A Couple of Spring Combinations for Sun & Shade

Magic happens when perennials are planted together beautifully. 

Experienced gardeners often become adept at creating pretty pairings, but even they will tell you that creating a nice mix of plants is often more a matter of trial and error than anything else. 

I think this is because there are so many potential considerations–color, texture, size, shape, and bloom time– that even instinct and experience are sometimes not enough. You just have to experiment and try things out. In this struggle to get it right, plants will sometimes become the unwitting participants in an elaborate game of musical chairs. 

There is no shame in moving plants around until your happy. It's precisely this type of challenge that makes gardening fun and rewarding. It's exciting when something you've struggled to create looks just as nice as you hoped it would.

Todays post uses two great spring plants; Euphorbia Polychroma (full sun) and Bleeding Heart, Dicentra spectabilis (part-shade/shade) to demonstrate a few ways color can be used to match plants together.

 

Euphorbia Polychroma in Combinations for Full Sun

Design Trick: An analogous color scheme makes use of colors that are next to one another on the color wheel. Blue sits next to green and green is right beside yellow. White simply adds freshness to the mix.

The plant pairing: Cushion Spurge, Euphorbia Polychroma + Forget-me-nots + White tulips (or late daffodils/narcissus).

The Plant Profiles:

Cushion Spurge, Euphorbia Polychroma: prefers full sun and somewhat dry conditions. Normal or sandy soil is best. Cut Euphorbia Polychroma back in early summer to keep it neat and compact, but be careful to wear garden gloves as the milky-white sap the plant extrudes can be irritating to skin. Height: 30-45 cm (12-18 inches), Spread: 45-60 cm (18-23 inches). USDA Zones: 3-9.

Forget-me-not, Myosotis alpestris is a compact plant that reseeds itself with abandon. This biennial likes light shade, but I find it will grow just about anywhere. Mid-spring, when the plant finishes flowering, I pull out most of my Forget-me-nots and leave just a few to reseed. This may sound like a lot of work, but you can't beat Forget-me-nots as an understory for spring bulbs and flowers. Start with a cheap packet of seed and you'll have Forget-me-nots forever!

 Euphorbia polychroma 'Bonfire' 

In this variation, which again uses a type of Euphorbia, two closely related colors (reddish-orange and apricot) sit comfortably beside one another. 

The plant pairing: Euphorbia polychroma 'Bonfire'+ Geum 'Mai Tai'. The peach flowers of the Geum emphasize the burnt-orangy-red (yellow when fully open) flower-like bracts of the Euphorbia.

Euphorbia polychroma 'Bonfire' in the foreground with Geum 'Mai Tai'

Looking at the combination in the opposite direction from the previous image.

The Plant Profiles:

Euphorbia polychroma 'Bonfire' has green foliage when it first emerges from the ground. The leaves quickly turns into a mix of burgundy and green. The "flowers" are actually bright orange and yellow bracts. In fall, the deep burgundy color seems to intensify and the plant becomes magical when covered with frost crystals. Full sun and normal or sandy, dry soil. This Euphorbia also has a milky sap that is irritating to skin, so it's a good idea to wear gloves when you are doing any pruning. Height: 25-30 cm ( 10-12 inches), Spread: 30-45 cm (12-18 inches). USDA Zones: 5-9.

Geum 'Mai Tai' forms a low mound of course green leaves. In early spring, soft apricot flowers are carried on tall branching stems. Removing faded flowers will encourage new buds. A hard pruning after the plant finishes flowering will also refresh the foliage. Divide in fall. Average garden soil and moisture conditions will work for this plant. Height: 40-45 cm (16-18 inches), Spread: 30-35 cm ( 12-14 inches). USDA zones: 5-9.

Bleeding Heart, Dicentra spectabilis in Combinations for Part-shade/Shade

Bleeding Heart, Dicentra spectabilis is an old-fashioned shade garden perennial that shines in spring. The pretty, almost fern-like foliage of Bleeding Heart appears in late April/early May and lasts well into mid-to-late-summer, when hot, dry summer conditions send the plant into dormancy. By then their fading foliage is usually hidden by other plants. The dangling heart-shaped flowers are a charming bonus and last into early June in my garden.

With its striking golden foliage and reddish stems Dicentra spectabilis, 'Gold Heart' is one of the nicest Bleeding Heart cultivars available. As you can see from the image below, 'Gold Heart' is a good-sized, bushy plant.

Dicentra spectabilis, 'Gold Heart' tucked in behind a hosta in a private garden in Mississauga, ON.

Design Trick: Mix warm colors together. Reds, oranges and yellows have an intensity and energy unmatched by cooler colors.

The plant pairing: Bleeding Heart, Dicentra spectabilis, 'Gold Heart' + any warm-colored Heuchera

One nice way to play up Gold Heart's color is to plant it with a Heuchera, another shade plant whose foliage is just as striking. Heuchera seems to be the darling of plant breeders these days, so there are an abundance of cultivars to choose from when it comes to creating a plant combination with a Bleeding Heart. I'll mention just two of the many possible options.

The mix of dark maroon Heuchera 'Cajun Fire' and 'Gold Heart' are a great example of two warm colors working in harmony. The reddish-brown foliage of Cajun Fire'  also emphasizes the Bleeding Heart's arching magenta stems.

Heuchera is a little slower to emerge in the spring, so the combination of the two plants should kick-in nicely just as the flowers of 'Gold Heart' start to fade. Heuchera is a smaller, more tightly mounded perennial than a Bleeding Heart, so plant a Heuchera to the front of a Bleeding Heart.

The Plant Profiles:

Bleeding Heart, Dicentra spectabilis, 'Gold Heart' has amazing golden foliage with reddish stems. The heart-shaped flowers are magenta. Bleeding Heart likes average to moist soil.  Part or full shade. Height: 60-90 cm (23-35 inches), Spread: 60-90 cm (23-35 inches). USDA zones: 2-9.

Heuchera 'Cajun Fire' has lobed foliage that is red in spring, turns black in summer and is maroon in the fall. The bell-shaped flowers are white. Part shade. Height: 25-30 cm (10-12 inches), Spread: 25-30 cm (10-12 inches). USDA zones: 4-9.

This combination with the peachy-magenta colored foliage of Heuchera 'Marmalade' is a similar combination of warm colors.

The Plant Profile:

Heuchera 'Marmalade' has foliage that varies in color from peachy-bronze to magenta. The tall flower sprays are brownish in color. Average garden soil and moisture conditions should be fine for this perennial. Part shade. Height: 25-40 cm (10-16 inches), Spread: 30-45 cm (12-18 inches). USDA zones: 4-9.

Another couple of combinations for shade using Bleeding Hearts:

Bleeding Heart, Dicentra spectabilis, 'Alba' (left) and Hosta 'Night Before Christmas' (right)

Design Trick: Another way to make a nice plant pairing is to pick a color from one plant and find a another plant with that same color. The delicate white flowers of Bleeding Heart, Dicentra spectabilis, 'Alba' works nicely with a hosta variegated with creamy white.

The plant pairing: Bleeding Heart, Dicentra spectabilis, 'Alba' + any hosta with creamy-white variegation. Here's just of the many hostas that might work:

The Plant Profiles:

Bleeding Heart, Dicentra spectabilis, 'Alba' has bright green foliage and white flowers. Height: 70-90 cm (27-35 inches), Spread: 70-90 cm (27-35 inches). Light shade to full shade. Average to moist soil. Hardy: Zones 2-9.

Hosta 'Night Before Christmas' has foliage with creamy-white centres and green margins. Pale lavender flowers appear in July or August. Part to full shade. Height: 40-45 cm (16-18 inches), Spread: 85-90 cm (33-35 inches ). USDA zones: 2-9.

Design Trick: The idea behind this combination is simple: balance a hot color (pink in this case) with a cool color (blue).

The plant pairing: Common Bleeding Heart, Dicentra spectabilis + biennial Forget-me-nots 

The Plant Profiles:

Common Bleeding Heart, Dicentra spectabilis takes a few years to come into its own, but when it does, Dicentra spectabilis forms a generous mound of fresh green foliage. You can refresh the plant after it flowers by cutting it to 6" above the ground, but even so, it will go dormant by late summer. Light to full shade. Height: 70-90 cm, Spread: 70-90 cm. Average to moist soil. USDA Zones 2-9.

Forget-me-not, Myosotis alpestris: please see the notes on Forget-me-nots at the beginning of the post.

Do you have a favourite spring plant combination? Please share it!

The Letters E and F

Purple Coneflower, Echinacea purpurea

Echinacea is quite possibly one of the North America's most popular native wildflowers. 

Echinacea purpurea prefers full sun, but will grow in a variety of soil types. 

75-85 cm tall with a similar spread.

Though there are many new cultivators, the old tried and true varieties are still my favourites. 

Euphorbia polychroma 'Bonfire'

The letter 'E' is also stands for Euphorbia. Though I now have several varieties of Euphorbia in my garden, Euphorbia polychroma 'Bonfire' is still my first choice. 

'Bonfire' is a mounded, low-growing plant. The foliage emerges green in spring and quickly transitions into a deep maroon. It has golden-chartreuse blooms in late May-early June that are very striking against the backdrop of deep, maroon leaves. It prefers full sun, will grow in a variety of soils and tolerates average to dry conditions. 30-40 cm tall.

This is 'Bonfire' in my garden in late May of last year. 

'Bonfire' looks wonderful well into fall.

Euphorbia 'Ascot Rainbow' The plant has wonderful gold and green variegated foliage, with fresh shoots that are tinged with coral red. The plant blooms on variegated bracts with tiny, red flowers. 

It prefers full sun and grows to 50 cm.

I added Euphorbia 'Ascot Rainbow' last summer, after admiring on several gardening blogs. 

Sadly, I have to report that even after a mild winter 'Ascot Rainbow' looks very bedraggled. The jury is out on how well this beauty will do in my northern garden.

Euphorbia Polychroma prefers full sun and is adaptable to both dry and moist growing conditions. This plant also has a neat mounded shape. Euphorbia Polychroma likes 

sandy, well drained soil. 30-40cm tall.

Also new to the garden, is Cushion Spurge or Euphorbia Polychroma.  Deep yellow bracts will hopefully appear later this spring. 

So far, this plant has come through a Canadian winter much better than Euphorbia 'Ascot Rainbow'. I can't wait to see the foliage turn brick-red next fall!

Euphorbia griffithii 'Fireglow' growing in David Tomlinson's garden called Merlin's Hollow

I gave Euphorbia griffithii 'Fireglow' a try in the garden a few years ago, but found that it refused to stay put and started to wander. Though I loved the orange flowers bracts, I ripped it out. 

Then last June, I admired this same plant at David Tomlinson's garden called Merlin's Hollow. I asked David if he found that the plant spread uncontrolled, but he reported no problems with it. 

Now I am wondering if I was a bit paranoid when I pulled it out of my flowerbed! What about you? Do you have any experience good or bad with Euphorbia griffithii 'Fireglow'?

The letter 'F' is for fern and in this case a native fern. Ostrich ferns, Matteuccia Struthiopteris grow in great drifts on the forest floor in a swampy area near our home. 

They are also my favourite fern in the garden. The foliage has a wonderful cinnamon-like scent.

I love watching their curled, serpentine heads unfurl each spring.

I find these ferns indispensable for shade. Though they prefer moist soil, Ostrich Ferns do seem to tolerate the drought that always comes in late Ontario summers. They reach 1-2m in height and definitely require rich soil.

Ostrich Ferns are apparently the preferred species to eat, although I have never harvested their tender fiddleheads. I prefer to enjoy them all summer in the garden.

Have a great weekend everyone!

My garden alphabet so far: 'A' is for Astilbe, 'B' is for Butterfly, Three 'C's, 'D' is for Delphinium

Color Essay Number 11: Burgundy

The bouquet of carnations in my front hall has got me thinking about the color burgundy and its uses in the garden. (Carnations are so common that you can forget to appreciate them for little beauties they are. Not only are they inexpensive, I find they last forever as a cut flower. I always try to pick a bouquet that have a rich, spicy scent.)

In the garden burgundy is a color that can be found not only in flowers, but leaves and stems as well. Without further delay, let's take a look at great places to find burgundy in the garden. 

In my garden and elsewhere as noted, I hope you will find a few ideas of how to inject a bit of burgundy into your planing schemes.

Burgundy hollyhocks in a neighbor's garden.

Burgundy hollyhocks look pretty mixed in with different shades of pink here in the Lucy 

Maud Montgomery garden in Norval, Ontario.

A daylily from my own garden. Sorry, I am not sure of the variety.

A birdhouse to break things up a bit.

Japanese Blood Grass in the background with the burgundy stems of Heuchera (coral bells)

 in bloom in the foreground. Private garden in  Eramosa Township.

Deep burgundy mix with peachy pink dahlia in this bouquet from the local farmer's market.

Late in the summer, sedum can be counted on to add a show of pink and burgundy colored flowers. Last two images are from Edward's Garden in Toronto. 

Dragon's Blood (left) is a great burgundy colored groundcover in my small rock garden and an unknown variety (quite possibly Sedum 'Autumn Joy') from my circle garden (on the right).

"Purple Petticoats"a new Heuchera that I added to the front garden last fall.

The grey-green leaves and burgundy stems of the the Sedum on the left and the Heuchera on the right do a nice job of breaking the expanse of green leaves.

If you are thinking of adding a splash of burgundy to your own garden this spring, don't forget to consider some shrubs. The Ninebark shrub on the right really makes a nice backdrop for this bed of annuals at Edward's Garden in Toronto.

I have been trying to resist Barberry because I hate their fine, sharp thorns, but when I see a planting like this, I find my resolve weakening. Lost Horizon's Nursery, Acton, Ontario.

Barberry effectively injected into the sea of green on the left and up close on the right. Lost Horizon's Nursery, Acton, Ontario.

In terms of trees, Japanese Maples are a great way to add a hit of burgundy into an 

expanse of green leaves. Lost Horizon's Nursery, Acton, Ontario.

A personal favorite, Euphorbia 'Bonefire' covered in frost crystals in late fall.

A final bit of burgundy in my front garden. Mums, which I add to my beds in the fall, help to keep the flowers going into late October.

The dark stems of my Dogwood carry the color burgundy right through the winter. 

This shot is from Canada Blooms.

Have a great weekend!