In Florida, A Turf War Blooms Over Front-Yard Vegetable Gardening

In tropical South Florida, it's growing season. Temperatures are in the 80s, there's lots of sun and good rain, and normally, Hermine Ricketts' plants would already be in the ground.

"By now, this should be probably Red Sails lettuce, which is a beautiful color lettuce, or purple mizuna, which is a beautiful filigreed purple leaf," she says.

But this year, Ricketts' vegetable planting has been derailed by a legal fight over what she can plant and where she can plant it.

Her garden is in the front yard of her home in Miami Shores, because that's where the sun is — her house faces south and her backyard is mostly in the shade. A retired architect, originally from Jamaica, Ricketts says she gardens for the food and for the peace it brings her.

"This is a peach tree that I put in, and around it, I had kale, and in between the kales, I had some Chinese cabbage," she says. "And I also had Swiss chard, yellow Swiss chard."

There are lots of things planted in Ricketts' front yard: a pomegranate tree, a blueberry bush, papaya, strawberries, pineapples, flowers and green plants.

But noticeably absent is anything considered by Miami Shores to be a vegetable. That's because earlier this year, after tending her garden for 17 years with nothing from the neighbors but compliments, Ricketts was ordered to dig up her veggies.

She says she was surprised several months ago when a zoning inspector stopped by.

"He told me I was not allowed to have vegetables in the front yard," she says.

Under a zoning ordinance tightened last spring, residents in Miami Shores are not allowed to have vegetable gardens in their front yards. In August, Ricketts went before the town's code enforcement board to protest, but board Chairman Robert Vickers was less than sympathetic.

The board ruled the vegetables must go. The zoning inspector told Ricketts which plants she had to pull up. She complied, but wasn't done with her fight.

She contacted the Institute for Justice, a national advocacy group that has fought numerous legal battles over the years on property rights issues. Last month, the group filed a lawsuit against Miami Shores. A lawyer with the group, Ari Bargill, says the ban on front-yard gardens violates a state-guaranteed right to use and enjoy property.

It's a right that he says can only be restricted for very good reasons.

"And that is not the case with a ban on vegetables. You can plant fruit, you can have flowers, you can adorn your property with pink flamingos — but you cannot have vegetables," Bargill says. "That is almost the definition of irrationality."

Town officials say they responded to a complaint they received about Ricketts' garden and that the law is clear. The town's lawyer says he's confident the ordinance will stand up in court.

But that may be almost beside the point. Since filing her lawsuit, Ricketts has drawn lots of media attention, both in South Florida and across the country. Town officials say they've received death threats — including an email in which someone penciled Hitler mustaches and swastikas on photos of village council members.

Last year, the city of Orlando was involved in a similar dispute with a home gardener there. After months of coverage that generated protests from gardeners around the country, Orlando relented. It's now rewriting its rules to allow vegetable gardens even in the front yard.
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Transcript

AUDIE CORNISH, HOST:

Across the country, cities are embracing environmentally friendly practices from water harvesting to home gardens. But in Miami Shores, Florida, don't try growing cabbage or kale in your front yard. Planting vegetables there will get you in trouble with the town council. One home gardener is fighting back.

As NPR's Greg Allen reports, it's more than just a question of what you can grow, but what you can do with your own property.

GREG ALLEN, BYLINE: In tropical South Florida, it's growing season. Temperatures are in the 70s; there's lots of sun and good rain. Normally, Hermine Ricketts says, her plants would already be in the ground.

HERMINE RICKETTS: By now, this should be probably red sails lettuce, which is, you know, a beautiful color lettuce. Or purple mizuna, which is a beautiful - you know, filigree purple leaves.

ALLEN: This year, Ricketts' planting was derailed by a legal fight. Her garden is in the front yard of her home in Miami Shores because that's where the sun is. Her house faces south and her back yard is mostly shade. Ricketts is a retired architect, originally from Jamaica. She says she gardens for the food and for the peace it brings her.

RICKETTS: This is a peach tree that I put in, and around it, I had kale, Chinese cabbage, and I also had yellow Swiss chard.

ALLEN: There are lots of things planted in Ricketts' front yard. There's a pomegranate tree, a blueberry bush, papaya, strawberries and pineapples. There are also flowers and green plants. But not there is anything considered by Miami Shores to be a vegetable. After tending her garden for 17 years with nothing, she says, from the neighbors but compliments, Ricketts was surprised several months ago when a zoning inspector stopped by.

RICKETTS: You know, he told me I was not allowed to have vegetables in the front yard. And I asked him which one of these plants does he consider vegetables?

ALLEN: Under a zoning ordinance in Miami Shores, residents are not allowed to have vegetable gardens in their front yards. In August, Ricketts went before the town's code enforcement board to protest, but board chairman Robert Vickers was less than sympathetic.

ROBERT VICKERS: Do you have vegetables being grown in your front yard?

RICKETTS: I have plants in the front yard.

VICKERS: Do you have vegetables?

RICKETTS: Yes, I have vegetables...

VICKERS: OK, are you cultivating these vegetables? Are they growing wild? Or did you plant them and you're growing and caring and pulling the weeds and making sure they grow, so they're edible?

ALLEN: The board ruled the vegetables must go. The zoning inspector told Ricketts which plants she had to pull up. She complied, but wasn't done with her fight. She contacted the Institute for Justice, a national advocacy group that has fought numerous legal battles over the years on property rights issues. Last month, the group filed a lawsuit against Miami Shores. A lawyer with the group, Ari Bargill, says the ban on front yard gardens violates a state-guaranteed right to use and enjoy property. It's a right that he says can only be restricted for very good reason.

ARI BARGILL: And that is not the case with a ban on vegetables. You can plant fruit, you can have flowers, you can adorn your property with pink flamingos. But you cannot have vegetables. That's almost the definition of irrationality.

ALLEN: Because of the pending lawsuit, town officials won't talk on tape. They say they responded to a complaint they received about Ricketts' garden and that the law is clear. The town's lawyer says he's confident the ordinance will stand up in court. But that may be almost beside the point. Since filing her lawsuit, Hermine Ricketts has drawn lots of media attention, in South Florida and across the country.

Town officials say they're received death threats, including an e-mail in which someone penciled Hitler moustaches and pasted swastikas on photos of village council members.

Last year, the city of Orlando was involved in a similar dispute with a home gardener there. After months of coverage that generated protests from gardeners around the country, Orlando relented. It's now rewriting its rules to allow vegetable gardens even in the front yard.

Tips For Maintaining Kitchen Garden

Gardening is becoming a trend lately. Many housewives have started gardening activities at home as it helps pass time and gives a good output. Kitchen garden can comprise of a wide range of fruits, vegetables and spices grown at the backyard of your house. Do not go by the name, kitchen garden is not necessarily outside the kitchen door. It can be in the backyard near the kitchen or to the wall adjacent to the kitchen. There are quite a few tips for kitchen gardening and to utilize vegetable gardening to its fullest. You may grow tomatoes, chilly, onions, tamarind, basil, curry leaves, lemon and so on. There is a large list of plants you can grow in vegetable gardening. It depends on the climatic conditions, soil type and your dedication.

he following are the tips for kitchen gardening that would help you from the start. It will guide you to prepare your garden, plant appropriate vegetables or fruits and maintain the same. The Sunbath Area - Always choose the backyard space that receives an ample amount of sunlight. The sun is the source of energy for plants and it stimulates the growth of plants. Plants should get an ample amount of sunlight for 5-6 hours a day. Therefore, avoid shady areas for growing your vegetable garden. The Water Content - The soil chosen for vegetable gardening should have sufficient water content and should be naturally drained regularly. Too much or too less of water is not appropriate for plants. Prepare the soil - The soil where you are planning to put your vegetable garden needs to be prepared. Remove the rough stones and patches from the soil. Add compost to make the soil good for gardening. Plant Selection - Always select the vegetables and fruits that you want to grow beforehand. The selection should be based on the soil type, the suitability of the crop to the soil and climatic factor and the daily requirement of the plant. Design - Make a proper design and layout of your vegetable garden. You must be sure of which crop or plant to use and where to use the same. The layout will make your garden look organized. The maintenance also reduces and becomes easier. Nurture - Your plants need a lot of nurturing in the initial stage. Each plant has different needs and necessities. You must work accordingly and provide the nutrients required. Water the Plants - Regular watering is very necessary. Imagine a day you spend without water. The same the plants go through when not watered regularly. Especially the saplings need water as their roots are not yet developed to absorb water from deep soil depths, Rotate - Just like the Crop Rotation Technique used in farming, rotate your plants according to seasons. This will keep the soil fertilized and give you a variety in vegetables and fruits. Maintain the Garden - Once you plant your crop, maintain it well. Each crop has different harvesting periods. When harvesting take good care of avoiding damage to the crops. This is an important tip for kitchen gardening. Continual Process - Kitchen gardening is not a once in a week procedure. Once started you have to continue and nurture your garden well like a kid.

Positive Sprouts garden program a lasting legacy for Tom Neubauer

BENTON HARBOR — One of the lasting legacies left behind by Tom Neubauer of Union Pier and Albany Park, Ill., is the Boys & Girls Club of Benton Harbor’s Positive Sprouts gardening program.

Neubauer, well known in the area for organizing festivals and other events on both sides of Lake Michigan with his wife, Colleen Ryan, through Big Creek Productions and Traffic PR and Marketing, passed away on Nov. 17.

Colleen posted the following message on Facebook: “Dear Friends — My courageous prince ended his battle with cancer on Sunday, November 17. Tommy passed away peacefully holding my hand. His parents, family and close friends were all with us at our cottage in Union Pier.

Tom was thrilled to be in Michigan at the opening of deer season and wanted so badly to be in the woods for another outing. Weather and fatigue prevented an actual hunt, but watching college football and hanging at his cottage with friends after a difficult week was a reasonable trade off. There are few places Tom enjoyed being more than at his cottage. Sitting under the trees and simply being close to nature always lifted his spirits. Never was this truer than this past year.

The world lost one of its most genuine, interesting, and welcoming humans today. May we all find ways to share Tom’s zest for living, love of others, and commitment to family & friendship like he shared with each of us.”

Another posting noted that plans for a memorial service were still being made as of  Nov. 19, adding that the service will not take place until after the Thanksgiving holiday weekend.

When the couple decided to start the Farm to Table “foodie” event pairing local farms with Chicago and Southwest Michigan chefs, they contacted Monica Clark, who works at Whirlpool and Maytag. Clark had the idea of raising money for the Boys & Girls Club of Benton Harbor.

Liji Hanny, Boys & Girls Club’s director of operations, said the Positive Sprouts gardening program was spearheaded by the Tom and Colleen.

Tom was born and raised in Benton Harbor before moving to Fairplain. He grew up picking fruit at local farms for spending money.

Club members are learning master gardening techniques with a little help from a grant from Maytag and the Sept. 1, 2013, Farm to Table Festival held at Round Barn Winery in rural Baroda that was hosted by the Chicago restaurant television show, “Check, Please!”

More than 20 chefs, along with 20 farms, artisans, wineries and breweries, participated in the festival.

Hanny said this is the second year money has been donated from Farm to Table. Last year’s $5,000 donation was used to build 10 above-ground garden beds, he said.

This year, he said, the $6,000 donation will be used to buy tools for the gardens and for field trips to local farms.

A plaque is being placed in the Sprouts garden thanking the Neubauers for their continued support.

“We want to educate young people about eating nutritious foods and maintaining healthy lifestyles,” Hanny said. “We’re blessed they (Maytag volunteers) have chosen to use their spare time to help us help kids.”

He said among the fruits and vegetables the club members grew were watermelon, squash, five types of tomatoes, five varieties of peppers, sage and ocra.

Hanny said the Positive Sprouts program is not only growing healthy fruits and vegetables, it’s also growing tomorrow’s leaders.

“I used to get into trouble,” said club member Darius Sallie, 13, of Benton Harbor. “I used to get an attitude a lot.”

He said his six years as a club member have changed things.

“I like working with the plants because ... I just like volunteering and I like to see stuff grow and mature,” Darius said.

Hanny said he is proud of the progress Darius has made over the years.

“He struggled with conflict resolution ... and he’s grown into one of the leaders around here,” Hanny said. “He’s the one on a scorching hot day who would get the key for the spigot so he and his friends could water it (the garden).”

Another club member who kept the garden going over the summer was Sydareha Moss, 14, of Benton Harbor.

“I like coming out here and watering the plants and watching them grow,” she said.

Sydareha said she is looking forward to the club’s starting a cooking class to teach members how to cook the vegetables grown in the garden.

Hanny said if it wasn’t for Darius and Sydareha taking leadership roles, the garden would not have been nearly as successful. He said he couldn’t keep up with the watering every day, but Darius and Sydareha made sure it was done.

“The Boys and Girls Club is about building future leaders, and I see two future leaders here,” he said. “They are really a microcosm of the work we do here.”

Hanny said the Positive Sprouts program was started as a way to fight obesity and to teach young people about where their food comes from. He said about 20 club members worked in the garden over the summer.

Gardening Expert Melinda Myers Authors Four New Books for Midwestern Gardeners

Gardening expert, TV/radio host, author and columnist Melinda Myers is the author of four new books aimed to help Midwest gardeners dramatically beautify their landscapes with ease featuring top plant picks optimal for Midwest gardens, design recommendations and everything from pruning tips to pest management and everything in between.

The Minnesota and Wisconsin Getting Started Garden Guide and Michigan Getting Started Garden Guide are available now at most major book stores and online. The Midwest Gardener’s Handbook has a release date of mid-December and Month-by-Month Gardening Minnesota & Wisconsin will be released mid-January, but both can be preordered now online through amazon.com.

The Midwest Gardener’s Handbook is an all-inclusive resource guide featuring hundreds of proven plants—suited to the Midwest climate. Gorgeous photography and in-depth instructions teach the reader how to plant, prune, water, control pests, and continually care for their personal outdoor landscape.

Myers’ new Minnesota and Wisconsin Getting Started Garden Guide and the Michigan Getting Started Garden Guide highlight the best plants for gardens in these states with more than 175 plant recommendations from flowers and groundcovers to trees and shrubs, and everything in between. The book also provides design tips to help add color and beauty to gardens in addition to advice on planting, growing, and care, including pest control. A large color photograph of each plant is featured to help the reader visualize and select the best plants to include in their landscape.

“I wanted to create a guide to help gardeners in these states be able to visualize and learn about the many great plants they have available to them – varieties that will flourish best in their gardens,” said Myers. “I’m hoping this resource helps gardeners planting and tending gardens they design achieve greater results.”

Month-by-Month Gardening Minnesota & Wisconsin is a definitive when-to and how-to resource for gardeners. It’s redesigned and easier-to-use format contains fully updated information, and additional photography. It’s packed with all the knowledge the Wisconsin/Minnesota gardener or home landscaper needs to be successful, including specifics on growing annual and perennial flowers, bulbs, grasses (both lawn and ornamental), groundcovers, shrubs, trees, and vines throughout the year. From planting, watering, and fertilizing to routine maintenance and problem solving, Minnesota & Wisconsin Month-by-Month Gardening teaches gardeners of all skill levels the best practices for achieving rewarding results all year long.

“As always I take a practical approach, share ideas I have learned along the way and strive to make the act of gardening fun and successful,” said Myers. “The goal is to help people transform their landscape into a beautiful oasis that they can enjoy, relax and entertain within.”

Gardening expert, TV/radio host and author Melinda Myers is the 2013 recipient of the national American Horticultural Society’s B.Y. Morrison Communication Award, has over 30 years of horticulture experience, is a certified arborist and has a master's degree in horticulture. She hosts the nationally syndicated Melinda’s Garden Moment segments which air on over 135 TV and radio stations throughout the U.S. as well as The Great Courses “How to Grow Anything” DVD series (2013). She’s a columnist and contributing editor for Birds & Blooms magazine, writes the Gardener’s Questions’ newspaper column and has a column in Gardening How-To magazine and Wisconsin Gardening magazine. She has written over 20 books, including the nationally released title "Can't Miss Small Space Gardening” and “The Garden Book for Wisconsin.” Myers hosted seven seasons of "Great Lakes Gardener," which was broadcast by PBS stations throughout the U.S. She was “The Plant Doctor” on Newsradio 620 WTMJ for over 20 years, has been a columnist and contributing editor for Backyard Living magazine and has written articles for Better Homes and Gardens and Fine Gardening.

Winter protection and gardening tips

Officially it is still fall but winter can hit at any time. We still should have a nice day or two that you might take outdoor advantage of now and some tips on dealing with snow and ice this winter.

If you haven’t already applied your 2nd application of fall fertilizer do it this weekend. This encourages good root development and helps improve the color of your lawn.

Continue to remove fallen leaves from the lawn and around shrubs. If mulching leaves on the lawn with your mower, don’t bury the grass with shredded leaves. The green blades should show through when you’re done mulching the leaves.

Spring flowering bulbs can still be planted outdoors at this time of year and also think about adding some indoor color by planting a few bulbs in pots for forcing. Paper whites, hyacinths, and early blooming tulips and daffodils are good choices. Bulbs need a good 8-10 weeks of cold so this means you can continue planting thru December and sometimes even in January.

Clean and put away your garden tools. Drain your hoses and put them away for the winter. Do not leave any hoses attached to outdoor hose bibs. This can cause pipes to burst.

Bring out the bird feeders and stock them with bird seed for the birds. Remember to provide fresh water for them too.

Store any firewood away from any structure and keep covered with a plastic tarp so it remains dry.

Leave any spring flowering bulbs alone if some start to grow before spring. You’ll be tempted to cover, but please don’t. They will be fine.

One of the best looks that a landscape can have is a snow cover that makes our home look like a winter wonderland. Snow can be a landscapes best friend by covering the lawn, shrubs, and planting beds with a white blanket. Snow cover is a great insulator keeping very cold temperatures from harming those snow covered plants. Wet snow, on the other hand, can cause harm to your evergreen trees and shrubs by you going out with a broom or leaf rake and trying to beat the wet snow off. Wet snow can cause plants to bend but very seldom break. If you wish to remove snow from your evergreens, lightly beat the snow covered branches from their underside. This will keep your motion and snow weight from breaking any branches.

To melt snow and ice from your concrete and blacktop surfaces, use products that won’t damage the surfaces or contaminate the soil in the surrounding planting beds and lawn. The salt free Halite is a safe product as well as any granular fertilizer high in nitrogen, example: 28-0-4. Make sure the fertilizer has a course filler and not lightweight vermiculite.

If you are in need of some professional assistance, contact your landscape designer this winter. He or she will have lots of time now to work on your 2012 project so you’ll be ready to complete the project early next spring and avoid waiting in a long line.

Gardening Tips: Controlling Plant Height In the Greenhouse

One of the many challenges faced by greenhouse growers is keeping the plants height short and controlled. We nurture our plants providing the proper amounts of food, light, water, and temperatures and, even with all that, the plants stretch and get leggy anyway. Are there ways to control plant height and keep them from stretching?

There are three methods of control: biological, physical and chemical. Lets look at these methods separately.

Biological Method: thoroughly research the cultivars you want to grow. Many bedding plants have varying maturity heights; short, medium and tall. Select the cultivars that best suit the area in the greenhouse where it will grow. It is best to grow varieties that stay short, as this is an easier way to control the plants height. The plant takes care of itself.
Schedule your start times so the plants will mature on time. Starting seeds too soon and allowing them too much time to grow creates a need to “hold back” the plant. Trying to hold a plant back from maturing is very hard to do and in the efforts made to try and accomplish this, the quality of the plant can diminish. I remember starting tomato seeds in late February for a May planting. I was a little over anxious. The seeds germinated right on time and continued to grow rapidly. There was no holding them back and I wound up with tomato trees. I lost many of the plants along the way as I was trying to maintain them. The following season I adjusted the start times, what a difference a few weeks made.

Physical Method: this control method encompasses many aspects of the plants growth from the growing environment to the cultural practices used.

1. Light intensity is one of the easier ways to keep plant height controlled. Give the plant ample room to grow. Crowding the growing area creates competition for all available light giving less to each plant. Grow only the amount of plants that you can feasibly fit in your greenhouse. Once a plant senses the others presence next to it, the plant will start to grow upward. Keep the canopy open by limiting the amount of hanging baskets grown. The plants below will be shaded too much for proper growth. I ignored these suggestions when I grew for retail purposes. I would try to squeeze out as many plants as I could from the greenhouse and indeed some plants did suffer; growing tall and leggy and ultimately not surviving the season due to the stresses they were put under.

2. If your greenhouse is made of glass, make sure it is kept clean as much as possible. The amount of light that is able to come through a dirty glass panel is diminished considerably. Plastic coverings that are old tend to turn yellow. This too causes less light to come through. Replace the covering when it is showing signs of aging. Poor lighting conditions cause the plants to stretch and grow leggy. Provide as much light as you can.

3. Container size helps to control plant height as well. Using containers that are too small, creating restricted root systems, reduces the stretching of bedding plants.

4. Watering a plant less often, allowing it to wilt slightly between waterings, gives a shorter plant, but you risk poor quality if wilting is allowed to occur too often. Plants can tolerate a certain amount of wilting. Be careful to not allow the plant to wilt to the point of no return.

5. Fertilizing less is an old time favorite way to control plant height. This method can be quite successful, so long as it is controlled. The nutrients that effect plant size are nitrogen and phosphorous. Nitrogen withheld has the biggest effect on plant height; however, allowing too much deprivation of the N nutrient for too long a period can cause yellowing of the leaves and overall poor quality. There are special fertilizers sold at garden centers that have predetermined nutrient combinations, for example, regular use of the water- soluble 20-1-20 or 20-2-20, has been shown to produce shorter, stockier plants.

6. Temperature control, using a method known in the industry as DIF, has been shown to be a useful method in controlling plant height. Developed by researchers from Michigan State University back in the 1980’s, their research basically showed that the average temperature (the average day plus night temp) affects a plants growth rate with higher averages resulting in more rapid growth and development.

DIF, the difference between day temps and night temps affects stem elongation and height. Stem elongation is the distance of the stem from one node to the next. DIF is calculated as the day temp minus the night temp and can be either positive DIF (day temp is higher than night), zero DIF (day temp = night) or negative DIF (day temp is less than night).

Trying to keep a greenhouse in negative DIF is a difficult task for most. Another way was found that accomplished reducing a plants height and is the easiest DIF treatment to use, it is called “cool morning pulse”. By reducing the greenhouse temperature 5 to 10 degrees F lower than the night temperature for 2 to 3 hours, starting 30 minutes before dawn, reduced plant height as effectively as negative DIF and was easier to do. Here is an example: night temp of 68 -degreesF, two hour drop to 60 -degreesF (30 minutes before dawn), and then 65 -degreesF maintained during the day. For warmer plants: 72 -degreesF at night; 64 -degreesF pre-dawn for 2 to 3 hours; 65-degreesF day.

There are thermostatically controlled devices that you can set up to automatically change these temperatures at the correct times. Salvia, Rose, Snapdragon and Fuchsia had very good responses to this DIF control compared to Aster, French Marigold, Tulip and Squash which showed little or no response.

Mechanical Methods are used and have been known for a long time to be a good control. By brushing, shaking or bending the plant on a regular basis caused the plants to stay short. A mechanical device was created for use in commercial greenhouses that grow vegetable seedlings. A bar is drawn across the tops of the seedlings once or twice a day. The bar is low enough to make contact with the plant without breaking the tops. A 40 percent reduction in height was recorded. Other systems using vibrations, periodic shaking and blowing air movement are also good methods of height control.

Chemical Method is really the last resort that should be taken. Improperly applying these chemicals can cause extensive damage to the plant and can be unhealthy for anyone entering the greenhouse. Chemical growth regulators are not approved for use on vegetable seedlings. A hormone called gibberellins is responsible for a plants cellular growth and elongation. Growth regulators and retardants are anti-gibberellins that inhibit gibberellin’s synthesis thus keeping the plants from growing tall. Common growth regulators and retardants are A-Rest, B-Nine, Bonzi, Cycocel, Florel and Sumagic, each used on different plants and performing different functions.

These chemical controls are considered pesticides and are best left to the professional. For the hobby greenhouse grower the non-chemical methods of control are best.

Gardening Tips: Planning a seasonal garden

In whatever climate we live, it is our desire to have a garden that stays in bloom for as long as possible. When the first signs of spring manifest themselves in warm late-winter breezes we start looking for crocuses to push their way through the soil or snow. And we want our beloved garden to keep producing color until the frost finally finishes the Chrysanthemums in autumn. In between, planning a seasonal garden that will produce bountiful blooms week in and week out is the goal many green-thumb gurus aspire to. When you do enough research to know when your favorite plants will be in bloom, you’ll have the facts you need for designing and planting a garden that keeps its color continuously.

In this guide we’ll offer some planning and planting pointers along with a list of favorite perennials and when you can expect them to bloom. For planning purposes, take paper and pencil and sketch out the garden you’d like to have. Let color be your guiding influence here. Do you have a circular garden? Place colors next to one another as well as across from one another that go well together. Place yellow next to red and across from purple, for example, for a richer color pastiche. Or try green next to pink and across from orange for a zestier confluence of color. If your garden is rectangular and viewed from front or side, but not all angles, your color scheming is easier. Find a color chart online or at the paint store, and select colors that work well side by side for optimum beauty.

The next step is to make sure that each segment of your garden will have color spring, summer, and into autumn. This is quite simple when you have a reliable flower chart at your disposal. See the list below to get you started, but you might want to purchase a flower encyclopedia for a more comprehensive list of options.

Remember, too, that every garden needs to be planted with the height of the mature flowers in mind. In a garden that will be viewed from one or two sides, plant shorter flowers to the front, with gradually taller blooms working towards the back. This will prevent any of your cherished blossoms from being obscured, and will give rich texture and depth to your garden’s visual characteristics. In a round garden that its admirers can walk completely around, plant shorter flowers in the front row and increase height as you work your way toward the middle. Does this seem overly complex? The truth is, when you have a list of perennials that records their expected height at full growth it becomes quite easy and very enjoyable to plan for. And when you see it come to life in spring, summer, and autumn, your pleasure at what you’ve brought about will almost know no bounds!

Okay, here’s a short list to get you started.

Spring bloomers include: Daffodil, Crocus, Iris Reticulata, Chionodoxa, Creeping phlox, Pasque flower, Lungwort and Virginia bluebells.
Late spring to early summer blossomers include: Siberian iris, German iris, Peonies, Baptisia, Coreopsis, Salvia and Candytuft, Bleeding Heart, Cranesbill, Columbine, Dianthus, Lamium, and Coral Bells.

The best choices for summer include: Hostas, Border Phlox, Black Eyed Susan, daylily varieties, Purple Coneflower, Yarrow, Indian Blanket, Boltania, Bee Balm, Bulb lilies, and Penstemon.

For autumn color, select: Assorted Sedums, Asters, Windflower, Toadlily, and Japanese Anemone.

When selecting flowers to provide a season full of color, don’t overlook annuals. They can be used to fill in bare spots, and many varieties offer hardy blooms that will continue to blossom for months!