September 2024

There are 2 types of Gaps in Gardens: one is the odd space of time in between seasonal flushes. For instance, after the rush of Spring blooming blossom trees, what is left to look forward to before the first flush Summer flowers? The other Gap is those odd bits of spaces, also known as the 4 C’s for Corners, Cracks, Crannies & Crevices. We’ll save the second Gap for another time.

Consider plants that will carry you through transition times to give your Garden full year-round interest, in the vegetable world they call these “shoulder” crops.

Here are some examples:

Springtime bulbs, planted in Fall, will have you enjoying a parade of Muscari, Daffodils, and Tulips. But planting Alliums will extend the bulb show, and bonus points for adding Bearded Iris, which will carry you from early May on into June.

In the shrub department, Forsythia is known to be a harbinger of Spring, but I truly count the end of winter when the Hamamelis blooms. Next, I look to Lilacs, followed by Peonies, and then the first flush of Spring roses and Viburnum, which is glorious indeed. Tuck in some Spirea and Physocarpus (nine bark) and you’ve got some great flowering shrubs.

Cool annuals like Poppies, Bupleurum, Lunaria, Foxgloves, Larkspur, and Snapdragons, to name a few, will readily seed out and volunteer, and bloom from Spring until Fall, depending on germination.

Sedums, Salvias, Asters, Echinacea and Chrysanthemum are well-known later summer arrivals which will last long into Fall and may even persist as interesting and architectural  seed heads in Winter. Don’t forget both annual and perennial grasses which are great filler for texture, and add so much movement and life into the Summer - Fall Garden.

(Here is a video about ornamental grasses, which will bridge the gaps between Summer - Fall, and may even persist into Winter, depending on the variety you plant. There is nothing that catches late Summer-Autumn light like these: laughinggoatfarm.com/ornamental-grasses/ )

Paying attention to when plants are  blooming in other’s gardens, including open to the public gardens, is a great way to learn about plants that you can add to your Garden. I maintain lists of plants I see that I like shared on public facing sites, such as Facebook, Instagram, and websites that send out articles I subscribe to. It’s a running list that helps me stay organized, and focused when I’m out shopping. It’s easy to get distracted by what’s blooming at the nursery, but often blooming plants are well into or towards the end of their cycle, so often you have missed most of the show when you take them home.

Finally, if you are a Gardener who prefers the main show to be in Spring, and you are often out of town and don’t have the time, desire, or ability to maintain a summer garden, consider plants that will give you the full spectacle from Winter through Spring, and will be low maintenance during Summer. Hellebores, Lilacs, Spireas, Columbine, Bearded Iris, Bleeding Heart, Ranunculus - you can certainly build a beautiful garden around one specific season if that is best suited to your lifestyle.

Asters, Campanula, Echinacea purpurea, Eupatorium, Helenium, Heuchera, Hydrangea, Liatris, Panicum, Phlox, Phyostegia, Pycnanthemum, Rudbeckia, Solidago, Sporobolus

These plants, depending on the species or cultivar selected, are native to parts of the United States. They are a great addition to the garden, to extend the summer flowers well into Fall, and many of them add architectural interest with fascinating seed heads that will persist into winter, and some will feed birds.