Options for adding wow factor to your garden

  • By Steve Smith Special to The Herald
  • Tuesday, April 12, 2016 3:06pm
  • Life

One would think that having an attractive garden in the months of April and May would be a piece of cake.

It is!

We have a gazillion options for adding interest across the whole gamut of plant types, from annuals and perennials to shrubs and trees.

I often joke with customers, telling them to “just plant one of everything,” knowing full well that this philosophy would result in horticultural chaos. But if your garden is not absolutely drop-dead gorgeous in these spring months, you probably need to spend more time at the garden center.

Perhaps the following plant information will stimulate you to do so.

Japanese maples: This is such an incredibly diverse group, it just kills my soul to see gardeners limit their choices to the pedestrian lace-leaf forms and ubiquitous upright purple-leaved varieties. There are, literally, hundreds of options to choose from and the best time to see them is right now, when they are leafing out.

Many are also well-suited for growing in containers. A cluster of two to three pots of maples makes for a lovely little vignette on a deck or patio.

Flowering trees: Again, there is no need to settle for the mundane and overused. Thundercloud flowering plums are wonderful in March, but there are lots of other choices for April.

One of my favorites is the flowering crabapple. “Royal Raindrops” is a variety that has the same purple foliage as the above mentioned plum, but the flowers are a rich red, which is a hard color to come by in a flowering tree.

Rhodies and azaleas: The world of rhododendrons and azaleas is as diverse as Japanese maples. There are lots of dwarf rhodies that only get 1 to 2 feet tall and the flower color choices for rhodies are all over the color spectrum.

While most are evergreen, there is a group of deciduous azaleas that will grow in full sun, are fragrant and bloom in the gregarious color range of gold, red and orange. “Irene Koster” is probably my favorite, with its intense fragrance.

Golden foliage: There is absolutely nothing more breathtaking, in my mind, than the brilliant golden new foliage of Japanese forest grass. The same can be said for “Gold Heart” bleeding heart, “Bowles Golden” sedge or “Sundance” Mexican Orange. The latter is an evergreen shrub, which is blooming now, with white fragrant flowers reminiscent of orange blossoms.

I understand that golden foliage is an acquired taste, but once embraced, it is a mark of an enlightened gardener.

Brunnera: This is a bullet-proof perennial for shade that blooms now with blue “Forget-me-not”-like flowers. The foliage is large and round with strikingly silver markings that make great companions to hostas, ferns and astilbies.

As a bonus, Brunnera is also slug resistant, which is always a good thing when it comes to shade gardens.

Steve Smith is owner of Sunnyside Nursery in Marysville and can be reached online at info@sunnysidenursery.net.

Classes

10 a.m. April 16: Trevor Cameron on Japanese maples

11 a.m. April 17: Flowering trees for all seasons

10 a.m. April 22: Rhodies and azaleas

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Life

Brandon Hailey of Cytrus, center, plays the saxophone during a headlining show at Madam Lou’s on Friday, Dec. 29, 2023 in Seattle, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Lynnwood-based funk octet Cytrus has the juice

Resilience and brotherhood take center stage with ‘friends-first’ band.

FILE - In this April 11, 2014 file photo, Neko Case performs at the Coachella Music and Arts Festival in Indio, Calif. Fire investigators are looking for the cause of a fire on Monday, Sept. 18, 2017, that heavily damaged Case’s 225-year-old Vermont home. There were no injuries, though a barn was destroyed. It took firefighters two hours to extinguish the blaze. (Photo by Scott Roth/Invision/AP, File)
Music, theater and more: What’s happening in Snohomish County

Singer-songwriter Neko Case, an indie music icon from Tacoma, performs Sunday in Edmonds.

Sarah Jean Muncey-Gordon puts on some BITCHSTIX lip oil at Bandbox Beauty Supply on Tuesday, Jan. 9, 2024, in Langley, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Bandbox Beauty was made for Whidbey Island locals, by an island local

Founder Sarah Muncey-Gordon said Langley is in a renaissance, and she’s proud to be a part of it.

Dominic Arizona Bonuccelli
Tangier’s market boasts piles of fruits, veggies, and olives, countless varieties of bread, and nonperishables, like clothing and electronics.
Rick Steves on the cultural kaleidoscope of Tangier in Morocco

Walking through the city, I think to myself, “How could anyone be in southern Spain — so close — and not hop over to experience this wonderland?”

chris elliott.
Vrbo promised to cover her rental bill in Hawaii, so why won’t it?

When Cheryl Mander’s Vrbo rental in Hawaii is uninhabitable, the rental platform agrees to cover her new accommodations. But then it backs out. What happened?

Byrds co-founder Roger McGuinn, seen here in 2013, will perform April 20 in Edmonds. (Associated Press)
Music, theater and more: What’s happening in Snohomish County

R0ck ‘n’ Roll Hall of Famer Roger McGuinn, frontman of The Byrds, plans a gig in Edmonds in April.

Mother giving in to the manipulation her daughter fake crying for candy
Can children be bribed into good behavior?

Only in the short term. What we want to do is promote good habits over the course of the child’s life.

Speech Bubble Puzzle and Discussion
When conflict flares, keep calm and stand your ground

Most adults don’t like dissension. They avoid it, try to get around it, under it, or over it.

The colorful Nyhavn neighborhood is the place to moor on a sunny day in Copenhagen. (Cameron Hewitt)
Rick Steves: Embrace hygge and save cash in Copenhagen

Where else would Hans Christian Andersen, a mermaid statue and lovingly decorated open-face sandwiches be the icons of a major capital?

Last Call is a festured artist at the 2024 DeMiero Jazz Festival: in Edmonds. (Photo provided by DeMiero Jazz Festival)
Music, theater and more: What’s happening in Snohomish County

Jazz ensemble Last Call is one of the featured artists at the DeMiero Jazz Festival on March 7-9 in Edmonds.

Kim Helleren
Local children’s author to read at Edmonds Bookshop

Kim Helleren will read from one of her books for kids at the next monthly Story Time at Edmonds Bookshop on March 29.

Chris Elliott
Lyft surprises traveler with a $150 cleaning charge

Jared Hakimi finds a $150 charge on his credit card after a Lyft ride. Is that allowed? And will the charge stick?

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.