61. TIPS FOR LAYERING WITH FLOWERS

Layering with flowers, planting a little here and a little there, is a delightful activity. Of course it requires some planning, but it is so satisfying! Layer or repeat dominant shapes and colors within the plant bed. Use many mounded flowering plants because low, rounded forms are easy on the eyes and allow you to pay more attention to the entire scene. Plant some mounded perennial plants like the compact ‘Kim’s Knee High’ coneflower. Also, intersperse medium-height sedums, coreopsis, yarrow, aster, and summer-blooming ‘Snowcap’ Shasta daisy in the garden bed, keeping color and bloom time in mind.

To add to the layering of shapes, make sure spring, summer, and fall bloomers are spread around to keep the show going. The plants coming into bloom will cover those that have already flowered, like summer daylilies hiding the tulip foliage or fall asters covering spent Shasta daisies.

Add a few spiky flowering plants to the mounded forms to insert drama. Try speedwell, tall astilbe, and foxglove. I even use yucca for a stiff pointed-leaf accent. Be careful to limit the number of tall dramatic flowers you use. Spikes like attention and can dominate a little too much.

Then plant soft, wavy grasses for contrast. I prefer short grasses in the front of the bed—they make a nice transition with taller plants. Grassy plants such as sedge, fountain grass (Pennisetum spp.), and prairie dropseed (Sporobolus heterolepis) connote a certain amount of wildness.

Of course, taller plants go in the back of the scene. But sometimes you can place a tall flower in the center of the bed just to mix up the predictable tiered look. Pop in a group of tall ornamental onion (Allium spp.) to add height in late spring and summer.