VARIETY Once again this year everyone has marked spring's arrival with the obligatory box of pansies on the front stoop. Just as they did last year. And the year before. On the one hand, pansies are pretty, inexpensive, long-lasting, and don't require any special care. On the other hand, a bit more originality would be refreshing. Bulbs offer all sorts of possibilities and after a couple years, the four or five bulbs from the original package will generate offsets. We don't have a lot of space in the garden, so we put the bulbs in pots to keep them in check (the daffodils that had been left untended all around the garden had multiplied into the hundreds over the years - we came up with daffodils wherever we sunk a spade or trowel). The grape hyacinths, with their vivid blue spikes of flowers, brighten the early spring garden when everything else is just starting to sprout. We also have bursts of white starflowers everywhere. Anemones, crocuses, and snowdrops bloom in early spring, freesias a bit later. The lilies that are sprouting now will bloom in summer. Tulips are pretty the first year, but if left alone gradually dig themselves deeper and deeper, getting scrawnier looking by the year. Avoid the hassle of digging them up every year by planting them in pots and planting the pots in the ground. Hyacinths also tend to bloom well the first year and then lose vigor in subsequent years. Tubers, rhizomes, and corms also offer different possibilities. Dahlias come in hundreds of brightly-colored varieties and hardy, fast-growing cannas can be used to spruce up spots where the soil is poor. Flowering ginger has sweet-smelling flowers that attract bees all summer long. Tall gladioluses, in yellow, orange, red, pink, or white, can also be used for cut flowers. Lily of the valley grows in partially shaded spots or can be grown in pots. Plant perennials around the garden and those spots will take care of themselves, meaning a few less trips to the garden shop. Rhodohypoxis (red star) grows in clumps and can be used for a ground cover of attractive foliage and tiny red flowers in late spring. Low-growing varieties of campanula also make an excellent ground cover, as does mother of thousands, also known as "creeping sailor," in shady areas. Evergreen gazanias grow in extremely poor soil (the worse the conditions, the more they seem to thrive - ours even bloomed this winter) and have daisy-like flowers that come in every hue from sunflower yellow to red or orange. Achillea will also thrive in neglected areas. Columbines seed profusely and we now have them all around the garden. Colorful asters can also be used in many situations and this year, we're also experimenting with chicory. California poppies, with orange, yellow, or white flowers, are technically annuals, but they self-seed so vigorously that they might as well be classified as perennials. We planted a couple in a debris-strewn patch at the bend of the road in front of our house and they soon filled the formerly sad-looking spot with brilliant orange blooms. Forget-me-nots come in pink, purple, or white and cosmos can be used to brighten up borders along paths. Cover an unsightly wall or create a summer bower with vivid purple clematis. One of the pleasures of gardening is when friends come for a visit and wander around the garden asking, "What are these flowers here?" The varieties mentioned above are just a few of the many available at the garden shop. Why not experiment? back to top page