed effectively with the most common perennials, and yet they capture our attention with their artistry.

For example, a wild Rudbeckia perennial self-seeded in one of my most successful flowerbeds. I used to dislike this plant; I was never a fan of its gold and black coloration, and it is seen in almost everyone's garden on the street.  Nevertheless, combined with the taupe-brown tone of the home’s façade, the yellow Rudbeckia’flowers looked amazing; they took my garden design to a level higher than I could ever have imagined possible.

I do not feel that my professionalism is compromised when an exquisite, rare, unusual plant earns award-winning status and becomes ubiquitous. I am unmoved when these gifted plants are used in every parking lot across the country. What I do care about is that they will be used. I, for one, will continue to design with them.

From a business perspective, it is effective marketing to designate one perennial as special. At the nursery or in a mail order catalogue, when a plant is flagged to be out of the ordinary, it draws consumers’ attention. That may determine which plants the customer will buy.

While this tactic may be of no value to seasoned, knowledgeable gardeners, I’ll bet it comes in handy for the less-than-omniscient gardener, overwhelmed by the vast number of plant options. Believe it or not, some are delighted to have choices made for them in the guise of an award winning perennial. It makes the selection of plants easier.

So thanks, but no thanks, for the Perennial of the Year awards. I don’t need them, neither do any of my colleagues. However, I know many gardeners who do. Anything that helps a homeowner create a more beautiful garden is an asset to our industry.

Photo by Walters Gardens, Inc.

With this year’s selection of Brunnera Jack Frost our secret is revealed. Now, EVERYONE will know about the sublimely beautiful shade plant that turned all my clients’ sunless gardens into sculptural collages. The texture of its foliage is a work of art and the white highlights on the green leaves capture daylight to make this plant glow in the shade.

Brunnera Jack Frost will illuminate a dark spot in the garden, from early spring until late fall. In spring, mature clumps of this no-care perennial will produce frothy bouquets of light-blue flowers to touch the hearts of all.

Oh! I forget to mention its elegance. Holy Cow, what elegance!  In every garden, no matter how messy or haphazard the flower composition, this plant exudes serenity and good taste.

If this perennial becomes over used, as it surely will by the end of the 2012 season, some designers will feel uncomfortable using it to create a flowerbed with an original, exclusive vision. That is exactly what lies at the heart of the disdain for the Perennial of the Year award. It may be good for retail business, but as designers, it’s not good for ours. Few, if any, should sympathize with us. Instead, rejoice that another great plant has been "found".

Farla's Flower Garden of Alphabet Verse

In winter, I look for indoor activities, away from home, that allow me to breathe in fresh air, as I transition from house to car to parking lot to building. One of my destinations is a community center where I joined a writers’ circle. Some members of this group are storytellers, others write poetry in free verse or iambic pentameter. One member, Margie Golick, is a talented, humorous, poet. She wrote the following as a birthday present for a friend. Astute gardeners, who might find exception to some of her botanical facts, should note that this writer’s expertise lies in rhyming couplets.

Flower Facts for Farla by Margie Golick 

Seeding, weeding, digging, hoeing; Like the Energizer Bunny, Farla keeps on growing.

In every single garden bed; Nature’s secrets A to Z.

AnemoneAloe, anemone, astilbe; We’re your friends and always will be.

BegoniaBluebells, buttercups, begonia; But you’re in your garden when we try to phone ya.

Campanula portenschlagianaCampanula, core-opsis; No time for a movie – Just read a synopsis.

Dahlia Mary's Jomanda Dandelion, daffodil, dahlia, daisy; No one would dare to call you lazy.

Echinacea Mama MiaEchinacea, edelweiss; A garden is a healthy vice.

FuchsiaFuchsia, foxglove, forget-me-not; (Unless they find you growing pot)

GerberaGerbera, gentian, and geranium; Guarantee a youthful cranium.

Fall HyancinthusHyacinth, heather, hollyhock; Hold you steady as a rock.

Iris versicolorImpatiens, ipomoea, iris; Impenetrable by any virus.

JasmineJack–in-the-pulpit, jonquil, jasmine; For sure you’ll never be a has-been.

KelpKeep your garden mulched with kelp; You’ll find this is a lot of help.

Mountain laurelNeed to patch a lover’s quarrel? Try lilac, lemon mint or laurel.

MimosaEverything will be hunky-dory; With mimosa, marigold, morning glory.

NasturtiumNarcissus, nasturtium, nightshade, nettle; Put a little in your kettle.

OleanderJust a whiff of oleander; Women flirt and men philander.

Shirley poppyRemember to think outside the box; With peony, poppy, petunia, phlox.

QuinceAnd always reserve a little space; For growing quince and Queen Anne’s lace.

Oso easy strawberry crush roseRosemary, rhododendron, rose; These will banish all your woes.                                                                                                            

Snapdragon frosty lavenderSalvia, snapdragon, sunflower, sedum; Got 'em, got ‘em, got ‘em, need ‘em.

TrilliumTiger lily, tulips, trilliums; Will bring you fortunes by the milliums.

Ulex europaeusYour beds will never be unruly; With ulex, ugni, and uhule.

VioletVenus fly trap, vio-let; Will also keep you out of debt.

Wisteria blutentraubenWeigela, wisteria, water lily; Keep you warm when the day is chilly.

XeranthemumXeranthemum if you want variety; Will bring you welcome notoriety.

YarrowWith yarrow, yucca, yam, and yew; You will never catch the flu.

Zinnia cherry double zaharaFrom Vancouver east to West Virginia; These facts hold true and I’ll be Zinnia.  

Gardening Eyes and the Grandmother Clock: Yes, There is a Relationship.

Eupatorium rugosum "Chocolate".The flowering perennial, Eupatorium “Chocolate”, is inappropriately located in my garden.  Unlike the other plants in the flowerbed, I derive no pleasure from staring at it, because it appears lonely and lost.  No one else notices that it is out of place, but I do.

The height of the plant is too short for its location, the brown shading of the leaves causes it to disappear into the brown slatted fence behind, and its white flowers are too insipid for the garden’s colorful composition. Yet, all who admire my garden comment on the rich, unusual color of its foliage, and on its regal and stately deportment.

Foliage of Eupatorium r. Chocolate. Copyright photo by http://www.robsplants.com/, used with permission. Click on image to link. Because of the opinions of others, I recognize that this plant has some redeeming value. In spite of what my eyes and brain tell me about its imperfections, the perennial is prominent in the eyes of my visitors and that is enough to stop me from digging it up and heaving it onto the compost heap.

One day, I must plant additional perennials nearby. A composition of several other taller and shorter plants will mitigate my perception of the Eupatorium, by contrasting its dark foliage and pale flowers with richer looking companions. Perhaps, when it is surrounded and enhanced by other plants, my eyes and my brain will be happy.

I experience a similar visual tension when I enter the home of my Boston-based children. There, I am confronted with an antique clock in the center hall. It appears to be just as lost, hanging alone on an empty wall, as the Eupatorium does growing in my garden.

Whenever I notice it, my eyes tell me that the clock needs a companion – a piece of furniture - to integrate it better into the room. With each visit, I desperately want to place a wood bench beneath it. Yet, I dare not share this critical vision with my children because, like the Eupatorium in my garden, the clock has a redeeming value to others that far surpasses the aesthetic disconnect that I feel.

With Roman numerals on its aged, ivory face – a reminiscence of Queen Victoria’s England - the wood-framed antique timepiece speaks of its long history. This austere-looking clock was a wedding present to my daughter and son-in-law from his grandmother. Instead of a monetary or utilitarian gift, she chose to buy the newlyweds an item that would perpetuate her memory in their lives.

Selecting and purchasing the gift was difficult for Grandma. Her frail physical condition made it challenging for her to leave home; when she did go out, her body’s low energy caused immense fatigue. Nevertheless, she considered a wedding gift for her grandson sufficiently important to ignore all of her ailments in order to shop.

The clock she selected is over one hundred years old. It and thousands like it once graced the walls of every railway station in the UK. When they were replaced with more accurate timepieces, hundreds of the old clocks were shipped to North America. There they were sold in quaint shops to unsuspecting neophyte antique collectors. According to experts, once these clocks break down, they will never again keep time, no matter how often they are repaired and regardless how qualified the watchmaker.

Yet, in spite of the fact that I perceive the clock to be out of place, and that it regularly stops working, my children do not intend to remove it. Like the stately, regal Eupatorium growing in my garden, this historical object has an undeniable prominence.

In the Midwest of America, where my son-in-law’s parents were raised, a present is considered holy. The energy and thought invested in selecting a gift is more important than its monetary worth or intrinsic utility. The gesture of generosity and thoughtfulness is its primary value. When my children made me aware of this Midwestern trait, I finally appreciated the importance of the clock in their lives.

Now, in my imagination, I can see passengers inside a Victorian railway station, staring at the clock. It hangs on the wall with authority, surrounded by oak benches that anchor it into the overall interior design. It is the most important item in the waiting room. Then, I envisage Grandma buying the clock in an antique shop and, suddenly, I notice her face break out with a smile of extreme satisfaction for having found a suitable present. Eventually, I see her exhausted and hobbling with pain - but never complaining - as she heads back to her car.

Like the visitors to my garden, who found regality in a plant that I disliked, I gained an appreciation for Grandma’s clock when I saw it through the eyes of my children.

Note:  The above image of foliage is the most accurate depiction of brown shading on the leaves of Eupatorium rugosum Chocolate. I found it via Google Images at www.robsplants.com.  Since all of Rob’s photos are copyrighted, it is used here with his permission, for which I am grateful. Readers who visit his garden website and click on the "photo" icon in the website banner will be rewarded with a large array of stunning close-ups of perennial flowers from USDA Zone 6.