Photography by Sara Barrett for Gardenista.
Thank you for the luxury of winter. We found her in her office at the venerable Litchfield, Connecticut-based mail-order plant seller, and asked her to share her top 10 tips for designing a beautiful flower bed.
Good bones are in the background in a trial bed at White Flower Farm, lending impact to the colorful flowers in front.
1. Good Bones
A trellis can look good in the garden of a contemporary house, she says, “but makes sure it’s not too ornate. And a cottage rose garden is probably not what you want to have if your house is contemporary.”
2. Complementary Colors
Yellow Flame’ ($6.95 per plant) complements the dark purple of Salvia ‘Amistad’ ($8.95 per plant).
3. The Power of Pink
In the foreground is low-growing Zinnia ‘Profusion Yellow’, behind which a tall burgundy creature rises (that’s Amaranthus cruentas ‘Oeschburg’).
Also at the front of the bed is deep pink Gomphrena ‘QIS Carmine’ (available seasonally), behind which grows a clump of tall pink Dahlia ‘Onesta’ ($8.95 apiece).
In a trial bed, ppink Gomphrena ‘Fireworks’ and the yellow perennial Patrinia scabiosifolia are accented by Pennisetum purpureum ‘Princess’ grass (in the foreground).
4. Don’t Plant in Rows
5. Lasagna Mulch
The deep blue of Salvia ‘Indigo Spires’ is a perfect foil for Rudbeckia subtomentosa ‘Henry Eliers’. First Pierson layers from six to 10 sheets of newspaper on the surface of a flowr bed, wetting each sheet with a hose.
6. Hot Colors
Zinnia ‘Benary’s Giant Salmon Rose pops against the fuchsia pink o Gomphrena QIS Carmine’. In the background, orange Tithonia ‘Fiesta del Sol’ is a favorite of butterflies.
7. Annuals Are Your Friends
Even a flower bed of established perennials can benefit from a brightly colored annual flower or two..
Shown here, Lantana ‘Rose Sunrise’ “is almost like a rainbow of color in each flower,” says Pierson.
8. Extend the Season
The white powder puffs of the compact shrub Hydrangea paniculata ‘Bobo’ ($29.95 apiece) rise above the burgundy leaves of Coleus ‘Peter’s Wonder’ ($6.95 per plant) visible in the left foreground.
9. Dahlias, Darling
Seen from another angle, the lavender dahlia is ‘Mingus Randy’ ($8.95 apiece). The pale purple ground cover is the wonderfully fragrant Lobularia ‘Lavender Stream’, which blooms all summer with no deadheading.
“Grasses are your exclamation points,” says Pierson. “
10. Add Grasses