Saturday, February 09, 2013

TUXEDO PLANS - front garden

In a previous post I spoke about using the seasons to shape my thinking around colours in my new gardens. With reds, yellows and oranges in summer and cooler blues and purples in spring.  Instead I have decided to have all-season colour-grouped gardens.   

In front of the house I will have purples and blues together. ("What about some yellows for contrast?" you may be asking. Not unless I find it lacking, but I am going to try it alone first.)  I already have Allium, Iris and plenty of Crocus planted out front to welcome in the spring.

I am going to focus first and foremost on my new lasagna garden since I want to wait and see what comes up  in the existing gardens (aside from some tall Asiatic lilies of unknown colour and some low growing Lamium you can see below).
What I want to have at the back of the new garden (i.e. the original garden) need to be tall so I am considering:
  • Lilies - Purple Prince Tree Lily from Breck's will look great right beside the steps for close inspection. They say these can get over 200 cm tall. I have my fingers crossed. 
  • Delphinium -  in varying shades of purple and blue (heavy on the blue) right in front of the windows with tall (4-5') at the very back and then some shorter ones (3') in front. I have no trouble dedicating extra space to these beauties.
  • Phlox - Continuing right, towards the tall mystery shrub in need of a trim, 60-90cm tall blue (and purple?) with shorter Phlox in front a creeping Phlox along the boarder with the sidewalk.
Revising down my wishlist from a previous, messy post about seeds I want to just purple and blue flowers provides this list:

  • Catananche (Cupid's Dart) 'Caerulea' - This tall (75 cm) plant can be sown direct which moves it up my list. Perhaps mixed in with other, smaller purple Asiatic lilies immediately beside the doorstep. 
  • Iris - A variety of all kinds for an extended blooming period. Perhaps I will be able to get some more at the spring plant sale now that I have a place for them, a big place in front of the Delphiniums in the centre of the garden.
  • Echinops (Globe Thistle) - I am not sure how I feel about this one yet. 
  • Ipomea 'Hazlewood Blues' - I am thinking of adding them to the shrub covering part of the front window.
  • Lobelia 'Queen Victoria' - These 3 foot plants will be very different from the trailing annual I think of when I think  'lobelia' now. I will have to research more to see if they can survive here, paperer in front of the Iris.
  • Perennial Geranium 'Buxton Blue' - running along the front at the sidewalk
  • Primula 'Noverna Deep Blue' - I need to check on this more since the catalogue says in blooms 'summer into fall' but I thought they bloomed exclusively in the spring. In any case there are plenty of purple Primula, including drumstick.  I need to research further.
  • Prunella ' Freelander Blue' - Close second. I will hold off this year since sites agree they are zone 4 and I ahve not seen them 'live' before which is always risky...
  • Veronica (Speedwell) - Catalogue says zone 4, but web says "Royal Candles" is zone 3. This could make for a big patch from seed right where the long narrow part opens to the larger rounder part

It is a pretty big space to fill, even without the existing gardens to consider. So it is still a work-in-progress, but I am feel I am getting closer

It is beginning to look like this (though very much a work-in-progress):
Lilies (tall and short) and Cupid's Dart
Delphinium (tall and shot)
Phlox (tall and short)
Iris (German and Dutch)
Veronica Speedwell
Bachelor's Buttons
Globe Primula & Campanula
Creeping Phlox
Primula & Hardy Geranium
Blue Himalayan Poppies

Oh, and Muscari and Flax everywhere.

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