Beautiful Spring Perennials

Take a tour of this stunning garden in the province of Nova Scotia, on the East coast of Canada and discover some interesting perennials to use in your own garden.
Columbine: If your garden experiences a bit of a lull between spring bulbs and flowering perennials, think about adding some columbine. Columbine come in a variety of pastel shades and bi-colors. The flowers are held on upright stems over a fairly compact mound of ferny, light-green foliage. Columbine like to self-seed. You never know where they will turn up next.
Two perennials with interesting color:


Fleeceflower, Persicaria microcephala 'Red Dragon': is a foliage plant with purplish-maroon colored leaves a silver v-shaped marking. In colder areas, this plant will require some winter protection. Full sun or light shade. Average garden soil is fine, but it likes conditions to be on the moist side. Height: 60-90 cm (23-35 inches), Spread: 60-90 cm (23-35 inches). USDA Zones 6-9


Euphorbia griffithii 'Fireglow': forms a bushy, upright mound of foliage with the bonus of fiery orange bracts in early summer. This is supposedly one of the most reliable Euphorbias for Northern garden zones. Note: The milky sap of this plant is irritating to skin, so wear gloves when pruning it. Full sun. Average garden soil should be fine, but this Euphorbia prefers the soil to be on the moist side. Height: 60-90 cm (23-35 inches), Spread: 60-75 cm ( 23-29 inches). USDA Zones: 4-9.
One of the great advantages of laying out a garden on a slope has been the ability to look down on the garden from on high. After the bank was completed, Jacquie found herself looking out her window at the as yet untouched expanse of grass in the backyard:


"I'd sit upstairs by my living room window and plan where to dig the next garden patch. When that project was finished, I'd do the same thing until the whole garden was mostly the way I wanted it."


"At one point I dug a very large garden in front of the upper bank. It had a straight edge, and when I looked from the window, I knew it was totally wrong. It needed to have curves, so I had to rearrange the whole thing. That happened a lot and still does."
Jacquie: "Very short bloom time, but so beautiful."


Pearl Bush, Exochorda macrantha 'The Bride': is a deciduous shrub that has a height and spread of about 3' to 4'. 'The Bride' has white flowers on arching branches in spring. It can be easily grown in average, well-drained soil, but it prefers a slightly acidic loam that is rich in organic matter. This shrub flowers on old growth, so prune it after it finishes flowering. Full sun to light shade. USDA Zones 5-8.
Geum borisii: Forms a low growing clump with sprays of bright orange flowers from early spring into summer. As Donna notes, it may even re-bloom in fall. Part shade and moist soil are best. Height: 30-45cm (12- 18 inches), Spread: 30-45 cm (12-18 inches) USDA Zones: 5-7. Note: Geum borisii struggles with heat and humidity south of zone 7.
Geum rivale: has nodding reddish-brown flowers with a butter yellow bell in May/June. This plant will grow in average garden soil, but it likes moist conditions and some light shade. Bees love its flowers. Height: 25-50 cm (10-20 inches), Spread: 45-60 cm ( 18-23 inches) USDA Zones: 5-9.
This is Jacquie's flower fairy.


Read all about this garden on my blog: just click the link below.
Three Dogs in a Garden
Want more details about this and other DIY projects? Check out my blog post!
Go
Frequently asked questions
Have a question about this project?
  2 questions
  • Patricia Patricia on Apr 14, 2016
    how do you keep everything watered and managed so well?
  • Donna Donna on Apr 14, 2016
    Love your garden! Where did you get the flower fairy?
Comments
Join the conversation
3 of 49 comments
  • Marie Alesi Caruana Marie Alesi Caruana on Apr 15, 2016
    My husband and I visited Nova Scotia in a camper about 50 years ago--I will never forget that gorgeous place. Wherever we stopped to camp was more beautiful than the last. Even the campgrounds were pristine and kept spotless. This garden reminded me of all that beauty--I'd love to have a garden as spectacular as this one, but will have to make do with some of the plants you highlighted. Thanks for the memories and the new ideas.
  • Carol Carol on Apr 15, 2016
    Absolutely gorgeous! You have put in a lot of work there for sure, and you will probably always keep changing things but then, that's the fun of it, right?
    • Three Dogs in a Garden Three Dogs in a Garden on Apr 17, 2016
      @Carol Hi Carol, This is a garden I featured on my blog, but its not my own. It belongs to a woman in her 70's. For Jacquie the gardening is a passion. She spends a good part of each day tending it, and yes, she does make lots of changes. That is part of the fun of gardening for sure!
Next