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2:26 PM Friday, April 24, 2009

Since the season of white and evergreen is behind us, how about making sure that your outdoor space delights you with sensational color from now until ... well, that season of white and evergreen rolls around again.

“The tide in landscaping is turning back to color — and lots of color,” said Dave Swearingen, landscape architect at The Site Group in New Carlisle. “It used to be people were focused on getting trees and plants that looked good in the winter, but now the trend is to include trees, shrubs and plants that produce color when we’re outside the most.”

Nine months of glory

“In the Miami Valley, you can have rich, beautiful colors from March through November,” said John Scott, general manager of Knollwood Garden Center in Beavercreek.

Crocus, daffodils, tulips and hyacinths trumpet the arrival of spring, but they must be planted in the fall or early winter.

But it’s not too late for pansies this year!

“Pansies offer us the first gift of color. You can plant pansies as early as the middle of March and have color until June,” Scott said.

Annuals bring instant color to your yard. They may mature, bloom and die in one season, oh, but what a season it is. Many people in the Miami Valley plant annuals among the spring bulbs as soon as they have finished blooming.

Scott said he pays attention to determine when to plant annuals.

“May 13 is the traditional end-of-frost date around here, but I watch the weather forecasts to be sure,” he said.

Perennials give a less startling and shorter period of color but, of course, have the advantage of reappearing each season with little fuss. Some gardeners make sure a perennial is always “performing.”

Blooming shrubs are making news in the garden world. Both Swearingen and Scott mention that Proven Winners has recently introduced beautiful flowering shrubs in a wide range of colors.

“Shrub roses are also an easy way to bring color to your garden, and now you can even get peach and yellow shrub roses,” Swearingin said.

For foot-level color, ground cover works well. For color “up high,” flowering trees such as crabapple, magnolia and tulip trees can be real show stoppers.

“A new redbud tree called Appalachian Redbud is shocking to see in bloom, with its magenta pink colors,” said Jerry Schelhorn, nursery manager at Grandma’s Gardens, south of Centerville. “There’s a beautiful new dogwood tree called Cornelian Cherry that blooms as early as March.”

Autumn color often comes from asters and mums. The best bet for winter color is evergreens, although winter wheats and grasses add a creative touch.

Pleasures in planning

Many people just buy and plant what looks pretty, and why not?

But for nine months of continual color, pay attention to what-blooms-when and make note of when there’s no color in your yard.

Then plant shrubs, perennials, bulbs and trees to eliminate bleak periods. Your local garden center — or that smart gardener down the street — will be happy to advise you.

STORY BY

JANE  SCHREIER JONES

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