Here Are 5 Tips To Designing A Multi-Seasonal Planting
1. Start With Your Evergreens
Your evergreens are the bones or foundation structure of your landscape design. Because they hold their leaves year round, they will help prevent your garden from looking empty during the long winter months. HOWEVER it is important not to use all evergreens, as evergreens tend not to be as interesting as other plants that flower. Instead use them sparingly but in key locations. If possible look to evergreens with varied texture and color in leaf or needle.
Some evergreens to try:
2. Don’t Overdo It With Spring or Early Blooming Plants
These are the easiest to include in the garden because they are the most abundant but be careful not to over rely on them or you will end up with a tremendous spring show and nothing for the rest of the year. If possible look for spring blooming plants that also have other interests the rest of the year such as leave color or texture.
Some spring plants that look good in other seasons:
3. Use Shrubs That Bloom All Summer Long
Summer blooming shrubs are the work horses of every garden. There are a few shrubs to try that are tremendously popular because they truly flower all summer long
Try some of these for all summer interest:
4. Add Plants with Fall Interest
All though fall blooming plants are harder to come by, they are not impossible to find. Leave room in your garden for fall blooming plants and you won’t regret it. Ornamental grasses are also great for fall interest because the seed heads and texture are stand outs in the garden when most flowering perennials and shrubs are finished for the season. Last but not least select plants with amazing fall leaf color shows.
A few plants with excellent fall presence are:
5. Use Trees or Shrubs with Interesting Bark
Some deciduous plants (plants that lose their leaves in winter) can still have a lot of winter interest when they have interesting bark or elegant branching structures.
Some top picks for interesting bark or branching structure are:
