Designing a Year-Round Garden:

All at gardens have one thing in common. That is, they offer something during each of the four seasons. Through ing and summer the co flowers of p, annu and flowering trees and shrubs the focal point in the garden. Once the summer flowers begin to fade, the brilliant, co foliage of autumn brightens the garden. In the winter, it's the everens, berries and bark which provide the garden with co as the form and shape of the pts become more pinent.

Gr is the dominant co in the garden in the ing as everything seems to be rapidly putting out new growth. The bulbs and p which do flower in the early ing do so against a backdrop of en foliage and brown earth. Bulbs earliest oming pts in the garden and essent to the ing dscape. Some bulbs will even provide co until more p begin to om in May and June.

Early flowering p such as iris range in co f white to yellow to purple and in size f a few inches to 4 feet. For ing foliage, pt some hosta, they grow in a wide variety of ens, f blue-en to yellow-en and they're the perfect backdrop pt for the ing flowers.

Pal borders peak in mid summer as a wide range of sun-loving flowers begin to om. Part of the mix include some leftovers f ing and, towards the end of summer, th signs of the later oming flowers as well. Annu o in l om mid-summer. Though most have finished flowering, ly leafed out shrubs can add a lushness to the garden.

A third wave of oms begin brighten up the garden once again as the summer flowers begin to fade. The cos in the garden begin to change a bit in the fall with many p oming in shades of yellow, orange and purple. Among these flowers the annu, which continue to flower until the first frost. Later in the season, the flowers, especly those of the sedum and black-eyed Susan, turn into brown and rust coed seed heads. They fit in perfectly with the co fall foliage of the surrounding trees. The foliage of the late season pal is attractive on its own.

Once the oms of the these flowers fade deciding whether to cut them back is up to the individual gardener. Some p will collapse to the ground anyways while others will remain standing though the winter with their showy seed heads creating off season intst in the garden.

Winter, the season in which many gardeners forget about the dscape, can offer co and visual intst through everen shrubs, bark, pt form and seed heads. For example, a clump of ornamental grass could be left standing through the winter. Redtwig dogwoods at against the snow and birch trees have co, flaking bark. The winter dscape truly would be empty with the hardy everen trees and shrubs. Garden walls and fences become more pinent as the foliage which scrs them in the summer disappears. Hedges, as well as walls, make a stronger statement in winter. protecting houses f icy blasts and sky-high heating bills.

With some c plang, it is possible to have a beauti garden year round. Even in winter, when everything seems to be stark and bar. A few choice shrubs or trees can provide winter intst and a well thought out garden can flower f early ing until the first frost.