Bringing a glow to your landscape

vickim777, member

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Siberian Iris planted in a swail look stunning next to Golden Flame Spirea in it's chartruese stage

When faced with a planting decision, you may find that it enhances the tree's beauty to place them together, as opposed to being a centerpiece on the landscape.  In this case, the Full Moon Japanese maple sparkles next to the Fireglow maple. 

The Johannes Azalea glows next to Varigated Japanese Forest Grass.  Both texture and color work very well together.

Lemon Drop Rhododendron has a luminous quality to it, especially perched on dark green glossy leaves. The grassy leaves of the Stella de Oro provide a nice solid green backdrop and great texture. Behind it, Nandina vascillates between burgundy and light green to further enhance the Rhody.

Siberian Iris planted in a swail look stunning next to Golden Flame Spirea in it's chartruese stage

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I love chartruese and I wanted it everywhere I could put it. In my foliage and blooms, in my flowers, bushes and trees. Luckily, it can be easily found in all those places in any nursery in my area. Lime Thyme, Limelight Hydrangea, Japanese Forest Grass, Hostas, Spirea, Sedum, Korean honeysuckle, Heuchera and Japanese Maples.

When designing my landscape, I wanted to focus on reds, chartruese and cream.  But having only three colors seemed so...controlled.  I realized that I really wanted to have plants that popped when placed next to each other.  Saturated colors that created amazing harmonies with their neighbors.  So I introduced dark purples and burgundies to my triad of colors. 

As I got bolder in my plant choices, I found that many plants had a luminous quality to them and they didn't have to be chartruese or white.  The Lemon Drop Rhododendron is a perfect example of this.  The whole landscape lights up when the morning sun touches the blossum.  And they keep the garden light in the evening. 

The creamy edges of plants like variegated hostas and variegated red twig dogwood can capture and redirect the light into darker plants, giving that necessary pop.

So, is there a rule to follow?  The color wheel helps with preparing for your nursery outing, but I've found that experimentation gives the best result over time. Some plants change dramatically throughout the year, like the Golden Flame Spirea which comes out in a fall orange, moves to lime green and then to darker green.  Or a Japanese maple that will turn red at the end of the season. Once you've seen the plant in action, you may want to consider moving it for maximum impact.  I can't tell you how many times I'm foisted plants around the yard until I've found the perfect location.   

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It's kind of attractive but what is it?

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