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pinkish-white blooms in late winter into
spring; variegated Daphne, with its fragrant
inconspicuous flowers; orangey-red flowering
quince, which flushes out late winter; early
spring blooming forsythia; and the ever-interesting
heucheras, which have awesome winter
foliage and can bloom all summer if planted
in the right spot.
October is the time to buy spring-blooming
bulbs, but they can be planted as late as
December. Sullivan suggests going small. Dwarf
daffodils can be a better choice than the leggy
standards, she says. They bloom super-early,
multiply faster and bloom more consistently.
“And you won’t have those huge leftover leaves
to deal with,” Sullivan says. Star flower bulbs
(iepheon) are another of Sullivan’s favorites.
They create a carpet of white or pale blue flowers
that combine well with violas and dwarf daffodils.
Scillas or wood hyacinths are also great
additions to the early spring garden. They multiply
well and bring cool blue spring flowers.
Keeping the Color
Carolyn Thomas, owner of Gardens by
Design, says that keeping the color is a must.
“Flowers are a representation of life, of all
things good,” she says. “Without flowers, we’d
go without a lot of things.”
She is a believer in spots of annual color for
everyone’s sake. Pentas, torenia and angelonia
are her summer annuals of choice. Butterflies
and bees swarm around pentas, and hummingbirds
go wild for torenia. “If the insects and
hummingbirds love it,” Thomas says, “plant it.”
On the job in August, at the home of Tanya
Roberts in Landfall, Thomas and her crew
worked to keep the color that they so successfully
created. Rose of Sharon, with bloomed out
iris at its foot greeted us, covered with bright
flowers that didn’t seem to mind the scorching
heat. The waterside garden was an explosion of
perennial color — purple salvias, light blue agapanthus,
bright red knockout roses.
It somehow didn’t seem like August in Ms.
Robert’s garden. Even her English rose garden
was blooming — and ready to bloom some
more.
So, what‘s the secret to an ever-blooming
garden?
“Planning,” Thomas says. “Lots of planning
and a lot of work. But it’s so worth it.”