Curb that Desire to Shop at Impulse Emporiums

By summer end does your garden look like a 60's kitchen in the year 2012? Are you a victim of your own good intentions? Spring fever calls, impulse shopping and planting follows. You have been seduced by the color call of annuals and trees in bloom.

Are you penniless from re-buying frozen annuals? Even your shrubs and perennials look boring by mid-summer? Here's the solution.

Start with the structure, trees, shrubs, then perennials. Forget evergreens no one spends time in the garden in the winter anyway. This time choose a nursery or garden center with a wide selection and helpful staff. You are looking a range of plants that bloom throughout the summer season. Remember, you are steering away from those impulse emporiums that only sell plants in bloom. Better yet plan to shop for your garden throughout the growing season.

Your goal is a beautiful exciting yard all summer, You are looking for early(you have lots of those already(, mid-season, and late bloomers. Choose shrubs tat do double duty, with colorful foliage and bright flowers or flowers and fall berries. Then move onto perennials choosing tough winter hardy flowers with long bloom periods.

Sketch a plan. Break up your yard into seasonal areas or mix the bloom times throughout. Use annuals only as accents. Less work, and more color is what you are after.

In spite of storms and cold, perennials offer you dependable seasonal color and foliage. Year after year. Not only are they more frost hardy, but frost nipped perennials will generally leaf out and bloom. Try that with annuals planted too early.

So don't be seduced by the spring rush. You will miss out on many beautiful plants. Fall Asters and Winterberry Holly to name a few,. Choose trees, shrubs and perennials that bloom throughout the summer. They may not look perfect all year. but every year they will have glorious moments, and they will be back.

winterberry

geranium

Helianthus

Hydrangea Little Lamb

Red Currant