Designing A Flower Garden For All Seasons is one of those projects that are as much fun to plan as to execute. And then, if it comes out well (as all gardens do), it is a joy.

Winter is not without richness and color; think of red cardinals and holly berries. Many fall flowers linger long past the first frost, and things like pansies may keep their flowers all through a mild winter. Indian summer is bright with late blooming grasses and plants, as well as with the tree foliage.

So let’s start with winter. Snow on the ground and and ice on the windows, but then the sun shines and the January thaw exposes patches of ground to the warmth. Lo and behold, is that a spear of green? It is! A bulb deep under the frozen crust is stirring, and soon the drooping white flowers of the tiny snowdrops peek over the remainder of a recent snowbank. The dwarf iris shows itself in a flash of purple, yellow, or blue, and the Glory of the Snow is not far behind. All of these flowers are under six inches tall, as is the glorious, clear yellow winter aconite.

These hardy plants all come from bulbs, which go dormant when the cool weather is over. They don’t do well in far southern regions of the United States, but down there the gardens are full of majestic camellias, glowing reds and pinks, corals and whites, set off by glossy dark green leaves in towers of beauty ten feet or more in the air. Other flowers go all winter in the south, like the hardy asters and bright pansies.

After the snowdrops and the Glory of the Snow disappear, the winter jasmine makes you think the forsythia is out, until you get close enough to see the wide, individual yellow flowers are quite different. You hate to see then go by, but the forsythia really does come out, among with the earliest daffodils, the crocuses, and the wild grape hyacinths. Daffodils come in early, mid, and late blooming varieties, so they are still there to mingle with the bright tulips and even some early irises. And, oh, don’t forget to draw in some trees, cherries and apples and glorious pears, redbud and dogwood and crab apples.

Roses rule the summer. Old roses have a burst of bloom in May, while newer varieties may perfume the air all summer. Wildflowers, hiding in budding woods all spring, come out to dance along the roadsides, and daisies bloom in the garden as well. The herbs flower, the lavender and Russian Sage and all the mints, while annuals and perennials fill the borders and the patio pots.

Fall comes with the blaze of colorful leaves, and the bold colors of autumn flowers. Asters and chrysanthemums, the bright red Pineapple sage, and the flaming nasturtiums that have sulked in summer heat now burst on the scene. Early summer plants like larkspur and lobelia will bloom again, if they have been deadheaded or cut back after their first bloom, and given a little fertilizer. Sedum Autumn Joy continues to carpet the ground like it has done since early spring, but now it flourishes in cooler weather.

Designing a flower garden for all seasons is so much fun it will be a pity if you don’t try it. Then go out and buy a better camera.

Designing a flower garden for all four seasons has never been easier. Get the low down now on how to design a flower garden in our flower gardening for all seasons guide.

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