Annual Colour All Season

Colour brightens up the garden and brightens our moods! Having colour consistently throughout the growing season is easy with a bit of planning. Planting with the changing seasons is a
great way to keep your garden looking fresh and vibrant throughout the year.Our guide to seasonal colour will help you choose the best plants for your garden each season.

SPRING

As soon as the snow begins to melt, spring bulbs pop their heads up, helping us to welcome spring. Bulbs come in all shapes, sizes and colours, giving great variety to the early spring garden. Choose a selection of bulbs which bloom at different times through the spring to give you a succession of colour this season. The earliest blooming bulbs include Crocus, Scilla and Snowdrops, followed by mid-season favourites such as Daffodil, Tulip and Hyacinth. Allium take center stage in late spring is beautiful when paired with late blooming Tulips. TERRA carries a wide variety of spring bulbs in late summer and early fall. Buy early for the best selection, but wait to plant until 6 weeks before a hard frost is expected.

SUMMER

Once the risk of frost has passed, usually by late May, you can begin planting summer annuals. Summer annuals provide us with a rainbow of colour to suit anyone’s taste. From bold red Salvia
to subtle pink Impatiens, there are annuals to suit anyone’s taste. No other group of plants can match annuals for impact in our climate; they provide us with rich colour for months on end. Annuals combine well with perennials and shrubs or can be massed on their own for dramatic effect. Grouping annuals by colour can be an effective way to create mood in the garden. A white theme can create a feeling of calm and coolness in the landscape, especially when set against a dark evergreen backdrop. Try white Petunias, Geraniums, Bacopa and silvery Dusty Miller for a cool theme. For a bold, exciting statement, try mixing opposite colours such as blue and orange. Combine blue flowers like Lobelia, Ageratum and Verbena with orange Marigolds, Nasturtium and Gazania for great impact.

FALL

By late summer, annuals begin to look a bit tired. To brighten up the fall garden, replace summer annuals with fall favourites such as Mums, cold hardy Pansies, Asters and Black-Eyed Susans. There are also many options for fall foliage interest. Coral Bells give us beautiful leaf colour, Ornamental Kale provides great texture, and Ornamental Grasses offer dramatic height. Ornamental peppers, pumpkins and gourds can add seasonal flair to your fall planter. Fall plants are available as individuals or in ready-made planters, all set to dress up your front porch or back deck. Or try your hand at creating your own fall planter! For a well-balanced arrangement, try to include a vertical element (a “thriller”), something mid-height (a “filler”) and
something trailing (a “spiller”).