Imagine, if you would, the broad, dew-holding, lilypad type leaves of Lady's Mantle, Alchemilla mollis, at the base of the strap-like leaves of Stella D'Oro lilies.

You must also consider the colors of the flowers, broad drifts of color sweeping the beds. If you are beginning a new garden or revamping an old one, the easiest way to deal with colors is to separate them into two groups: (1) The hot colors - red, yellow and orange. (2) The cool colors - pink, blue, purple and white. Think of it as interior design for your home, or adding to your wardrobe. You certainly would not buy a sofa or a sweater before thinking about what colors you already have that goes with them.

With that in mind, don't forget the evergreens to keep your garden from looking bare in the winter. Try the beautiful gray-green of Lavender Cotton, Santolina chamaecyparissus, or add in the tiny dark green leaves of Candytuft, Iberis sempervirens. Sprinkle in some dwarf conifers and you will have a great looking garden year round.

Spring is the best time to install fall blooming perennials and shrubs so they can provide color and interest when most everything else begins to turn brown. Our Display Gardens are loaded with fall color year after year. Aronia Brilliantissima, Asters, Burning Bush, Fothergilla, Oxydendrum, Pennstemmons, Sedums and many others provide just that: weeks of color! Visit our Production Greenhouses to view these and many other fall blooming plants and flowers.

Mulching to 2” in the spring pays dividends all year long, right up until you re-mulch 2” more in the fall. A solid 2” layer of quality Dark Bark Premium Mulch lets water, fertilizers and air in, and prevents the ground from drying out.