Five stunning spring plants


The starter course for spring colour in the garden Story and photos by Carla Hyrcyna


spring all winter. Garden- ing books have been read, magazines have been scoured (evident by dog-eared pages), photos clipped and notes made. Just as making a gour- met meal, garden prepara- tion and planting includes a well thought out plan – like a recipe. Emphasis is always placed


S


on summer and fall, leaving the early performing gardens somewhat


overlooked,


neglected or underrated. Spring is the opportunity to be in the garden, clean- ing and clearing, so why not create a spring garden filled with blooms so we can enjoy them during this season? Have you watched a


spring garden unfurl itself from a winter’s rest? These plants have an uncanny abil- ity to endure cool soils. Warm rays of sunshine through leaf-less tree canopies gently warm gardens nestled in shady areas, bringing life to early blooming plants that normally reside in shady locations during the heat of summer. Early spring plants possess the endur- ance to grow in cool temperatures and produce blooms. It is these select vari- eties that enable a gardener to create a garden for all seasons, including the start of the season – spring. The colour pallet


for early spring


generally is soft and delicate with shades of rose, yellows and blues. Bergenia


Bergenia, also known as elephant ears


or pig squeak, looks magnificent as the snow melts revealing their large lobed, waxy leaves, seemingly untouched by our winter’s cover. Slight brushing of its foliage quickly clears any show of winter damage. Bergenia waits patiently for the


www.localgardener.net Carla Hyrcyna surrounded by an abundance of spring colour.


first warming days to produce its early show of striking pink-to-rose drumstick blooms. Bergenia ‘Eden’s Dark Margin’ leaves have a darker colour to the foli- age, emphasizing the contrast with their flowers. Larger clumps may be used as specimen plants but they also look spec- tacular when planted en-mass in shade to early-morning-light conditions. Brunnera.


From a distance some may think


the variegated brunnera look similar to hosta, but up close the differences are evident. Unlike hosta’s soft-ribbed leaves, brunnera has a fuzzy, brush-like texture to its heart shape. Patterns of silver overlay a crisp green color of these mounding plants. Different, too, is the bloom. Delicate airy clusters of minute sky-blue blooms are held on thin wisps of stem above the foliage. Brunnera ‘Jack Frost’, Perennial Plant of the Year 2012, is favourable to shady areas.


pring to a gardener is like honey to a bee. We eagerly wait for


Trolllius Trollius, commonly known


as globe flower is a member of the Ranunculaceae family. Varieties include ‘Superba Yellow’, ‘Golden Queen’, and ‘Lemon Queen’. It is truly a favorite for spring bloom. Bright green foliage with palmated leaves are dressed with dancing yellow or ched- dar orange globe flowers reminiscent of roses. Forsythia


Striking yellow blooms


coat the stems of this shrub from base to tips. Blooms burst


forth prior to any


signs of foliage. Like the tulip, forsythia may begin its blooming pattern with warming weather even when snow may still be evident. Forsythia v ‘Show Off’ spans five feet by five feet. Cushion spurge


Euphorbia polychroma, known also as cushion


spurge, is an early mounded perennial plant with bright neon-yellow bracts at each branching tip. Topping off at a mature height of almost two feet, these plants perform best in a full sun loca- tion with good drainage. This plant literally “glows” with color in our display gardens, encouraging visitors to repeat the question, “What plant is ….?” These are just a few of my top picks for


a spring garden – the starter course for spring color in the garden. Many more plants, such as repeat blooming irises and creeping phlox with bold blues and pinks add to any garden recipe. For an appetizing effect to complement your spring garden, plant a welcoming container for your front entrance with cool-loving plants


such as cyclamen,


diascia, pansies paired with ivies. Carla Hyrcyna spent many years as a grower for a garden centre. q


Early Spring 2014 • 27


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