The plant spreads by rhizomes, and it is useful where groundcover is needed to cover a sizable area, e.g., along the front of a border;  it is recommended for rock gardens.  The plant grows well in full sun to partial shade.  It will likely do best in a spot protected from hot afternoon sun, such as an eastern exposure.  The plant grows to about 10″ in height, and it will spread about 2-3 feet.  It can be divided every few years if needed.  It is mat-forming, and it can be controlled very easily if necessary.  It seems like a nice plant to grace the base of a mailbox close to the road.

geramium biokovo photo by: bestrunningshoe.com

Geranium Biokovo fall foliage color photo by: torontogardens.com

For the second year in a row, the PPA selection is a plant that I have not grown previously.  The 2014 selection was Panicum virgatum ‘Northwind’, and based on the PPA designation, it was widely available in nurseries this year.  I used it for the first time, and I was delighted that it lived up to its hype.  It is an ornamental grass that I will continue to recommend when a good upright, fiarly large, ornamental grass is needed.

I am hopeful that the Biokovo geranium will likewise be a pleasing addition to landscapes in our area, and I plan to add it to my repertoire of flowering spreading low-growing groundcovers with nice foliage color, for sunny areas, where I’ve used plants such as Plumbago, Dianthus, and Sedum.

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This area is a space that the homeowners see whenever they leave from or return to the house.  It is the first area the visitor sees, and often is a very open area that casual passersby hone in on — in short, a focal point.

There are challenges inherent in how to decorate such areas.  They tend to be small.  Typically, they are on the lower side of a front walkway, which defines the front foundation bed — a primary hot spot that was the first area to be developed and should not be hidden or overshadowed.   Other areas around driveways that benefit from garden decorating include at the base of the driveway (perhaps around the mailbox) or at the top of a driveway that does not reach the house.

Decorating Mailbox at Foot of Driveway

Between Head of Driveway and Front Sidewalk

Front Foundation – from Driveway to Front Door

Here are some key elements that have influenced how I’ve designed plantings for these driveway gardens:

(1) Appropriate (usually small) scale.  It is imperative in such a space that the mature size of each plant be taken into account.  There is no room for sprawl.  It is often more difficult to select plants for a small space than a large one because each plant (from the bulb to the small shrub) must be carefully selected to carry it’s weight appropriately.

(2) Layering.  These garden spaces are typically seen from various angles, so that the most comfortable design is often one that places taller items/anchors in the middle, and layers down to the edges.

(3)  Connect the garden bed style to the house architectural style.  (A grouping of neatly clipped plants looks better with a formal Colonial style house.)  More liberty can be taken in garden rooms or spaces off to the edge of the property.  Driveway gardens should complement the front architecture of the house.

(4)  Year-round interest.  The space could contain small evergreen shrubs.  It might highlight colorful flowering bulbs and long-flowering perennials — and if that is the case, simply add some small ornamental grasses or evergreen edging that will provide interest in winter months while the flowers are dormant.

One of my favorite driveway gardens is a very small and challengingly irregular-shaped space on a Bethesda property, a space formerly filled with turf grass that was quite cumbersome to mow.  The property is mostly heavily wooded, with plantings appropriate to that setting (deep shade, heavy — poor draining — clay soil).  The spot in the front yard between the house and driveway is one of the only spaces on the property that enjoys a lot of sun and soil that drains well.  The house style is contemporary split-level.  Therefore, the little garden could be designed to accommodate the homeowner’s yearning for a very colorful, lively perennial garden.

Bethesda Driveway Garden Before

Bethesda Driveway Garden under Preparation

Since the space is small, in order to provide variety and blooms through the seasons, the plants had to be selected very judiciously.  The bed only runs parallel to the house foundation for a short space;  it extends down several feet parallel to the driveway.  Converting a long-time turf area to a perennial bed may necessitate addition of amendments to meet the different nutrient needs of the plants, so a soil test should be done and additions made before planting.  In this case, a good deal of good compost was added because of the very low organic matter in that area.  (View the landscape planting plan for this garden here:    Driveway garden plan drawing

Soil amended per soil test and compost generously applied

In the center area (top to bottom lengthwise), we placed some Leucanthemum x superbum ‘Becky’ (Shasta Daisy) to provide height, bordered top to bottom with a pair of Pennisetum alopecuroides ‘Hamln’ (dwarf fountain grasses that provide important year round interest).  Note:  the Shasta daisies spread, and we have subsequently cut off chunks to install in a nearby area that also has some sun, to provide continuity/repetition. The composite (‘daisy-like’) flower form of the Shasta daisy was the model for other selections.  We placed Echinacea purpurea ‘Kim’s Knee High’ (Coneflower) in a space below the daisies.  Kim was selected because it is shorter than the Becky daisy and provides nice structure on that secondary scale.  We inserted some Coreopsis verticillata ‘Zagreb’ between the Echinacea, to repeat the composite flower type.  Further up, alongside the Shasta daisies are some Geranium ‘Rozanne’, which spreads nicely to fill in empty spots on that ground plane.  This is a nice edging plant, albeit sizable.  On other edges, mostly at the corners, can be found Dianthus gratianopolitanus — we used the ‘Neon Star’ variety of these Cheddar Pinks because of its dark pink/magenta flowers that blend with the Echinacea and are the same tone of ‘hotness’ as the Coreopsis and Geranium flowers.  The Dianthus was chosen because its powder blue grasslike foliage is evergreen, providing interest in the winter as well.  In the upper corner closest to the house, stands a dwarf Nandina, which serves as an anchor.  This was a transplant from the garden caty-corner to the new one that contained several Nandina and could easily spare one to situate in the new bed, providing the connection between those two spaces.

Bethesda Driveway Garden with mature flowers

Bethesda Driveway Garden Soon After Installation

Flagstones set above garden for walking access between driveway and door

This small palate of plants was carefully selected to provide a variety of textures and heights.  A simple pastel color scheme (not too busy) includes pink/purple, yellow and white inflorescenses.  All plants share the same cultural needs (full sun and well-draining soil).  They tolerate dry conditions and the adjacent hot concrete and car exhaust.

Hence, an awkward bland-looking space was easily transformed into a vibrant colorful area that provides interest in all seasons and offers great curb appeal for this home.

View the landscape planting plan for this garden:  Driveway garden plan drawing

Driveway garden plan drawing

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A unique and practical holiday gift for the gardening afficionado, or anyone who could use a hand in the garden, is a custom gift certificate.  Garden Makeover Company offers gift certificates in any denomination, tailored to the sender’s request — e.g., for a garden consultation or coaching session, or for any hands-on gardening service.  It can be used to purchase a nice floral gift item, such as hanging baskets or containers, or an array of annuals that can be planted on site.  We can tailor and mail the certificate directly to the recipient or to the gift-giver.

Flower bulbs for forcing indoors make nice winter gifts.

Paperwhites and Amaryllis bulbs forced indoors in winter. Photo: thegtguide.com

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We all appreciate the fall colors of trees and shrubs that are most ubiquitous in landscapes — Dogwood, Sugar Maple, Burning Bush Euonymous. (In fact, the latter shrub is quite invasive and, frankly, does not provide much interest in other seasons).

Here are some of my favorites for excellent fall color, recommended partly because they offer special interest during other seasons as well (e.g.  pretty flowers or ornamental bark that stands out in the winter).

Trees.  Starting at the highest plane, there are many deciduous trees that provide a focal point for an area of the landscape and particularly stand out in autumn by displaying brilliant foliage, in addition to other attributes to grace various seasons, be it colorful flowers or bark.

Kousa Dogwood

Dawn Redwood

Paperbark Maple

Crabapple

The Cornus kousa (Chinese Dogwood) offers lovely white flowers in early summer, and beautiful exfoliating bark in a mixture of cream and gray splotches.  The large berries provide color in September before the fall foliage in red or purple hues.  Resistant to disease that plagues other Dogwoods, the Kousa provides outstanding 4-season interest in a small flowering tree.

The Metasequoia glyptostroboides (Dawn Redwood) is a larger specimen that, while a deciduous conifer, is very ornamental in winter by virtue of its reddish brown exfoliating bark that stands out in the winter landscape.  The orangish- to reddish-brown needles in fall appear to be on fire, and then settle nicely at the base of the tree to provide mulch and colorful interest into the winter.

Acer griseum (Paperbark Maple) is another small tree, ideal as a picturesque specimen close to the front of the house, providing interest in all seasons.  True to its common name, this maple produces striking copper-red bark that exfoliates dramatically (like peeling paper).  The rich bark stands out when the tree produces its outstanding red leaf color and during the summer with the delicate foliage that covers a shapely, graceful tree habit.

There are numerous Malus (Crabapple) species that provide stunning red to orange fall foliage, as well as ornamental fruit, outstanding floral displays in summer, and ornamental peeling bark through the year.  There are many maples that provide year round interest in addition to outstanding fall color.  The Acer japonicum ‘Aconitifolium’ (Fullmoon maple) — just 8-10 feet in stature, can fit easily most anywhere.  This and other maples sport foliage that turns a brilliant array of intense colors in fall — from red-brown, to striking red, to brilliant scarlet to purple.

Shrubs.  Shrubs fill in the important middle layer, and there are outstanding choices to use in groupings or as specimens.  Some of the most colorful for fall foliage are:  (1) Chionanthus virginicus (White Fringetree), a native multi-stemmed small tree or large shrub that glows a vivid yellow in the fall; (2) Hamamelis x intermedia (a hybrid Witchhazel) with varieties producing winter flowers in yellow, copper or red, after an outstanding fall foliage display in orange and red; and (3) Fothergilla gardenii (Dwarf Fothergilla), a nicely compact native shrub with leaves that glow brilliantly for several weeks in the fall, capping off multi-season interest by its rich corrugated summer leaves and prolific ‘bottle-brush’ white flowers in early summer.

Fothergilla gardenii ‘Mt. Airy’

Hamamelis x intermedia ‘Jelena’ (Witchhazel)

Chionanthus virginicus (White Fringetree)

Ajania pacifica

Amsonia hubrichtii

Perennials.  There are many perennials that provide interest into the fall — primarily with late year blossoms.  One of the latest flowering perennials is Ajania pacifica (Gold-and-Silver Chrysanthemum) that flowers through November.  While its foliage does not produce fall color, this perennial provides interest from spring through fall (and often through winter) with attractive variegated foliage (stem and underleaf is bright white/silver), and leaf edge is white/silver).  An outstanding perennial for fall foliage is the Amsonia hubrichtii (Arkansas Bluestar), a large, nearly shrub-sized perennial that glows a brilliant golden yellow well into fall.  This plant is also a star in spring when it displays panicles of tiny sky-blue flowers (‘blue-star’), and through the summer its soft willow-like mid-green leaves, reminiscent of asparagus fern, provide an excellent contrast to surrounding broadleaf plants.

All photos by Connie Bowers taken of plants she installed

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Close-up of ‘Mountain Mist’ Dianthus flowers.

‘Neon Pink’ Dianthus just starting to bloom, held above powder blue foliage

‘Bath’s Pink’ Dianthus set repeatedly throughout a border of pastels (including the blue Amsonia hubrectii)

A very pale pink, actually almost lavender, the lilacs are in bloom — here is Syringa patula ‘Miss Kim’, typically topping out at under 6 feet tall, making it useful in the mixed border, or in this case, right along the front walkway to the house,

‘Miss Kim’ Lilac

‘Wine and Roses’ Weigela

Weigela ‘Wine and Roses’ is a prolific flowering shrub, whose very deep rose blooms are set nicely against the wine-colored leaves, which themselves contrast nicely against green foliage during periods when this shrub is not in bloom.

Bletilla striata (Hardy Orchid) contains delicate hot pink flowers high on stems above the long strong strapy leaves, which also contrast nicely with delicate foliage of other plants when this one is not in flower.  The photo shows some pale pink Peony plants peeking out in the background.

Bletilla striata (Hardy Orchid) on the right with Peony peeking out on the left.

‘Nancy of Robin Hill’ Azalea

Achillea ‘Oertel’s Rose’ (Yarrow)

Geraniums are the old stand-by for reliable summer-long color

The Rhododendron x ‘Nancy of Robin Hill’ (Nancy Azalea), top right,  sports luscious large pale pink flowers blooming later than many azaleas, and often repeats blooming later in the season.  This is a great evergreen shrub for the mixed border or foundation where something to fit under low lying windows is needed (it is typically 2′ tall by 3′ wide).  Here, it is a nice facer plant for the Leatherleaf Viburnum (its small leaves make a nice foliage contrast), and it’s foliage also is a great contrast against the large, and lighter green, leaves of the Autumn Bride Heuchera in front of it. Top left, the pooch is sitting in front of Achillea ‘Oertel’s Rose’, a long-blooming Yarrow that flowers in various shades of pink from June to September, and is set in nice ferny light green foliage.  To the right, geraniums sit in flower boxes and will supply reliable color well into the late fall.

Spirea japonica ‘Shirobana’

 Finally, the Spireas are coming into blooms that will be with us for months.  This one is ‘Shirobana’, a shorter version, that flowers in white, pink, and red on the same plant.  Spireas are very useful for long-season flowers in areas where roses cannot be used because of deer issues.  They tend to leave the Spireas alone.

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Forest Pansy Redbud

Kwanzan Cherry

Note that the Heath (Erica x darleyensis), which began blooming in late fall, is still displaying nice flower color, and the Mediterranean Pink variety matches well with the nearbyPJM Rhododendron, which is also blooming nicely this April.  The dwarf Fothergilla is now full of white blossums.  (We highlighted this shrub previously when it sported leaves on fire in the fall.)  While the pink and mauve displays are enhanced with a variety of similarly hued tulips and Chinodoxas, this little pocket of brilliant red tulips with black and yellow markings, seemed to appear out of the blue.

Mauve tulips

Fothergilla gardenii (Dward Fothergilla)

PJM Rhododendron

Tulips

Erica x darleyensis (Heath)

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Solomon’s Seal stands 2 ½ to 3 feet tall and 1 foot wide. It spreads by rhizomes and will over time form a nice dramatic mass.  Its firm upright stature will hold its own to grace the bottom of a fence or shrub border.  While it is known as an outstanding foliage plant, it does produce delicate rows of small pendant white flowers beneath its leaves in late spring to early summer.  The variegated leaves – white margins – make the plant a nice contrast to many other green-leaved perennials.  It also produces blue-black berries in the autumn, and as an added bonus, the leaves turn a brilliant yellow in autumn.   While the plant tolerates sun, it thrives in shade and dry soil.  It will grace woodland, wild, and natural gardens.  It is a costly plant, but a few plants will spread quickly to form a nice grouping.

Each year, the Perennial Plant Association names an outstanding plant its “Perennial Plant of the Year” to showcase a perennial that is a “standout among its competitors.”  These chosen plants are “suitable for a wide range of growing climates, require low maintenance, have multiple-season interest, and are relatively pest/disease free.”

Stunning foliage, habit, and vitality that adds color and spark to the shady woodland garden.

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It produces very large fragrant blooms in mid to late spring, in shades of white, pink, or red, and the flowers are excellent for cutting (but they can harbor ants).  Particularly noteworthy is the plant’s large dark green cut leaves that are attractive through the summer after the blooms have faded.

The plant can be divided every two to three years, and it rejuvenates easily.  It is generally trouble-free.  It can get a powdery mildew in the fall, about the time you’d want to cut the leaves back anyhow.

Very large plants can benefit from placement of little cages/stakes around them to keep them upright.   This is a very desirable plant, evocative of times past, that is essential for the cottage garden, but useful in most any other type.   It should not be confused with the tree peony, which has different planting and cultural requirements.

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