I think the notion of a perennial garden is becoming obsolete. What I am seeing and what I think makes more sense is a mixed border/integrated landscape in which perennials soften an otherwise somewhat stiff landscape or in which shrubs, vines, annuals and bulbs complement perennials while minimizing maintenance. I am offering you some vignettes from my garden throughout the year as examples.

While the blue and yellow and orange of the Myosotis sylvatica and Geum ‘Mango Lassi’ and ‘Firestorm’ are lovely, all three are relatively short. What heightens interest in this combination are the height and color of the lily-flowered tulips.
Trillium grandiflorum, Heuchera ‘Wild Rose’, and Athyrium niponicum ‘Pictum’ along a shady path.

Along the path from the driveway to the back yard in Mid-May, in the shade of an old Magnolia, are Trillium grandiflorum, Heuchera ‘Wild Rose’, and Athyrium niponicum ‘Pictum’. Although the Trillium blooms are initially stark white, they fade to a soft pink that is then a complement to the deep rose of the Heuchera and an echo of the purple in the fern.

Lupinus perennis, Ornithogalum magnum, and Heuchera ‘Orange Delight’

I despaired for years that any lupine I planted would die. That pertains to all of the gorgeous hybrids. Then I discovered the Texas Bluebonnet, Lupinus perennis. Not only did it live but since 2011 when I planted it in the front yard for the first time, this lupine has seeded around the original and across a path. Sadly, it only blooms for three to four weeks, starting at the end of May, but the seedheads are attractive and the area is colorful twelve months of the year because of the orange Heuchera planted nearby. The white-flowering bulb in front of it is Ornithogalum magnum, a little known but extremely hardy bulb that reseeds.

Fallopia japonica ‘Variegata’, Helleborus foiage, Thalictrum aquilegifolium ‘Nimbus White’ and Spiraea ‘Glow Girl’.

Also blooming at the end of May, in another front bed that faces south but is partially shaded by a crabapple, are Fallopia japonica ‘Variegata’, Helleborus foliage, Thalictrum aquilegifolium ‘Nimbus White’ and Spiraea ‘Glow Girl’. The emphasis here is on repetition of white. The Thalictrum blooms are fleeting but echo the blooms of the Spiraea and the foliage of the Fallopia.

Pink and purple are a color combo favored by many gardeners and this vignette is enhanced the difference in the shape of the blooms.

In mid-June, in the same front bed as the lupines but further east, the long-flowering Clematis ‘Sapphire Indigo’ begins to weave its way through shrubs and perennials such as Monarda ‘Blue Moon’.

Hemerocallis ‘Lavender Twist’, Allium sphaerocephalon and Echinacea are another study in pink and purple.

I have always loved trying to coordinate the timing of bulb bloom with that of perennials. As you can see in this early July photo, this allium is a summer bloomer that appears at the same time as Hemerocallis ‘Lavender Twist’ and one of the pink coneflowers.

Yellow Canna, Echinacea and Gaura ‘White Fountains’ in early August.

In one of my front driveway beds, early August interest focuses on the combination of a bright yellow Canna planted in the midst of pink coneflowers and the tiny but multiple, butterfly-like flowers of Gaura.
Both Amsonia ‘Halfway to Arkansas’ and Pennisetum ‘Hameln’ have somewhat delicate foliage but the Amsonia doesn’t turn golden until later in the month.

Last but not least is a mid-October vignette, focused not on flower but on foliage color and form. These plants are in an east-facing driveway bed that tends to be quite dry but this Amsonia  hybrid is quite drought tolerant as is the ornamental grass with it.

I hope these photos will inspire you to create vignettes of your own for your clients.

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