The Romance of Spring

With the arrival of spring, emerging perennials fill the garden with soft texture, restoring life to the harsh, often barren landscape of winter.

- Jennifer Howell

With the arrival of spring, emerging perennials fill the garden with soft texture, restoring life to the harsh, often barren landscape of winter. It's a thrill to see fresh green leaves and splashes of color from early bloomers and hear the buzz of spring pollinators. Plants that return every year offer an easy start to the season—just a bit of cleanup and the garden is ready to go. Add a cool-loving annual to the mix in a pastel palette to boost the relaxing vibe before the arrival of bolder summer flowers.

FLIRTY FLOWERS Delicate, airy flowers in soft shades of blue, pink and purple woo you with a feeling that is comfortable, even romantic. Imagine being surrounded by the sweet colors and light textures of the plants in these combinations. You may fall in love!

Whispers of Blue

The soft blue hues of bugleweed and windflower create a dreamy display of cool, calming flowers through chilly spring days. Windflower, a perennial rhizomatous tuber, is cold hardy in zones 7 to 10. Plant in fall for spring blooms. When summer's heat arrives, windflower retreats into dormancy. As plants die down, tuck shade-loving summer annuals, such as impatiens or wax begonias, in the space between the bugleweed for some extra color. Or try browallia to continue the blue color scheme. If your windflower becomes overcrowded with fewer blooms, divide in fall where it's hardy.

As windflower fades, bugleweed will fill any gaps with lush, ground-hugging foliage. It spreads easily by runners, rooting into the ground to form a thick mat. Cut runners back to keep it in check. For a cleaner look after blooms fade, deadhead bugleweed by hand or use a string trimmer or hedge shears to quickly remove the spent blossoms.

A Windflower Anemone coronaria 'Mr. Fokker'