Gaga in the Garden: Flora and Fauna Bring Color

By Colleen's Contributor Barb Bataillon

See full post, comments and relevant products at Eve Laments.

Spring ignites color in our landscapes when bulbs, perennials, shrubs and trees burst into bloom. Serious gardeners have passionate love affairs with their perennials, which include bulbs that naturalize (i.e. they don’t require removal from the ground and cold storage,) herbaceous flowers that return every year, trees and shrubs. The first Lenten rose bloom gladdens hearts each February, and crocuses can usually be spotted dabbing a bit of color about at the same time. Avid gardeners know their bloom line-of-succession by heart. Each year they anxiously await rebirth, celebrate bloom arrival and mourn its fade. That’s the trouble with perennial blooms. They are prompt and dependable but leave just as the party moves into full swing.

Placing annual flowers strategically throughout the landscape is an inexpensive way to keep color focal points throughout spring, summer and—in warmer climates—well into fall. Use annuals in odd numbered increments:  one big splash or scattered about in 3, 5, 7, 9, or even 11 spots.

Be careful to remember all of the perennial hues that may grace annuals’ surrounding areas when you choose them so you can make sure their colors will work throughout their life cycle. The same vicinity may sport yellow daffodils and purple irises in the spring; white gardenias and orange day lilies in early summer; blue plumbagos and red bee balm in late summer; and pink anemones and asters in early fall. Tying perennial flower colors together with annual selections will help you maintain your desired garden aesthetic.

Some annuals often act like perennials by self seeding. I’ve been “perennially” successful with black-eyed susans and zinnias.

A more fleeting, but fun way to bring a flash of color to your garden is by making it bird and butterfly friendly.

Seeing the blue stripe of a bluebird’s flight explains why they are associated with happiness. These social birds like to establish communities in open spaces, so if your yard is more open and less wooded, spread a few bluebird houses around. It may take a season or two, but if you post it they will come.

Little green missiles will flock to tubular flowers and red hummingbird feeders. Watch them perform their own festival of flight as they dive through the air while competing for the feeders—they don’t like to share! You will know why they are called “humming” birds when they hover near your presence. Placing a hummingbird feeder, (use a red one—no need to dye sugar water red,) or tubular flowered plants—like salvia—near a well-used window provides a real “bird’s eye view” of their activities.

Cardinals like to establish life-long residence and bring cheer (which is coincidentally their song—“cheer, cheer, cheer!”) all year long. The males’ red color is especially eye-catching in stark winter months. They like to live in and among dense shrubbery and thickets. They mainly eat seeds and fruit, supplementing these with insects. If cardinals are native to your area, you are sure to attract them with a feeder full of black sunflower seeds.

If more sunny shades appeal, attract goldfinches with thistle seed. Their bright yellow presence warms the heart.

Butterflies, often called “flying flowers,” sup on composite flower nectar such as daisies or zinnias. Try planting fennel or dill as these are often host plants; females will lay their eggs on them so when the larvae hatch out they immediately start munching. Plant some in a pot or in the ground to encourage metamorphosis within your property lines.

Combing a wide range of flora with fauna yields winning garden color throughout the year. See full post, comments and relevant products at Eve Laments.