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Now's the time to map the potential locations for next year's hardy spring bulbs and look at garden displays of narcissus, tulips, and hyacinths. The later, large tulips (often seen in May) are in bloom in many gardens this week. Tall tulip 'White Triumphator' reached nearly 30 inches this year in the lower garden. Write down the bulbs you like with some potential sites for them; walk in gardens and look at spring now.
You'll find that fall bulb catalogs for ordering arrive now, or come in early summer. Planning the spring garden makes sense now while you can see what's happening. If you wait until August to consider this gardening dimension, you'll have forgotten which flowers thrilled you now. In tulips I've appreciated the deep orange/purple feathered 'Princess Irene' and the sparkling white/yellow 'Sweetheart.'
Once the spring bulb season is past, garden beds rapidly fill with leaves and buds of perennial flowers. Perennials can fill niches in dry shade, moist shade, and damp or dry sunny spots. Plant to have the enjoyment of finding just the right plant for your particular garden spot.
For a newly developed perennial flower garden, or even an older one, be sure to clear out any perennial weeds and weed roots lurking in the area. After a dry April, rain this week has left us all with damp soil conditions now make weeding easier. My annual battle with morning glory commences this month, since the warm weather has enticed those stranglers to wrap themselves around tulips and daffodils. It's quite satisfying, while digging, to find a long rope of morning glory roots and pry it loose. The score is still: Morning glories, 200, Robson, 14.
After weeding, add about 2-3 inches of any organic material such as compost or composted manure for a mulch to retard weeds and retain moisture. Perennial plants often develop big root systems, so thorough preparation will give them more space to expand into loosened, receptive soil. With few exceptions, herbaceous perennials require well-drained soil where they won't sit with soggy roots.
If your garden is new, do recognize that perennials often grow rather slowly to full size. There's a saying in English gardening lore about herbaceous perennials: "The first year, they sleep. The second year, they creep. The third year, they leap." Soil preparation gives their growth the best support.
All flower gardens can happily include different types of plants. Mixing roses, flowering shrubs, perennials, and annual flowers creates interest and provides year-round color. When new erennials still "sleep," growing slowly, add annual flowers such as cosmos and annual candytuft for color. Annual cosmos grows well in the cool, sunny summers in western Washington, and provides armfuls of white, pink, and rose flowers for picking.
Hortsense: Managing plant problems with Integrated Pest Management
