As the sunny days of spring give way to the more intense and direct summer sunlight, our gardens seem to change personality. The delicate tropical blossoms of May and June we enjoyed so much can suddenly seem washed out, leaving the backyard looking dull and tired.
There’s a simple two-step remedy for this. First, create a strong picture frame using beautiful foliage that will help your garden transition from one season to the next with ease, and second, select blossoms in richer, deeper shades that will not fade under the intense summer light.
Le jardinet
A vibrant swath of daisies is a summer garden emphasize, and mixing two different types, as revealed here, adds an additional punch of color and excitement.
Picture this scene, but without the soft grasses or the purple leaves of this smoke bush. Surely the flowers would still be fairly from July to October, but in spring and summer there are nothing of interest.
Not merely do the grasses and shrub extend the season, but look at how much more vibrant those blossoms are when put within a picture frame of leaves that are interesting.
The orange blossoms of the sneezeweed are all the more striking when combined with the equally fiery smoke bush, although the gold black-eyed Susans offer you wonderful contrast.
A smoky-colored grass in the foreground echoes the dark central cones of both these blossoms, while the taller tan maiden grass in the distance softens the spectacle.
Such strong colors will stand up to intense sunlight with ease, and by adding beautiful foliage you may set the scene even before the daisies begin to blossom.
Here is how to get the appearance.
Banyon Tree Design Studio
1. Set with bold foliage.
Grace smoke mulch is a backyard showstopper from May to November with its translucent blue-purple leaves that seem to be on fire when lit by sunlight.
Allow it to grow unchecked to relish the smoky “blossoms” or hard prune every spring to keep the bush bigger and enjoy even larger, more luscious foliage.
Botanical name: Cotinus ‘Grace’ (syn. Cotinus x ‘Grace’)
Common title: Grace smoke bush (syn. Grace smoke tree)
USDA zones: 4to 9(find your zone)
Water requirement: Average to reduced
Light requirement: Full sun
Mature size: 10 to 15 feet tall and wide; 6 ft tall and broad with yearly pruning
When to plant: Spring or autumn
Caution: Smoke bushes are thought to be invasive in some regions of the U.S., although this isn’t a difficulty where I reside, in the Seattle region. Check with your local cooperative extension office for advice.
Le jardinet
2. Finish the leafy frame with soft grasses.
Grasses add movement, color and a nicer texture to the spectacle. A briefer grass is ideal for using in the front of the combination, since it’s just high enough to conceal the green stems of the flowers, while the smoky shade highlights their dark central cones.
Though it was not possible to get an accurate identification of this plant used in this combination (revealed in close-up here), it is quite like cape rush, shown below.
joycka
This architectural grass remains attractive yearlong.
Botanical name: Chondropetalum tectorum
Common names: Cape rush, small cape rush
USDA zones: 8to 10
Water requirement: Low
Light requirement: Full sun or partial shade
Mature size: 2-3 feet tall and broad
When to plant: Spring or autumn
Missouri Botanical Garden
Taller grasses, such as maiden grass, add a soft upper framework to the spectacle. There are several cultivars to choose from, such as Gracillimus.
Botanical name: Miscanthus sinensis ‘Gracillimus’
Common title: Gracillimus maiden grass
USDA zones: 5to 9
Water requirement: Average to non
Light requirement: Full sun
Mature size: 4 to 7 ft tall and 3 to 6 ft broad
When to plant: Spring or fall
Le jardinet
Gracillimus looks especially lovely in winter when its soft tan blossoms and stems are coated in frost.
Caution: Maiden grasses are considered invasive in certain regions of the U.S., although this isn’t a difficulty where I reside, in the Seattle region. Check with your local cooperative extension office for advice.
Le jardinet
3. Fill in with richly colored flowers that echo the foliage colors.
Black-eyed Susans are surely the epitome of a midsummer border with their classic golden-yellow daisies, each with a chocolate-colored principal cone.
Drought tolerant, deer resistant, long flowering and a great cut flower — all these are just a few of the numerous reasons to incorporate this classic perennial in your backyard. Blend it with great foliage, as revealed here, and your design will be wealthier and longer lasting.
Botanical name: Rudbeckia hirta ‘Goldsturm’
Common title: Black-eyed Susan
USDA zones: 3to 9
Water requirement: Low
Light requirement: Full sun or partial shade
Mature size: 2 feet tall and broad
When to plant: Spring or autumn
Le jardinet
Mardi Gras sneezeweed is a total exhibitionist. I really like it for its brazen colors, which scream, “Look at me!”
Far from being a straightforward orange daisy, this perennial has a stiff skirt of downward-curving petals splashed wildly with gold yellow that seem to push forward the darkened mounding center cones. As the flowers mature, this deep brownish centre becomes studded with spidery yellow anthers displaying their pollen, including yet another layer of drama.
As if that weren’t enough, the buds resemble chocolate buttons wearing a necklace of orange beads. The result is pure festivity.
Botanical name: Helenium spp
Common names: Sneezeweed, Helen’s blossom
USDA zones: 3to 9
Water requirement: Low
Light requirement: Full sun or partial shade
Mature size: 3 feet tall and broad
When to plant: Spring or autumn
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