No matter the season, color in your landscape can be easy with a simple plan. Incorporate annuals, perennials and shrubs with different bloom times for continuous bursts of color within your landscape.
Planting and Bloom Times
The best suggested times to plant are during the spring and fall, when the weather is cooler. The new plants and bulbs have time to adjust to the new environment before extreme temperatures of summer or winter begin. Specific plantings, such as summer annuals, can be installed during the heat of summer, so take advantage of heat-loving plants by incorporating a few brightly-colored species that will carry vibrant colors into early fall.
Doing your research well before planting allows you to have flowering plants through all the seasons. Begin with rich winter color like the purple of ornamental kale, follow with a brilliant burst of color from spring bulbs like tulips and daffodils, showcase the bright reds and pinks of begonias during the summer months, and in the final season, plant mums in the fall to complete the year long cycle of colorful blooms. The goal is to have plants that bloom at different times to provide continuous color from one season into the next season.
When choosing perennial plants, select those that have extended bloom times, simplifying color throughout the seasons. Often, the best choices have bloom times that last from early summer through the fall, such as coreopsis, coneflowers, or black-eyed Susans.
Seasonal Plant Rotation
When choosing plants, consider your planting zone and select cultivars that thrive in your area.
Here are a few easy-to-grow suggestions for each season:
- Spring – pansies, bleeding hearts, rhododendrons, and clematis
- Summer – begonias, daylilies, lilac, marigolds, roses, weigela, butterfly bushes, crape myrtles and hydrangeas
- Fall – pansies, mums, blue sage, and fall-blooming bulbs
- Winter – holly, evergreen shrubs with berries, ornamental kales and cabbages, witch hazel, and winter-blooming roses
Easy Pops of Color
Flowers make a home feel inviting. An easy way to add color is by planting annuals in pots near your front door. Use colorful containers and mix it up with a variety of plants like petunias, marigolds, and snapdragons. Consider adding some trailing vines to pots for extra visual depth.
Hanging baskets of ferns or flowers are another quick way to add color. Use them on your porch or deck, or hang one from your mail post. Easy to replace with each season, hanging plants love the drainage provided.
Tips for a Colorful Landscape
- Get a head start on spring blooms by adding a variety of cold-tolerant annual flowers like osteospermums or pansies.
- Plant a mix of perennials, annuals, shrubs, and trees to have a variety of color year-round. Perennials reappear each year with minimal effort; many have a three-week bloom time and then return to foliage that requires trimming approximately once a year.
- Use evergreen trees and shrubs as a backdrop for adding colorful annuals which do not reappear each year. For example, pansies do well in the spring or fall when the weather is cool, and marigolds love the summer heat.
Remember: Green is a Color
Using evergreen trees and leafy shrubs can add a great variety of color to your landscape. Choose several different shades, from vivid greens and yellows to soothing blues, and you will have a lovely setting for each season’s colors. Consider adding variegated leaves to an otherwise green landscape to create visual interest.
Sure Bets for Lasting Color
- Geraniums and clematis are very long-lasting.
- Lilies are a good choice as they are low maintenance. Lilies are available in a rainbow of vibrant colors and thrive in the heat of summer.
- Bottlebrush buckeye, a favorite of hummingbirds, may become one of your favorites. With little effort, long white flower spikes bloom in mid-summer.
- For winter color, try Japanese pieris as it has lovely red buds long before it blooms. Another stunner that lasts well into the winter is beauty bush, with distinctive bright purple buds.
Landscape Design Services
If you feel overwhelmed or just a little short on time, don’t worry, Epling Landscaping and Lawn Service can beautify your landscape and help it reach its year-round potential. Our experienced professionals know what perennials and annuals work well in your area, and they can create a lush landscape that blooms nearly all year long. Give us a call today to see how we can transform your outdoor space!
