 Plan
Before You Purchase And Before You Plant
By Dennis
Hinkamp
Color is slowly creeping
back into our landscapes. Bulbs and a few shrubs are beginning
to blossom, and soon the spring perennials will be blooming.
Before long we will be rushing to the nurseries and garden centers
to pick out annuals of every hue and color to fill empty spaces
invading our landscapes.
"Before you descend upon the nurseries waving your credit
card, make a plan for what to plant in those vacant spaces,"
says Jerry Goodspeed, Utah State University Extension horticulturist.
"Making a plan may seem compulsive," he says. "However,
designing the flower bed before ever looking at a flower or
entering a garden center ensures that the flowers will fit the
design, instead of the other way around."
First thing to do is measure the flower beds, Goodspeed advises.
Then, using graph paper draw the beds to scale. Typically, make
one square on the paper equal one square foot. Make drawings
as accurate as possible to the actual shape of the beds; and
then make several copies.
Next, use colored pencils or crayons to start the design, he
says. Draw in borders and group plantings, indicating desired
colors and mixes. Play around and have fun with the design.
Do not think about what type of flowers, just use the colors
and pretend any color is available. If you don't like the
design, you can always grab another copy and start again.
"You do not have to be an artist to design a beautiful
flower bed," Goodspeed says. "Any color will look
better than brown. Certain colors will give different effects.
Warm colors such as red, yellow and orange, bring a sunny feeling
to a cool shady area. Cooler colors such as blue, green and
violet bring a soothing coolness to a hot patio or walkway."
Complementary colors provide eye-catching, dramatic plantings,
he says. Complementary colors are opposite each other on the
color wheel. These might include planting blues with oranges,
purples with yellows, or reds with greens.
"Some of my favorite designs include complementary plantings.
Purple nierembergia is wonderful planted with the deep yellow
Dahlberg daisies," he says.
Harmonious colors are next to each other on the color wheel,
Goodspeed explains. Examples would be combinations of red with
purple or orange, blue with purple or green, yellow with green
or orange, or orange with yellow or red. These plantings are
not as vivid but have a more softening effect. This is why red
geraniums look at home surrounded by violet and pink lobelia
or alyssum.
Monochromatic plantings can also be quite attractive, he says.
These color schemes use different flowers in a single color
throughout a flower bed. For example, an all-pink garden might
use pink geraniums, petunias, verbena and vinca. The different
hues and forms add interest and appeal.
"After determining the colors needed to fill the design,
calculate the amount of flowers by counting the number of squares
on the graph paper in any color," Goodspeed says. "Most
annuals are planted on about one-foot centers. I prefer them
closer together, so they fill in quickly and look full the whole
summer."
He says the last step is going to the nursery to buy the flowers
in the desired colors, taking them home and incorporating them
into the beds. Try different annuals from year to year. Try
to stay away from the predictable petunias and marigolds as
often as possible. There are many other beautiful annuals with
fewer problems and that are in less demand during the spring
planting rush.
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