Layering color in your flower garden

The easiest way to add texture and personality to your garden is by choosing plants with varied foliage and bloom color. Don't be afraid to go at the garden full-force, planting an array of colors close together. If you hate the effect, simply dig up the plants that don't conform with your vision and move them to another spot.

In this way, garden design is a lot like testing different paint colors on the walls of your house. Sometimes you have to sample quite a few before hitting on the exact shade you like. For every 10 plants I painstakingly get into the ground, about three will get unceremoniously (but carefully) pulled up and placed elsewhere.

It's not always the plant's fault. Sometimes my vision for a certain flowerbed will change. Of course there are times when the plant really IS to blame. If you purchased a Eupatorium (Joe Pye weed) that was supposed to get four feet tall but actually grows to a gigantic 8 in a sun-loving bed (as mine did), you have every right to relocate it (I loved it so much I simply added an arbor to keep the mop-head flowers from bending forward).

When choosing colors and shapes, go with your gut. Want an all-out color assault on your senses? Layer as many colors as you can in one small area as I have done (above). I chose neutrals and brights in pots (foreground), enhanced by the lavendar blooms of white-edged hostas, deep purple Monarda (bee balm) blossoms, orange day lilies, yellow lanceleaf coreopsis and deep blue Hydrangea macrophylla (far background).

Feeling playful? The polka dot leaves of Pulmonaria (AKA lungwort) will brighten up shady spots, and even fare well in partial sun. I paired mine with the stripy Carex (AKA sedge, pictured below) because I wanted a "circles and stripes" theme by my side door.

Is minimalism your thing? Plant a flower garden with just one blossom shade. A great example of this is the White Garden at Sissinghurst in England. Because the foliage hues differ greatly in this grand design, the effect is still one of great variety.

This is the time of year perennials go on deep discount. Purchase a plethora of plants you may never otherwise have considered--and have a field day in your outdoor spaces!

Take your garden to new heights

For all of you gardeners who, like me, are running out of space in your yards, look up! If you want to continue expressing yourself through your gardening, the sky is--quite literally--the limit. Plants may be anchored to the ground, but they don't have to hug the horizon. Let leafy tendrils reach for the heavens!

There are certain species that prefer to go vertical--with a friendly lift. Among them are: hollyhocks, roses, wisteria, trumpet vine, honeysuckle, clematis, moonflower and morning glory (to name just a few). Stylish garden implements--from towering trellises and traditional tuteurs to stacked-plant screens and freestanding frames--offer maximum lift with minimal effort.

If you're a newcomer to the high-rise plant concept, the easiest vines to grow in the Northeast are plants that are native to our area. My favorite is the humble trumpet vine (Campis radicans). I love it for a number of reasons--it's easy to grow, has lush, gorgeous flowers and attracts hummingbirds (hence it's other common name of Hummingbird Vine).  When allowed to spread out, the dense foliage provides a safe place for nesting birds.

Buyer beware. Plant trumpet vine in a spot you need coverage (I have it on arbors and trellises, as pictured, above). If you place it in a competitive spot--say, with roses--the trumpet vine will win out. It's tough and tenacious. Clip it back ruthlessly to keep it in check.

More earth-bound plants still love to spread upward and outward, as is the case with hollyhocks (alcea). This giant of the gardening world is a member of the mallow family. It produces beautiful blooms in a wide range of colors and regenerates itself with an abundance of seeds. After it's established, it pretty much tends to it's own needs--except for relying on helpful stakes to keep it standing tall. In fact, it leans so heavily on those stakes, you often have to tie stems to them with twine. Tie loosely to allow plenty of air circulation.

The best way to show off plants without taking away from your garden's style, is to choose implements that enhance not only the flowers and foliage you are highlighting, but the overall feel of your outdoor spaces. Try an expanding bamboo trellis (jamaligarden.com makes a nice one) for a clean modern look, or an aged cedar tuteur (available at whiteflowerfarm.com) for timeless appeal. If low-care is your thing, the attractive white Dura-Trel PVC trellis is maintenance-free and has a 20-year warranty (sold on Amazon.com).

Garden helpers like these are nearly as abundant at the plants they aid. The key is to find the ones which best suit your style and budget. Happy planting!

Waterworks

If it's true what the late English garden designer Russell Page once famously said, that "gardens are an expression of faith and the embodiment of hope," I wholeheartedly agree. Such sentiments are particularly important to me this season--one of the rainiest summers I've experienced in many years.

As dreary days and deluges fill up the month, I find myself ready for a garden stroll, camera in hand, as soon as the sun peeks through the clouds. Although my out-of-doors activities seem to be centered around weeding and grass-mowing, I do try to find the time to revel in nature's wonders. Some of my delightful discoveries include the pure white Asian lilies that popped up seemingly overnight near my pond (pictured, above, left), and a plethora of pinkish-purple bee balm I don't recall  planting (above, right).

In my front yard, the finicky hydrangeas have decided to put on a rare performance. The combination of mild winter temps, moderate sun and plenty of rain has coaxed them into blooming better than they have in years. While the more reliable arborescens ('Annabelle') banked along the brick driveway (pictured below, center) can hardly contain themselves, the shy macrophylla peek their blue mop heads around the base of my rhododendrons (bottom, left), and the 'Blushing Bride' (bottom, right) are profuse, even though my acidic soil has turned their pinkish blush into a soft bluish hue.

I've learned to take the good with the bad, turn lemons into lemonade, so to speak. Though there's not nearly enough sunshine around here to grow a lemon! I've heard the upcoming weekend may be clear....