designing - White Flower Farm

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DESIGNING
YOUR GARDEN
White Flower Farm
plantsmen since 1950
DESIGNING YOUR GARDEN
The aim of this brochure is to help you select a site,
size, and shape for a flower garden and then to fill it
with a harmonious combination of plants. We present
this process as a series of steps—seven in all—that
takes you from the mere notion that you want a flower
garden to a finished plan. If you already have a garden
but are not satisfied with it, we suggest that you review
the first four steps, then study Steps 5 through 7.
When we say “flower garden” or “border” in this
brochure, we mean an ornamental planting, one with
well-defined edges and often (but not always) a backdrop of some sort—a house, a hedge, a wall, or a fence.
You may be familiar with annual beds and perennial
borders, but most gardeners (ourselves included) get
greatest satisfaction from what are known as “mixed
borders,” gardens that contain the gamut of plants—
annuals, perennials, bulbs, shrubs, and small trees—for
variety and a long season of interest.
We want to emphasize at the outset that there is no
single “right” way to make a garden. Most experienced
gardeners follow guidelines similar to those we offer
here, but others ignore them—sometimes to glorious
effect. Your taste and desires are what matter, not what
your neighbor is planting or what a gardening magazine says you should want. This brochure is meant to
help you make choices, not to paralyze you with the
fear that you’re not doing things just so. Have fun, and
if fun happens to coincide with “rules” of design, fine.
If not, that’s fine, too.
© 2008 White Flower Farm, Litchfield, Connecticut 06759-0050
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1. Think about what you want.
The first step in designing a garden is to decide
exactly what sort of garden you want. You’re
unlikely to realize your dream if you’re not sure
what your dream is. Do you want to decorate
a small square by the front steps with a few
annuals, or do you long instead for a sweeping
border bursting with perennials? When do
you want your garden to look its best? Will a
brief but spectacular spring or summer show
suffice, or do you want a garden that looks
attractive from early spring until hard frost?
How much time, energy, and money are you
prepared to devote to the task of planting and
caring for a garden? Do you want a garden
that you can dig and plant in an afternoon and
that requires little effort to maintain, or do you
prefer a more ambitious project, a garden that
will usurp at least a weekend at planting time
and require regular attention throughout the
growing season?
❁ Where will a garden provide the most
pleasure? If you plant a garden in order to
enjoy it, then you should probably put it where
you spend time outdoors or where you pass
often—near the back terrace, along the driveway, at the foot of the front steps, or by the
swimming pool. You’ll appreciate your garden
even more if you can see it from inside the
house. Rinsing dishes and tapping away at the
computer seem less like drudgery when you
can pause to gaze out the window at bright
flowers swaying in the breeze.
CHOOSING A
LOCATION FOR
A F LOWER
GARDEN
Put your garden where
you can see and enjoy
it, from both indoors
and out. Provide a
background such as
a fence or a hedge,
and make sure the
garden is within reach
of a hose.
2. Choose a location for your garden.
If you don’t already have a place in mind for
your new garden (and even if you do), you
should walk your property and peer out your
windows. Ask yourself the following questions
as you look around you:
❁ Where does a garden “belong” in the
landscape? A flower garden is not a self-contained unit. It’s a part of the landscape, just as
a shade tree is, or a flowering Crabapple or
a bluestone patio, and as such it needs to be
placed where it will fit in with its surroundings.
A border plopped into the lawn or stuck into
a corner looks like an afterthought at best, a
distraction at worst. A good design is wasted
on a bad location.
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❁
Where is the nearest spigot? A garden
also needs to be within reach of a hose. Even
in climates where rainfall is abundant, dry
spells are inevitable. If you can’t supply water
when your plants require it, you risk the
unpleasant prospect of watching them gasp in
summer’s heat.
❁
What sort of background will the border
have? Think about the superb garden photos
you see in books and magazines. In almost
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every case, there is something standing behind
the exuberant floral display—a fence, a stone
or brick wall, a dark green hedge, or a mass of
shrubs or trees. These backgrounds prevent
your eye from wandering all over the landscape, allowing you to focus instead on the
colorful plants in front of you.
If the location you choose for your border
lacks a good background, consider building a
simple fence or planting a hedge. A hedge
needn’t be a row of tightly sheared Yew or
Privet. An informal assembly of shrubs such as
Viburnum, Syringa (Lilac), Clethra, Roses, and
Hydrangea offers a combination of bright
flowers, fruit, and striking fall color, as well as a
rich green backdrop for the summer spectacle
that unfolds at their feet.
If you want to use a border to break up a
large expanse of lawn, you may wish to dispense with a traditional background and plant
an island bed instead. An island bed stands
alone, surrounded by a sea of turf. To be effective, it must generally be large—but in scale
with the overall landscape—and it must contain tall plants (4ft or more) either at the back
or through the middle of the garden. These tall
plants act as a background for their shorter
neighbors and give the bed the sort of presence
that a small circle of compact plants lacks.
❁ What sorts of plants do you want to grow?
Plants have basic needs that must be met if
they are to thrive. The most important of these
are sun and soil. The majority of flowering
plants require full sun to reach their full potential (see drawings at right). Many will tolerate
partial shade with little reduction in bloom,
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but the number of plants that thrive in full
shade is relatively small (though quite a lot
larger than most people believe). The point is
that if you dream of Iris and Peonies, Daylilies
and Roses, Asters and Mums, you’ll need to put
your border where it will receive ample sunshine. If you put your border in shade, you
must be prepared to explore Hostas, Astilbes,
Heucheras, Hellebores, Ferns, and other
denizens of shady nooks.
Soil type is the other factor that determines
which plants you can grow. Most plants grow
best in a soil that retains moisture reasonably
well while allowing the excess to drain away.
On the extremes are sandy soils that dry out
rapidly after rainfall or irrigation and heavy
clay soils that stay soggy long after the rain has
stopped. If you site your border on a hot sandy
bank or in a low, poorly drained area, you may
have to abandon your list of favorites and do
some research to discover plants adapted to
your soil type. It is possible to amend soil, to
change it to suit the needs of plants (see our
“Caring for Your Plants” brochure and the cultural instructions booklet under Gardening
Help on our Web site), but radical transformation is labor-intensive and expensive. You’ll do
better to grow plants that like your conditions.
THREE TYPES
OF L IGHT
FULL SUN
Six hours or more of
direct sun between
9:00 and 4:00.
PARTIAL SUN
Direct sun for 3–4
hours and shade the
rest of the day.
3. Determine the size and shape of
your border.
A border’s size should match the scale of the
surrounding landscape (large properties generally require large borders, small properties,
small borders) and the inclinations of the gardener. Most people start with a small bed in a
sunny spot and are astounded at how fast the
space fills up. They then add a few more feet to
SHADE
Bright reflected
light but little or
no direct sun.
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the front or along the sides, perhaps several
times over the years. There is nothing wrong
with this gradual approach to garden making.
In our experience, it’s better to start small and
expand as time, money, and interest allow than
to be overwhelmed by the demands of designing and planting a large border. The object of
gardening, remember, is to have fun, not to
pull your hair out because you’ve bitten off
more than you can chew.
If you are designing a new garden from
scratch, however, you should aim to make it no
less than 4 feet deep. A 2-foot-wide strip along
a fence or deck barely allows for a single row of
plants. A depth of four feet or more allows for
a difference in plant height between front and
back and for enough variety to hold your interest through the season. In a few years, you may
decide to deepen the border to eight or ten feet.
Sixteen or 20 feet is not too much if you want
to put large shrubs along the back.
Should the edges of your border be straight
or curved? Straight lines and hard angles suit
formal designs, in which borders are given
standard geometrical shapes (squares, rectangles, circles). Gentle curves and irregular
shapes have a more relaxed, natural, and therefore informal look. Choose a shape that fits
your landscape, but don’t be afraid to mix and
match. Borders close to the house and deck, for
example, might be straight-edged, matching
the lines of the architecture, while borders
along a property line or surrounding a group
of trees and shrubs might undulate with the
natural contours of the site.
4. Mark and measure the garden.
To help visualize the border-to-be, trace its
edges with strings tied to stakes (appropriate
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for straight-edged beds) or a garden hose
(which mimics a sinuous edge). Step back and
look at the area from various vantage points
and adjust the lines to suit your taste.
When you’re pleased with the layout of
your garden, take a can of spray paint (white is
easiest to see) and, following the string or the
hose, paint a line on the lawn or the soil. Then
measure the dimensions of your border. If your
border has an irregular shape, take multiple
measurements so that you’ll be able to reproduce the curves on paper. It’s also important
to note the relative position of anything that is
to remain inside the border—a shrub or a
boulder, for example—and the location of
nearby shade trees, hedges, fences, or other
objects that might affect the amount of light
that reaches your garden.
Now it’s time to do some research.
5. Look for plants adapted to your
growing conditions.
Faced with the seemingly endless variety of
plants available in catalogues and garden centers, how do you choose the few you have room
for in your garden? Height, flower color, bloom
time, and leaf texture should all be considered
(and we’ll discuss each in some detail below),
but the overriding concern of the gardener can
be summed up in another question: will that
plant grow for me? Plants are living things that
have basic requirements for good health.
Provide those requirements and your plants
will thrive; deny them and your plants will languish or expire despite your best efforts. No
matter how good your design looks on paper, it
is doomed to failure if the plants you choose
are not adapted to the growing conditions in
your border.
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Because trial and error can be frustrating
and expensive, the best ways to discover
whether a plant will grow in your garden is to
talk with fellow gardeners, read gardening
books, and consult plant catalogues. The chart
on pages 22 and 23 lists many good garden
plants and, along with flower color, height, and
bloom time, indicates their sun and soil
requirements. If your new garden will be in the
shade and you’re at a loss for what to grow, we
refer you to the list of plants on page 32 that
thrive with little or no direct sun. Most of the
plants are available in either the spring or the
fall from White Flower Farm.
6. From the list of suitable plants, make
selections according to the basic principles of flower garden design.
A single flowering plant can be very beautiful.
A grouping of several specimens of the same
plant can be impressive. Combining groups of
different plants so that each complements the
others is the art gardeners aspire to. Here are a
few principles of organization that many gardeners have adopted because they work so well.
Tall plants at the back, low-growers up
front. A plant has to be seen to be appreciated,
so it makes sense in most borders to put the
shortest plants along the edge, long-legged
plants at the back, and the rest in between, creating a gradual slope from, for example,
Dianthus in front to Coreopsis, Lilium, Phlox,
and finally tall ornamental Grasses at the rear.
“Drifts” make a statement. There is a tendency among new gardeners to fill a garden
with individual specimens. The result is a collection of plants that becomes a confused
jumble when seen from a distance. Apart from
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shrubs and a few large perennials, such as
Aruncus dioicus (Goatsbeard) and ornamental
Grasses, most plants put on a better show when
planted in numbers of three or more in irregular groupings called “drifts.” A drift is generally
wider than it is deep, and the plants that comprise it are typically arranged in a staggered
pattern resembling an upside-down “W,”
which provides a natural, flowing look.
Succeeding drifts are added in overlapping layers to help conceal the joints between them.
Planting in drifts means fewer varieties of
plants in your border, but those that are represented have much greater impact than single
specimens.
A few tips on using color. Color preference is very personal. Combinations of color
that cause one person to sigh with delight may
cause another to wince. So, while entire books
have been written on color theory and why
some colors “work” together and others don’t,
it makes sense to begin by choosing the colors
you like and experimenting to arrive at combinations that please you. Don’t be surprised if
your taste evolves with time. Changing color
preference is one of the many reasons gardening sustains a lifetime of interest.
A PERENNIAL
LINE-UP BY
HEIGHT
For a good view of
all of the plants in
your garden, arrange
them by height—
tallest at the back,
shortest up front.
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If you’re at a loss at where to begin, try
following these suggestions:
❁
Pastel colors (creams, pale yellows, soft
pinks, lavenders) are soothing. They have the
effect of a cool drink on a hot summer day. If
your border is near the house or near where
you sit outdoors, you might want to choose a
color theme in which pastels predominate.
❁ Hot colors such as red, orange, and bright
yellow tend to grab attention. Use them to
make a dramatic statement in a pastel border.
A single orange Oriental poppy (Papaver orientale), for example, can draw attention to a
whole drift of cool blue Baptisias. And because
hot colors stand out at a distance, they deserve
the leading role in a border that is located well
away from the house.
For the budding designer, the big question
is whether to devote most of the border to a
group of plants that flowers simultaneously, for
a superb but brief crescendo, or to opt for a less
spectacular but longer-running show. The
answer depends on when you look at the border. If you are away on vacation every July or
August, then you can ignore plants that bloom
then and concentrate on those that bloom earlier and later. If your garden surrounds a pool
that is used only in high summer, you can leave
out spring bloomers and fall-flowering Asters
and fill the space with annuals, Daylilies, Phlox,
and Echinacea. But if you see your border from
one end of the growing season to the other, you
won’t be satisfied with just one big splash.
Here are some suggestions for designing a
border with a long season of interest:
❁ If you want to separate colors that you fear
will conflict with one another, try using blue
or white. Both go well with almost all other
colors, which allow them to serve as buffers
between warring neighbors.
Managing the sequence of bloom. Gardeners
dream of borders brimming with flowers from
early spring through frost, but most bulbs,
shrubs, perennials, and even many annuals
bloom for a limited period of time. Springblooming shrubs such as Rhododendrons and
Lilacs, for example, are at peak bloom for just a
week, two at most, and such popular perennials as Peonies and Iris don’t last much longer.
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A FLOWER
GARDEN
THROUGH THE
SEASONS
Gardens can be
planted to provide
one or two big
splashes or a less
spectacular but
longer-running
display. The four
photos of the Lloyd
Border at White
Flower Farm on this
and the following
page show the succession of bloom in a
sunny garden planted
for a long season of
interest.
EARLY SPRING
Brilliant Tulips
bring early color as
the perennials
awaken from their
winter nap.
❁
Squeeze in spring-flowering bulbs. No
matter how much you crowd your border with
shrubs, perennials, summer bulbs, and annuals, you’ll still be able to mount an impressive
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LATE SPRING
Bold chartreuse
Catalpa foliage
makes a strong
counterpoint with
the purple spheres of
Allium ‘Globemaster’
and the dark-leaved
Rosa glauca.
SUMMER
All the hot colors
of summer explode
in a glorious mix
of annuals and
perennials.
spring display if you plant spring-flowering
bulbs. Planted between the crowns of perennials in fall, Narcissus, Tulips, and a host of other
early risers will perform magnificently the
following spring, while the perennials are just
beginning to awaken from winter slumber.
The perennials then shoot up and hide the
bulb foliage, which withers and disappears as
the bulbs enter summer dormancy. Springflowering bulbs are offered in the fall by White
Flower Farm.
❁ Keep the show rolling with annuals and
long-blooming perennials. Don’t deprive
your garden of Peonies and Iris just because
they don’t bloom all summer. Instead, grow
them with plants that do. Annuals and tender
perennials such as Gomphrena and Petunias
compensate for their short lives by blooming
like the blazes all summer and into fall. Many
hardy perennials have similarly irrepressible
blooming habits. They keep on making flowers
while other plants shine more briefly, then fade
to green. (See page 32 for a list of long-blooming perennials.)
❁ Add a few plants with colored leaves. There
LATE SUMMER
INTO FALL
Tall, dark-leaved
Cannas and the
drooping pink flowers
of Polygonum orientale take center stage
among the Grasses as
the season progresses.
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are perennials, annuals, and shrubs that are
prized more for their beautifully colored leaves
than for their flowers. Silver Artemisias, golden
Callunas (Heathers), and purple Heucheras
complement the flowers of other plants when a
border is at its peak and offer welcome dashes
of color when blooms are scarce. In the shade,
where summer color is at a premium, the twotone leaves of variegated plants such as Hostas,
Lamiums, and Polygonatum odoratum
‘Variegatum’, when combined with all-green
plants, carry a border right through summer
and into fall.
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A variety of textures brings the border to life.
An attractive garden includes a variety of plant
forms as well as colors. Contrasting flower and
leaf shapes and plant silhouettes provide texture and give a border a dynamic quality even
on a calm day.
A garden of daisy-shaped flowers, for
example, may be colorful and charming, but
add the trumpets of Lilies, the spikes of Liatris,
Foxglove or the flat-topped heads of Achillea,
and the airy cloud of a Gypsophila, and the
composition really sings.
The same diversity is found in leaves. They
can be vaguely thumb-shaped, broad and
wavy, grassy, needle-like, lacy, or delicately
lobed. Combine and contrast them and your
border will hold your interest even when there
are few flowers to be found. In a sunny border,
try putting the sword-shaped leaves of a
Siberian Iris behind the fine, needled leaves of
Coreopsis ‘Moonbeam’; set the lance-shaped
leaves of a Physostegia against the flowing
backdrop of a Grass; or contrast ferny Achilleas
with the huge, cabbage-like leaves of Crambe.
In the shade, pair the broad, rounded leaves of
Asarum with the smaller, heart-shaped leaves
of Lamium; juxtapose the finely divided fronds
of Ferns with shield-shaped Hostas; or soften
the bold, flame-like leaves of Convallaria with
the delicate lace of Corydalis.
Plants also have a variety of silhouettes.
Many, such as hardy Geraniums, Nepetas,
Peonies, and Hostas form broad mounds.
Ornamental Grasses resemble arching fountains. Garden Phlox, Buddleia, and tall Asters
are vase-shaped. Ground-huggers such as
Dianthus and the shade-loving Lamiums make
spreading mats. And Delphiniums and Alceas
(Hollyhocks) throw towering spikes.
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TEXTURE IN
THE G ARDEN
SHAPELY FLOWERS
Flowers of various shapes
and sizes enliven an allwhite border.
THE ROLE
OF F OLIAGE
In the shady mixed border,
leaves in all their shapes, colors,
and sizes play leading roles.
PLANT PROFILES
Create interest by including
plants of different heights,
shapes, and growth habits.
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7. Draft a plan.
Once you’ve narrowed your plant choices and
and ruminated a bit on the principles for combining them, you’re ready to begin working
on a plan.
Purchase drawing supplies. The drawing
supplies required are available at most stationery and art supply stores. You’ll need a few
sheets of graph paper (8½ by 11in sheets with
¼in squares are adequate for all but the largest
border), a straight edge, sharp pencils, and an
eraser. You should also consider investing in
some transparent tracing paper, a set of colored pencils, and a compass (the sort used for
drawing circles and arcs) or a plastic template
that artists use to draw perfect circles. The tracing paper allows you to doodle without having
to redraw the basic outline of the border over
and over again. The colored pencils come in
handy when arranging plants in the border by
flower color. The compass (or template) simplify the drawing of accurate circles.
Determine a scale. Before you put pencil
to paper, you need to determine an appropriate
scale for the drawing. Drawing your border to
scale (that is, assigning a unit of measurement
on paper that equals a much larger measurement of the real border) will help you keep
plant groupings proportional and help you
determine, with a fair degree of accuracy, the
number of plants you will need.
The simplest way to proceed is to choose a
scale that allows you to fit the entire border on
a single piece of paper. There are 44 one-quarter inch squares running across the long side of
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an 8½ by 11-inch sheet of graph paper. If your
border is 20 feet long, you’ll have room enough
for a scale of two squares per foot of your garden (2 squares per foot x 20 feet = 40 squares).
If your border is smaller, you can assign a scale
with more squares per foot; if your border is
larger, you’ll have to use one square per foot or
perhaps give each square a value of two or
more feet of garden space.
Put the outline of the border on paper.
Once you’ve decided on a scale, mark the
points where you took measurements outdoors and connect the dots to create the outline, in miniature, of your border. Then indicate the points of the compass (North, East,
West, and South) in one corner and add the
important landmarks—trees, shrubs, large
rocks, fences. (The easiest way to show trees
and shrubs on a plan is to draw circles or arcs
that describe the spread of the branches.)
Fill in the outline of the border. Lay a
piece of tracing paper over the outline and
begin sketching out possible combinations of
plants. Represent large specimen plants,
shrubs for example, as circles; show drifts as
irregularly shaped blobs resembling the cells
you saw through the microscope in biology
class. Inside each circle and blob, note the
name of the plant and a few key bits of information: flower color, bloom time, and height
(see the drawing on page 18). Color the circles
and blobs with colored pencils to help visualize
the distribution of flower and foliage color. Use
separate pieces of tracing paper for each
month or for each bloom season (spring, June,
summer, and late summer/fall, for example) to
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PUTTING YOUR
THOUGHTS
ON PAPER
As you winnow the
list of plants adapted
to the growing conditions in your garden,
sketch out ideas on
paper. Draw circles
for individual shrubs.
Show drifts of three
or more perennials or
annuals as irregular,
overlapping blobs.
Spring-flowering
bulbs—which get an
early start, then
disappear—can be
represented by circles
with dotted lines.
see how the display will change over time.
If you’re unsure of where to begin, pencil in
the shrubs first. They’re often larger than the
other plants in a border and they’re more difficult to move if you change your mind (you can
change your mind) after you’ve planted them.
Then add the perennials, including hardy,
summer-blooming bulbs such as Lilies, and the
annuals. Because they can be planted between
the feet of perennials and shrubs, the springflowering bulbs should be added last and the
area they occupy should be marked with dotted lines on your plan.
This process goes more quickly if you
remember that this is your garden and you can
plant what you want to. Give your favorites
prominent placement and combine them with
a supporting cast that shows them to advantage. Once you’ve made a few big decisions,
you’ll generally find that the space fills quickly.
Estimate the number of plants you’ll
need. When you’ve settled on a basic design,
the final step is to estimate how many of each
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plant you’ll need. You might think that coming
up with this number would be straightforward,
but in practice, it’s a bit tricky. People have differing opinions on how full a border should
look. Also, the plants you buy from a mailorder nursery or garden center will not be full
size. Shrubs, and many perennials, require several seasons to reach their mature dimensions.
Do you want to wait for the plants to fill in or
would you prefer to have the garden look full
sooner rather than later (with the understanding that you’ll have to do some thinning to prevent overcrowding)?
To arrive at a reasonably good estimate of
the number of plants you’ll need for your border, we suggest the following procedure:
❁ Consult the White Flower Farm catalogue
or Web site, the cultural instructions booklet
shipped with your order, and the label that
comes with every plant for recommended
spacing. In most cases, you’ll find a range (12 to
18 inches, for example), which is generally
equal to the mature spread of the plant.
Choose the lower number for a fuller look, the
higher number for a more open look.
❁ Lay a fresh piece of tracing paper over your
design.
❁ With a compass or a template, draw a circle
for each plant that is in scale with your plan. If
the scale is one square = six inches, then a plant
that spreads 12 to 18 inches wide should have a
½- to ¾-inch diameter circle. Within a drift of
like plants, remember to stagger the plants at
the points of an imaginary, upside down “W.”
The points mark the centers of the plants. The
distance between points is the spacing (12 to 18
inches in our example).
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Next steps.
With a plan in hand, you can proceed to
buy plants, prepare the soil (see our “Caring for
Your Plants” brochure on our Web site and the
cultural instructions booklet that accompanies
your order for instructions on soil preparation), and plant your garden. You’ll soon be
able to enjoy the flowers you’ve dreamed of.
But your work as a designer has just begun.
That’s because a garden is never finished. It’s a
process, an everchanging work in progress, that
requires regular intervention on the part of the
gardener as the plants grow and flourish (or
occasionally disappear.) That’s what makes
gardening so much fun. There’s always something new and different to look forward to. ❁
ESTIMATING
THE N UMBER
OF P LANTS
YOU’LL NEED
When you’ve arrived
at a design that
pleases you, replace
your rough sketch
with carefully drawn
circles, each representing a single plant.
The finished plan will
provide you with a
good estimate of the
number of plants
you’ll need to fill your
new garden.
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As you draw your circles, you’ll probably
discover that your plan needs adjustment. To
get the show you want from a drift of Garden
Phlox (which might require five to seven
plants), you may have to reduce the number of
Echinacea you had hoped to use or eliminate
them entirely. If you left more space along the
edge of the border for Nepeta x faassenii than
you think it requires, you may want to add
some Silver Mound Artemisia to fill the gap.
Don’t be surprised if, at planting time, you
discover you’ve purchased either too few or too
many plants. The translation from paper to
reality is never perfect. If you come up short,
order more plants or plug in annuals. If you
have a surfeit of plants, look around your property for additional planting sites; you can
always find a corner that would benefit from a
splash of color.
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plant selection chart
ANNUALS & TENDER PERENNIALS
GENUS (Common Name)
Canna (Canna)
Coleus (Coleus)
Gomphrena (Globe Amaranth)
Heliotropium (Heliotrope)
Petunia (Petunia)
FLOWER HARDINESS HEIGHT
ZONES 2
(inches)
COLOR 1
O, P, Y, R
7-10
36-84
L
9-10
12-24
R
annual
24
L, Pu
9-10
24-36
P, Pu, W
10
12
BLOOM
TIME 3
Jul-Sep
Jun-Sep
Jul-Sep
Jun-Sep
Jun-Sep
GENUS (Common Name)
Crocosmia (Monbretia)
Crocus (Crocus)
Dahlia (Dahlia)
Lilium (Lily)
Muscari (Grape Hyacinth)
Narcissus (Daffodil)
Tulipa (Tulip)
FLOWER HARDINESS HEIGHT BLOOM
ZONES 2
(inches)
TIME 3
COLOR 1
R
5-8
48
Jun-Jul
B, L, Pu, W, Y 4-8
3-8
Mar-Apr
all but blue
8-10
16-48
Jul-Oct
all but blue
5-8
14-108
Jun-Sep
B, W
4-8
8-12
Apr-May
O, P, W, Y
3-8
6-24
Apr-May
all but blue
3-8
3-36
Apr-May
GENUS (Common Name)
Achillea (Yarrow)
Alcea (Hollyhock)
Alchemilla (Lady’s Mantle)
Anemone (Anemone)
Aquilegia (Columbine)
Artemisia (Artemisia)
Aruncus (Goatsbeard)
Asarum (Wild Ginger)
Aster (Aster)
Astilbe (Astilbe)
Baptisia (Wild Indigo)
Boltonia (Boltonia)
Calamintha (Calamint)
Campanula (Bellflower)
Centranthus (Valerian)
Chrysanthemum (Mum)
Cimicifuga (Bugbane)
Convallaria (Lily-of-the-Valley)
Coreopsis (Tickseed)
Corydalis (Corydalis)
Crambe (Colewort)
Darmera (Umbrella Plant)
Delphinium (Delphinium)
Dianthus (Garden Pink)
Dicentra (Bleeding Heart)
Digitalis (Foxglove)
Echinacea (Purple Coneflower)
Echinops (Globe Thistle)
Epimedium (Barrenwort)
Eryngium (Sea Holly)
Ferns
Geranium (Cranesbill)
Grasses & Bamboo
Helenium
Heliopsis (False Sunflower)
Helleborus (Hellebore)
FLOWER HARDINESS HEIGHT BLOOM
ZONES 2
(inches)
TIME 3
COLOR 1
L,P, R, W, Y
3-9
24-48
Jun-Sep
P, R, W, Y
4-7
48-96
Jun-Sep
Y
3-7
18
Jun-Aug
P, rose, W
3-8
24-48
Jul-Oct
B, P, R, W, Y
3-9
6-36
May-Jun
foliage
3-8
12-36
–
W
3-8
8-72
May-Jun
foliage
5-8
6
B, P, Pu
3-8
24-48
Jun-Oct
P, W
3-8
10-48
Jun-Aug
B
3-9
36-48
Jun
P, W
4-8
36-60
Aug-Oct
L/W, P
5-9
12-18
Aug-Oct
B, Pu, W
4-8
6-72
May-Sep
P, W
5-7
36
Jun-Sep
P, R, W
5-9
14-18
Aug-Oct
W
4-7
60-72
Aug-Sep
W
3-7
8-12
May-Jun
P, Y
3-9
8-24
Jun-Oct
B, Y
5-7
8-15
May-Sep
W
4-7
60
Jun
P
5-7
24-48
Apr
B, L, P, Pu, W 4-8
24-84
Jun-Oct
P, R, W, mixed 4-8
4-18
May-Sep
P, W
3-9
10-36
May-Sep
P, R, W, Y
4-8
30-48
Jun-Jul
R/Pu, W
3-9
40
Jun-Oct
B
3-7
30-36
Jul-Aug
P, W, Y
5-8
10-30
May-Jun
B, W
5-8
24-36
Jun-Aug
foliage
2-9
12-72
–
B, P, W
4-7
8-48
May-Aug
tan, W
4-10
6-84
Jun-Dec
O/R, R
3-9
36
Aug-Sep
Y
5-9
48
Jun-Sep
P, Pu, W
3-8
8-18
Feb-May
SPACING
SUN 4 SOIL 5 (inches) 6
1-2
M
24
1-2-3
M
12
1
M
12
1
M
18
1
M
12
BULBS
SUN 4
1
1-2
1-2
1-2
1-2
1-2
1
SPACING
SOIL 5 (inches) 6
M
12-15
M
4
M
18-30
M
12
M
3
M
4-12
M
6
SUN 4
1
1
2
1-2
1-2
1
2
3
1
2
1
1
1
1-2
1-2
1
2
2-3
1
2-3
1
2
1
1-2
1-2-3
1-2
1-2
1-2
2-3
1
1-2-3
1-2
1-2
1
1
2-3
SPACING
SOIL 5 (inches) 6
D-M
12-18
M
18-24
M
15-18
M-W 18-24
M
12-18
D-M
12-24
M-W 12-36
M
8-12
M-W 12-18
M-W 12-18
M
18-30
D-M-W 18-24
D-M
15-18
M
10-24
D-M
12-18
M
12-24
M
24-30
M-W
3-6
D-M-W 8-18
M-W
8-12
M
36-48
M
36-48
M
12-30
D-M
8-24
M-W 12-30
M
12-18
D-M
18-24
M
15
M
12-15
D-M
18-24
M-W 12-30
M
12-24
D-M-W 12-48
M-W 15-18
D-M
18-30
M
12-24
PERENNIALS
FOOTNOTES:
1 B = blue, L = lavender, O = orange, P = pink, Pu = purple, R = red, W = white, Y = yellow.
2 Varieties within a genus or species will grow in the zones listed. See our Web site for the USDA hardiness zone map.
3 Indicates bloom time outdoors in Litchfield. Plants in pots may bloom up to 4 weeks earlier.
4 1 = full sun; 2 = partial shade; 3 = shade, bright light but no direct sun.
5 D = dries quickly, even after heavy rain; M = moderately moist and well drained;. W = wet, never flooding, but constantly moist;
6 Indicates distance between plants in a group.
22
PERENNIALS (for footnotes see previous page)
GENUS
Hemerocallis (Daylily)
Hosta (Hosta)
Heuchera (Coral Bells)
Iris, bearded
Iris ensata (Japanese Iris)
Iris sibirica (Siberian Iris)
Kirengeshoma (Waxbells)
Lamium (Dead Nettle)
Lavandula (Lavender)
Liatris (Gayfeather)
Liriope (Lilyturf)
Lobelia (Lobelia)
Lupinus (Lupin)
Malva (Mallow)
Mertensia (Virginia Bluebells)
Monarda (Bee Balm)
Nepeta (Catmint)
Paeonia (Peony)
Papaver (Oriental Poppy)
Penstemon (Penstemon)
Perovskia (Russian Sage)
Phlox (Garden Phlox)
Platycodon (Balloon Flower)
Polygonatum (Solomon’s Seal)
Primula (Primrose)
Pulmonaria (Lungwort)
Rudbeckia (Coneflower)
Salvia (Sage)
Scabiosa (Scabious)
Sedum (Stonecrop)
Smilacina (False Solomon’s Seal)
Stachys (Betony)
Stokesia (Stokes’ Aster)
Thalictrum (Meadow Rue)
Tiarella (Foam Flower)
Tricyrtis (Toad Lily)
Trollius (Globeflower)
Veronica (Speedwell)
Veronicastrum (Culver’s Root)
FLOWER HARDINESS HEIGHT
(inches)
COLOR 1 ZONES 2
all but blue
3-9
18-48
L, W, foliage
3-9
12-48
W, P, R
4-9
10-24
all colors
3-9
10-48
B, P, Pu, R, W 4-9
36-48
B, Pu, W, Y
3-8
10-36
Y
5-7
36-48
P, W, foliage
4-8
12
B, P, L, W
5-8
12-36
P, Pu, W
3-8
24-60
L, W
5-10
20
Pu, R
5-8
36-48
mixed
3-8
18-24
B, P, Pu, W
3-9
24-48
B
3-8
18
P, Pu, R, W
3-8
30-42
B
3-8
12-48
P, R, W
4-8
26-48
O, P, R
3-7
24-40
P, Pu, W
3-9
18-36
B
4-9
36-48
P, R, W
3-8
30-40
B, W
3-8
15-40
W
5-8
24
L, P, mixed
3-8
4-24
B/P
3-8
12
Y
3-9
24-30
B, L, P
4-9
18-36
B, P, W, Y
4-8
15-48
P
4-9
18-24
W (R fruit)
3-8
24-36
W
5-9
10-12
B, W
5-9
20-24
L, W
4-10
36-96
W
3-9
12-18
V, W
5-8
15-24
O, Y
4-7
16-24
B
3-8
3-24
W
3-8
48-60
BLOOM
TIME 3
May-Oct
Jul-Oct
Jun-Aug
May-Jun
Jun-Jul
May-Jun
Aug-Sep
Jun-Jul
Jun-Aug
Jul-Sep
Aug-Sep
Jul-Sep
Jun-Jul
Jul-Oct
Apr-May
Jul-Aug
Jun-Sep
Jun
Jun
Jun-Sep
Jul-Sep
Jun-Sep
Jun-Sep
May-Jun
Apr-Jul
Apr-May
Jul-Oct
May-Aug
May-Nov
Aug-Sep
Jun-Jul
Jul-Aug
Jul-Sep
Jun-Aug
May-Sep
Sep-Oct
May-Jun
May-Oct
Aug-Sep
SPACING
SUN 4 SOIL 5 (inches) 6
1-2
D-M
15-30
2-3 D-M-W 12-36
1-2-3
M
15-18
1
M
18-24
1
M-W
18-24
1-2 D-M-W 15-18
2
M
36-48
2-3
D-M
12-18
1
D-M
12-36
1-2
D-M
12-18
1-2-3 D-M-W 12-18
1-2
M-W
12-18
1
M
15-18
1
M
15-24
2-3
M
12-18
1-2
M-W
15-20
1-2
D-M
12-30
1
M
18-30
1
M
15-20
1-2
D-M
12-18
1
D-M
24-30
1
M
18-24
1-2
M
12-18
2-3
M-W
12-18
2-3
M-W
8-12
2-3
M-W
12-18
1
M
18-24
1
M
12-18
1
D-M
12-18
1
M
12-18
2-3
M-W
12-18
1-2
D-M
12-15
1
D-M
12-18
2
M-W
12-18
2-3
M-W
12-18
2-3
M
12-15
1-2
M-W
12-18
1
D-M
12-18
1-2
M-W
24-30
SHRUBS
FLOWER HARDINESS HEIGHT BLOOM
(feet)
TIME 3
GENUS
COLOR 1 ZONES 2
Aronia (Chokeberry)
W (R fruit)
5-8
6-10
May
Buddleia (Butterfly Bush)
P, Pu, R/Pu
5-9
5-8
Jun-Sep
Callicarpa (Beauty Berry)
Pu fruit
5-8
4-6
Aug–
Caryopteris (Bluebeard)
B
5-9
3-4
Aug-Oct
Clethra (Sweet Pepperbush)
F-P, W
4-9
4-6
Aug
Corylus (Hazelnut)
Pu
4-8
6-12
May
Cotinus (Smokebush)
Pu/R
5-8
8-10
Jul-Aug
Deutzia (Deutzia)
P, W
5-8
5-6
May
Fothergilla (Fothergilla)
F-W
5-8
3-4
May
Hamamellis (Witch Hazel)
O, Y
5-8
10-15 Feb-Mar, Oct
Heathers & Heaths
L, P, Pu, R, W 4-8
1-3
Jan-Nov
Hydrangea (Hydrangea)
B, P, W
4-8
6-10
Jul-Aug
Ilex (Holly)
R fruit
4-8
5-8
May
Indigofera (Indigo)
P
5-8
3-4
Jun-Sep
Kalmia (Mountain Laurel)
P, R/W
4-7
5-7
Jun
Microbiota (Microbiota)
3-7
½-1½
Paeonia (Tree Peony)
F-P, Pu, R, W, Y 4-8
4-5
May-Jun
Potentilla (Cinquefoil)
W
3-7
4-6
Jun-Oct
Rhododendron (Rhododendron) F-L, P, Pu, W 4-8
3-8
Apr-Jul
Rosa (Rose)
F-L, P, R, W, Y 4-9
6-10
May-Oct
Spiraea (Spirea)
P, W
4-9
3-5
May-Sep
Syringa (Lilac)
F-B, Pu/R, W 5-7
8-10
May-Jun
Viburnum (Viburnum)
F-P/W, W
5-8
5-10
Apr-Oct
SPACING
SUN 4 SOIL 5 (feet) 6
1-2 D-M-W
9
1
M
4-10
1-2
M
4
1
D-M
2½
1-2 D-M-W
8
1-2
M
6-12
1-2
M
10-15
1
M
4-6
1-2
M
3-4
1-2
M
10-15
1
M
½-2
1-2
M
4-10
1-2-3 M-W
10
1
D-M
4
1-2-3
M
6-10
1-2
M
6-8
1-2
M
4-5
1-2 D-M-W
4
1-2
M
4-6
1
M
1½-8
1-2
M
2-9
1
M
6-8
1
M
5-8
whiteflowerfarm.com
23
Shady Lane Garden
This garden grows near the nursery on a narrow road lined with
ancient Sugar Maples. Virginia Bluebells and old-fashioned Bleeding
Hearts, both pink and white, spread on their own there among variegated Solomon’s Seal. Over the years we’ve added the Emerald Isle
Hosta collection, our favorite ground cover for shade. The Hostas are
just waking up as the others are in bloom, but once fully unfurled,
their leaves create a lush, weed-smothering carpet. The Shady Lane
Garden includes two plants of Dicentra spectabilis, one of D. s. ‘Alba’,
five of Polygonatum odoratum ‘Variegatum’, six of Mertensia virginica,
plus five plants of four different Hostas.
Garden measures approx. 5ft × 20ft. Tallest plant is Dicentra (36in).
zones 4–8s/9w 2
E Hosta (5)
F Hosta (5)
G Hosta (5)
HHosta (5)
A Dicentra spectabilis (2)
B Dicentra spectabilis ‘Alba’ (1)
C Mertensia virginica (6)
D Polygonatum odoratum
‘Variegatum’ (5)
A
A
B
G
E
F
H
C
D
C
whiteflowerfarm.com
Deer-Resistant Garden for Sun
C
Deer won’t bother with this garden, but you’ll love its long season of
bloom and varied foliage forms and colors. From May through
September, the plants provide a spectrum of harmonious flowers in
shades of blue, rose, yellow, and white, offset by the greens, burgundy,
and silvers of foliage. The tawny spikes of Feather Reed Grass carry the
show through fall and into winter.
Garden measures approx. 5ft x 20ft. Tallest plant is Calamagrostis
‘Karl Foerster’ (5–6ft).
zones 5–7s/8w 1
F
I
C
A
E
L
B
D
G
A Weigela Wine & Roses™ (1)
B Phlox paniculata ‘David’ (3)
C Calamagrostis ‘Karl Foerster’ (2)
D Salvia nemorosa ‘Caradonna’ (3)
E Echinacea (3)
F Perovskia atriplicifolia (1)
H
J
K
G Coreopsis ‘Moonbeam’ (4)
HStachys byzantina ‘Big Ears’ (3)
I Amsonia hubrichtii (3)
J Geranium ‘Rozanne’ (3)
K Calamintha nepeta nepeta (2)
L Monarda (3)
whiteflowerfarm.com
Cool Lights Shade Garden
Designed by our head gardener, this garden for partial shade combines
shrubs and perennials with colorful flowers and foliage that will provide a long season of interest. Garden measures approx. 8ft by 24ft.
Tallest plant is Hydrangea serrata ‘Blue Billow’ (3–4ft).
zones 5–7s/9w 2
A
B
E
C
D
I
H
K
G
B
F
E
J
A Hydrangea serrata ‘Blue Billow’ (3)
B Hosta ‘Thunderbolt’ (3)
C Cimicifuga ‘Hillside Black Beauty’ (1)
D Dryopteris erythrosora ‘Brilliance’ (2)
E Astilbe ‘Pink Lightning’ (4)
F Dicentra ‘Ivory Hearts’ (3)
G Heuchera ‘Obsidian’ (3)
HHakonechloa macra ‘All Gold’ (3)
I x Heucherella ‘Stoplight’ (3)
J Hosta ‘Fire and Ice’ (3)
K Dicentra ‘Candy Hearts’ (3)
whiteflowerfarm.com
Sultry Delights Garden for Sun
P
O
A
N
N
This garden is a collection of brazen sun worshippers. Many have a
long season of bloom as well and will attract hummingbirds and different varieties of butterflies to your yard. Garden measures approx.
15ft by 25ft. Tallest plant is Buddleia davidii ‘Guinevere’ (8-10ft).
zones 5–7s/9w 1
Q
R
Q
P
B
E
L
D
F
L
C
I
G
K
H
M
J
A Buddleia davidii ‘Guinevere’ (1)
B Phlox paniculata ‘Junior Dance’ (3)
C Nepeta yunnanensis (1)
D Hemerocallis ‘Daring Deception’ (1)
E Daphne ‘Summer Ice’ (1)
F Achillea ‘Summerwine’ (3)
G Hemerocallis ‘Apricot Sparkles’ (3)
H Calamintha nepeta nepeta (3)
I Veronica ‘Pink Damask’ (2)
J Leptodermis oblonga (2)
K Rosa Carefree Wonder™ (2)
L Caryopteris Grand Bleu™ (2)
M Echinacea ‘Fragrant Angel’ (2)
N Delphinium ‘Pagan Purples’ (2)
O Monarda ‘Coral Reef’ (2)
P Achillea ‘Gold Plate’ (2)
Q Eryngium ‘Sapphire Blue’ (2)
R Echinacea ‘Sundown’ (2)
whiteflowerfarm.com
A Selection of Long-blooming Perennials
Achillea ‘Moonshine’ (Yarrow)
Aster x frikartii ‘Mönch’ (Aster)
Boltonia ‘Pink Beauty’ (Boltonia)
Calamintha nepeta nepeta (Calamint)
Centranthus ruber and C. r. ‘Snowcloud’ (Valerian)
Coreopsis (Tickseed)
Corydalis (Corydalis)
Dicentra (Bleeding Heart)
Echinacea (Purple Coneflower)
Heliopsis (False Sunflower)
Hemerocallis ‘Happy Returns’ and
‘Stella de Oro’ (Daylily)
Nepeta sibirica (Catmint)
Perovskia (Russian Sage)
Rudbeckia ‘Goldsturm’ (Black-eyed Susan)
Salvia ‘Rose Wine’ and ‘May Night’
Scabiosa ‘Butterfly Blue’ and ‘Pink Mist’ (Scabious)
Stokesia (Stokes’ Aster)
Veronica ‘Goodness Grows’
Plants that Thrive in Shade
Aruncus (Goatsbeard)
Asarum (Wild Ginger)
Astilbe (Astilbe)
Convallaria (Lily-of-the-Valley)
Corydalis (Corydalis)
Dicentra (Bleeding Heart)
Ferns
Helleborus (Hellebore)
Hosta (Hosta)
Lamium (Dead Nettle)
Liriope (Lilyturf)
Mertensia (Virginia Bluebells)
Polygonatum (Solomon’s Seal)
Primula (Primrose)
Pulmonaria (Lungwort)
Smilacina (False Solomon’s Seal)
Tiarella (Foamflower)
32
Silvery blue tones of Eryngium ‘Sapphire
Blue’ bring the weathered bench and stone
wall into a mellow composition of Sedum
‘Black Jack’ and Nepeta, punched up with
the peachy pink Coneflower, Echinacea
Big Sky™ ‘Sundown’.
whiteflowerfarm.com
33