Garden Guy: New Garden Companions for 2026

By Bruce Bennett

Spring is here! This year, the season began on Friday, March 20, 2026 with the arrival of the Spring Equinox, an astronomical point on our calendars which marks the Northern Hemisphere transitioning more directly in line with the sun and its warmth. 

(The Autumnal Equinox begins on September 22 and heralds the Northern Hemisphere’s move away from summer and toward winter yet again.) 

Yet, it is in this late part of winter we begin to start thinking more about springtime as the seed and plant catalogs have arrived in your mailboxes, seed packet displays are in most stores and the Northwest Flower and Garden Festival has concluded for another year.

As a home gardener, one of the satisfying rituals of spring is finding new garden treasures; those plants that are making their debut in the retail marketplaces. They are generally sports or hybrids of plants that have been on the market for years, with the new ones having a different sense of style, color or size to them. Or, they can be new hybrids. Whether larger or smaller in size; darker, lighter or variegated leaves or larger flowers; etc., all have the ability to add something ‘extra’ to the humble part of your landscape that cries out to be noticed. A little dramatic? Perhaps. 

But, you get the gist of what I’m saying. No part of a landscape needs to be boring. It is worth too much in the way of underutilized garden space, monetary value and in satisfying your aesthetic senses to be just ‘Okay.’ A new vignette may be just the thing to enliven the space and create a smile on your face on your face when gazing at the site.

Having served as a judge of new heat-tolerant plants and talked to many wholesale growers and nurseries, it appears there are many new plants which will be coming to retail local garden centers. When I review an assortment of new plants in the marketplace, my prime considerations include drought and heat tolerance (after root systems are established – think three years), low maintenance and, of course, presence in the garden. 

This is a good year for new introductions as there are MANY new plants from which to choose. My candidates for your horticultural consideration include grasses, perennials, shrubs and trees (sorry folks, I have no interest in annuals). Seek them out.

If not available, ask for them. That’s when garden centers know there is a potential market for a new plant. Definitely, do your own research and evaluate their worthiness for that needy spot in your own yard or container. 

While I do dislike writing a column which is more list than anything else, this is my very subjective list of 2026 new plant winners and runners-up (and, I am quite sure that, if you talked to ten other gardeners, would have ten different list) …….

BTW, an ‘x’ in the botanical name indicates it is a hybrid; a Nativar is a cultivated version of a native plant and not a hybrid.

Blackhawk. Courtesy of chicagobotanic.org

GRASSES

‘Black Hawks’ Big Bluestem (Andropogon gerardii) 5’ x 2’, Sun, Nativar, Heat/Drought tolerant, Deer-resistant

Features green foliage which turns plum-black, excellent drought and heat tolerance (after the first three years) and a strong vertical look, Its near-black autumn color and strong, upright growth habit create a dramatic presence in fall gardens.

For a classic autumn display, consider pairing Blackhawks with companion plants like black-eyed Susans (Rudbeckia spp.), tall stonecrops (Hylotelephium spp.) and asters (Symphyotrichum spp.). Their contrasting colors, textures and movements will complement the Blackhawks and provide a late-season WOW vignette in the landscape.

Runners-Up

• ‘Golden Needles’ Prairie Drop Seed (Sporobolus heterolepis), 2’ x 2’, Sun, Native
• 'October Sky' Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum), 5’ x 2’, Sun, Native, Deer-Resistant
• 'Prairie Munchkin’ Little Bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium) 2’ x 2’, Sun, Native, Drought-tolerant,

Opal. Courtesy of chicagobotanicalgarden.org

PERENNIALS

• ‘Nova Opal’ Thread Leaf Tickseed (Coreopsis verticulata) , 12” x 18”, Nativar, Sun, Pollinator, Drought-Tolerant, Deer-resistant

Originating in the Central Plains the Southeast U.S., Opal is not the typical yellow tickseed. This one has shades of light pink. Gotta love a low and tight plant that flowers all summer and autumn (without deadheading). An excellent , low-maintenance, plant for mixed beds, borders, mass plantings and even containers. Can you imagine how they looked scattered throughout the prairies of earlier times in history?

Runners-Up

• ‘Sundial’ False Sunflower (Heliopsis helianthoides), 4’ x 3’, Nativar, Part/Full Sun, Pollinator
• ‘Prairie Princess’ Ironweed (Veronia x), 2.5’ x 2.5, Nativar, Sun, Autumn bloomer, Rosey Pink flowers
• ‘Lemon Perfection’ Catmint (Napeta x), 12’ x 18” Sun, Native, Heat/Drought tolerant, Golden Foliage, Pollinator
• ‘Treasurer Trove’ Black Eyed Susan (Rudbeckia x), 3’ x 3’, Native, Part/Sun, Pollinator,
• Iron Butterfly’ Iron Weed (Vernonia lettermannii), 3’ x 2’, Part/Full Sun, Native, Abundant purple flowers, Nativar, Pollinator, Deer Resistant
• ‘Granita’ Pussytoes (Antennaria dimorpha) 2” x 15”, Sun, Native, Silver-Green groundcover foliage
• ‘Ultra Violet’ Salvia (Salvia greggii), 3’ x 3’, Sun, Pollinator, Cold-hardy, Deer/Rabbit resistant

Cherry. Courtesy of landscapeplants.oregonstate.edu

Shrubs

• ‘Boulder Weeping’ Sand Cherry (Prunus pumila Besseyi), 4- x 6’, Sun, Native, Dwarf, Pollinator, Water-wise.

This drought and heat-tolerant sub-shrub is a ground-hugging native plant which can reach a mature spread of 6’ – 8’. Its low height, glossy green leaves, brilliant red autumn colors and low-water needs make it an excellent groundcover. Pollinators are drawn to the white spring flowers and the summer fruit will draw in the birds (and, yes, the fruit are fit for human consumption but better when cooked for jams, etc. Tolerates cold, heat, wind and drought.

Runners-Up

• ‘Silver Fountain” Butterfly Bush (Buddleia alternifolia), 10’ x 8’, Sun, Pollinator, fragrant flowers
• ‘Centennial Ruby’ Hydrangea (Hydrangea macrophila), 3’ x 3’, Part/Sun, Pollinator, Ruby-Red Blooms
• ‘Fairy Tale Cascade Hydrangea (Hydrangea x), 4’ xc 4’, Part Shade, Pollinator, Horizontal-Trailing habit, White, Different look from typical hydrangeas
• ‘Let’s Dance Sky View Hydrangea (Hydrangea macrophylla × serrata), 3’ x4’, Part/Sun, Pollinator, Pink-Blue-Purple depending on pH, Repeat Bloomer
• ‘Kodiack Jet Black’ Diervilla (Diervilla rivularis), 3’ x 4’, Part/Shade, Native, Drought tolerant, Pollinator, Deer resistant, Black-Purple Foliage, Repeat Bloomer

Cinnamon Curls. Courtesy of landscape plantsoregonstate.edu

TREES

• ‘Cinnamon Curls’ Dwarf Korean Birch Tree (Betula constata) 9’ x 9’, Sun, Dwarf, Cold-tolerant

This tree is compact and single stemmed. It has bright green foliage which transitions to a bright golden-yellow. Its exfoliating exterior has cinnamon-colored undersides of thin strips curling bark which is a focal point in the winter landscape. 

A main selling attribute (at least to me) of this tree is that it has not been bothered by the tree-killing Bronze Birch Borer during its trials. Cinnamon Curls is excellent in limited spaces and even large containers. Cinnamon Curls is adapted to conditions of greater cold and higher pH soils where other Betula nigra cultivars do not perform well making it an all-round great choice for a smaller yack yard or patio area.

Runners-Up

• ‘Wincraft Black Smoke Bush (Cotinus coggygria) 10’ x 8’, Sun, Dark Foliage, Deer, rabbit resistant
• ‘Easy As Pie’ Dwarf Bush Cherry (Prunus x) 5’ x5’, Sun, Dwarf, Self-fertile
• ‘Hot Wings’ Tartarian Maple (Acer tattaricum), 18’ x 15”, Sun, Excellent summer display of bright red helicopter-type seeds that look like flaming wings.
• ‘Silver Totem’ Buffaloberry (Shephersia argentea), 10’ x 3’, Sun, Native, Narrow, silvery green leaves.

Garden Guy Bruce Bennett

Readers should remember this list is totally subjective. The best plants are totally my opinion. It is based upon the many plants I have seen in the past few months and like because of their individual virtues, like hardiness, versatility and “WOW” factor that the neighbors will envy. 

Use my list to kick-off your own horticultural sleuthing for the new additions to the gardening world. The downside to this horticultural treasure hunt is remembering the virtues of patience and perseverance. 

As new plants, to the market, these little gems may not appear in your favorite garden center for up to a year. Do ask the garden center staff if the plants in question can be special ordered or add your name to a Waitlist. Over the past thirty years, those tactics have worked many times for me.

Best of luck with this annual rite of Springtime and the newfound joy in your little patch of heaven. Happy gardening all!

Contributing garden columnist, Bruce Bennett, is a WSU Certified Master Gardener, Certified Professional Horticulturist garden and lecturer. 

If you have questions concerning this article, have a gardening question or two to ask concerning your own landscape or want to suggest a topic for a future column, contact him at gardenguy4u@gmail.com.

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GardenGuy at the Northwest Flower & Garden Festival

Snowdrops. Photo Courtesy of
Burke Herbarium.edu

By Bruce Bennett

The first harbingers of spring have reached western Washington. 

First, the Snowdrops (Galanthus nivalis) popped their little white heads out of the leaf litter in the garden beds. Then, the big box stores had shelves and shelves of bulbs, azaleas, etc. to begin their gardening sales. 

And now we have the NW Flower and Garden Festival enhancing metro Seattle from February 18 – February 22, 2026. 

This is the 37th year of the show and I know people who have attended each and every year (this columnist included). 

Consequently, this garden event must have something special to keep bringing people back year after year. Indeed it does…

Show Display
Courtesy of gardenshow.com

The garden displays are what bring most people to the Seattle Convention Center. This year nearly three acres (!) of floor space have been given over to more than twenty display gardens. 

These green vignettes are the heart of the show. 

Among the other areas of interest, visitors will find the City Living area offering practical ideas and inspiration for the ever-increasing apartment and condominium patios and balcony gardens. 

The Container Showdown will provide fast-paced competitions to create the best container display.

Marketplace.
Photo courtesy GardenShow.com

The Marketplace is a spectacular shopping opportunity. 

This area will have some 600 vendors offering all types of garden and yard merchandise, from MANY types of indoor and outside plants, to arts and crafts, jewelry and garden design expertise. 

Finally, in the major attractions category is the Seminar series. These include 100+ lectures presented by local, national and international gardening experts. 

The NW Flower & Garden Festival has been voted Best Lecture Series for several years now. There are certainly other attractions to be seen and experienced. For those, browse the event online at gardenshow.com.

Naturalistic display
Photo courtesy GardenShow.com

This year, the displays seem more approachable and easier to replicate. The designers, both new and veterans, developed very interesting vignettes. 

Most of this year’s display gardens have more of a naturalistic look to them. The abundant use of many types of northwest native plants certainly favors and enhances the rustic charm for many of the gardens. 

This year, more than previous years, many of the design ideas can easily be brought back to a homeowner’s abode and be replicated. The designers are to be congratulated!

One fact most visitors to the show don’t realize is that each display’s team has only three days in which to build their little bit of heaven. 

Construction begins Sunday at noon and must be finished by Tuesday at noon just before the event begins. The displays are completed on time every year and judged before the doors open to the general public. It is an amazing undertaking for all concerned.

Photo courtesy GardenShow.com

This year’s theme is Spring Parade and the gardens were designed with this idea in mind. 

Visitors can expect to see many winter blooming plants such as several varieties of Hellebores (Lenten Rose), Sarcococca (Sweet Box) with its heady vanilla scent, Camellias (Camellia), and Oregon Grape (Mahonia spp.), as well as early spring bloomers like fragrant Edgeworthia chrysantha (Paper Bush), Winter Heath (Erica carnea), Japanese Camellias (Camilla spp.) and Flowering Quince (Chaenomeles speciosa).

But, we don’t actually need flowers to add color to a winter or early spring garden. Consider the addition of colorful barked plants to the garden palette.

Cornus. Photo courtesy
 landscapeplants.oregonstate.edu

The addition of red, yellow and multi-hued shrub dogwood (Cornus stolonifera) are a natural color standout. Coral Bark Maple (Acer palmatum 'Sango-kaku) will add to the red tones of the garden, while Pacific Ninebark (Physocarpus capitatus) adds texture with its exfoliating reddish-brown bark.

These gardens invite visitors to appreciate the anticipation, color and texture that defines spring in our region and highlight the everyday magic of real gardens, of naturalistic, pollinator-friendly plantings. 

Layered trees, shrubs, perennials, then groundcovers add a fullness to landscapes and evoke the familiar beauty of urban and suburban gardens just beginning to stir after winter.

A flower show is, after all, about theater and a grand show. 

The challenge is to make the exhibits look as real as possible and attainable by home gardeners. 

For serious gardeners, for kids or for anyone who just needs a flower fix to make it through the home stretch of winter, the Northwest Flower and Garden Festival is the place to be.

Northwest Flower & Garden Festival

The Northwest Flower & Garden Festival, held at the Seattle Convention Center Arch, 705 Pike Street, runs from Wednesday, February 18 to Sunday, February 22, from 9:00am until 8:00pm (except for Sunday when the doors close at 6:00pm. 

Tickets bought at the event cost $29 (There are discounts for multiple days at the event.) 

Tickets online here.

The downtown parking garages and street parking are pricey. Consider taking a Metro bus, light rail or carpool to make the commute a bit easier and less costly.

--

Bruce Bennett

Contributing columnist, Bruce Bennett, is a WSU Master Gardener, Certified Professional Horticulturist and lecturer. 

If you have questions concerning this article or have a gardening question or two to ask concerning your landscape, contact Bruce at gardenguy4u@gmail.com.

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Garden Guy: Grow a Northwest Dinosaur Garden

Courtesy of woodlandparkzoo.org

By Bruce Bennett

The depth of summer warmth seems to be a good time to discuss the many large lizards populating the greater-Seattle region. 

They will be easy to recognize as you travel through the area. 

At one theater, you will notice How to Train Your Dragon (who knew they could be trained?). 

If you traverse the streets around Phinney Ridge, you may encounter a renovated Reptile Realm and its attendant Komodo Dragons, as well as a Dinosaur Discovery exhibit, all at the Woodland Park Zoo. 

Finally, we are surrounded with visions of Jurassic Park: Rebirth. With all this reptilian activity around us, get on the bandwagon and theme-up your landscapes with a bit of climatically correct whimsey……

Because of Woodland Park Zoo’s Dinosaur Discovery event (which, with its two dozen animatronic beasties, runs through August 31), a couple of mothers asked me how to create a dinosaur land for their children and, last month, another person enquired about a design for a jungle oasis in her Bellevue backyard. 

The visions of certain Stephen Spielberg movies and the concept of global warming seem to continue the insidious creep into the minds of people in yet another interesting and fun way – a backyard tropical forest. So, considering our warming summers, let’s make this month’s column about creating a piece of tropical, Jurassic World in your backyard.

Image by ohbaby.com

Yes, you can create a mini-Dinosaur Garden in a terrarium or adjacent to a sandbox which might be a fun family project for the last of your kiddos summer vacation. 

But, I prefer a scale that would be fun and comfortable outdoor living for children and the adults of the household. Perhaps, I’m over-thinking the matter (it’s something landscape designers tend to do), but, let’s spend a couple of minutes to discuss ‘Jurassic.’ 

This was a time some 200- to 145-million years ago. It was characterized by a warm, wet climate with higher levels of oxygen (35% more!) and carbon dioxide than we now experience. 

Temperate zones, like present-day Western Washington, likely had climates that more closely resembled the present-day subtropical parts of the globe. Consequently, there existed forests of large, lush vegetation. 

With the way our weather continues to warm, we should be back to those temperatures within the next few decades or so.

Image by pixels.com

You might think gardeners would have loved this foliage-rich time period, but, probably not. You see, flowers had not developed by this epoch. Consequently, most gardens we design these days will have a ‘value added’ component – the color of flowers. 

Although they can be kept to a minimum, the garden will still be visually interesting through the use of foliage, textures and leaf colors (and, with less deadheading for you). These color combinations may be more muted than most of us are used to and horticultural artistic license can come into play with the use of more flowering plants. 

Hardy geraniums, such as G. ‘Ann Folkard,’ G. ‘Diane’ or G. macrorrhizum would all be naturals for the venue as would the varying sizes and colors of hostas, even variegated Bear’s Breeches ‘Whitewater’ (Acanthus mollis) . 

Of course, there still exist some versions of the ancient flora and, in the company of other related or reasonably prehistoric looking plants from your favorite nurseries your own Jurassic Garden can be created.

If you think it can’t be done in our USDA Zone 8/9, take a look at the background foliage of the Woodland Park Zoo. If native and zone-adaptive plants can change the look of the various biomes from tropical Malaysia to frosty Canadian tundra at the zoo, think what they could do in your own landscape.

Image by aboutorchids.co

Of the original 200-million year old Jurassic plants, some evolved and are still with us today. These include cycads (shown at left), cypress, ferns, ginkgoes, horsetails, metasequoias and pines. 

Many are relatively easy to find in the region’s better nurseries. Ferns and conifers were prolific and King of the Hill during this period.

Creating a prehistoric garden in the shade – part sun location is a great way to use a large variety of plants. Among the oldest plants found in fossil records, ferns, like the 200-million year old Interrupted Fern (Osmunda claytoniana) have adapted to climate changes and sprung up in new locations across the planet. Sword Ferns are evergreen northwest natives and readily available. Mosses should also be included when planning prehistoric garden designs in the shade. Elevate some containerized ferns and mosses on pedestals to provide additional visual dynamics.

Courtesy of rhs.org.uk

If you have a seasonally damp area or consistently boggy part of the yard or decide to divert the water from your rain gutters, Gunnera and the much smaller Petasites are sure to please. 

If you want a ‘WOW’ factor in the ground or a pot, consider Acanthus mollis (Bear’s Breeches) ‘Whitewater’ (seen at left). 

And, if you already have horsetail (Equisetum) growing in the yard, you are, in some ways, already ahead of the game (and be thankful you have today’s version versus the ancient ones that grew to be 60’ tall and 2’ wide). 

Horsetails are an ancient variety that refuse to give up in an urban yard. If you like the looks of it, grow these green exclamation points in a container, either above ground or sunk in the soil. It is not a plant to be left to its own devices in your yard.

During the time when the dinosaurs ruled, conifers also dominated the landscape. These included redwoods, yews, pines, cypress and monkey puzzle trees. 

But, if your urban space is limited, you could use any of the hundreds of types of dwarf conifers such as pine, spruce, fir, hemlock, and junipers. 

The only familiar flowering tree from those ancient days is the Magnolia - which was pollinated by beetles at the time (Magnolia ‘Little Gem’ shown at left). If you have more sun, ancient trees, such as the Maidenhair (Ginkgo biloba), Monkey Puzzle (Araucaria araucana) and Sago Palms (Cycad macrozamia) are other primitive plants that can thrive in more sun.

Courtesy of ruudmorjinnl.com

Modern-day plants can certainly play their part in populating the jungle. Elephant Ears (Alocasia), Windmill Palms (Trachycarpus fortunei) , Asparagus plants, Tree Ferns, Fennel, Hardy Bananas (Moosa Basjoo), Hostas, Junipers and Pines are among the plants you can use. 

Other possibilities, although they do flower, include Cone Flowers, Hardy Fuchsia, Ligularia, Mahonia ‘Charity.’ Oakleaf Hydrangea, Osmanthus, Rodgersia and Yucca. You could even use the very edible Kale ‘Toscano’ (aka, Dinosaur Kale – shown at left) in the design and be able to harvest it all winter long.

Courtesy of woodlandparkzoo.com

A primitive plant garden is easy to design when you’re working with an area that includes both sun and shade. 

It is fun to experience and let one’s imagination consider which blundering beasties once traversed the ground where a home now sits. 

And, it is a great way to get the kid/grandkids involved in gardening. 

Just tell them they’re planting a dinosaur garden and these foliage plants are related to the ones dinosaurs ate all those millions of years ago. Of course, if your family is anything like mine, tossing in a five-dollar bill with the deal wouldn’t hurt either! 

Happy gardening all!

Bruce Bennett

Contributing garden columnist, Bruce Bennett, is a Washington State University Master Gardener, Certified Professional Horticulturist, garden designer and lecturer. 

If you have questions concerning this article, have a gardening question about you own yard or care to suggest topics of interest for future columns, contact Bruce at gardenguy4u@hotmail.com.

See Bruce's previous columns here.

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Bruce Bennett in person at the Richmond Beach Library August 27, 2025

Was this the first year you turned that patch of grass into a flower or vegetable bed?

Still not sure about seedlings versus seeds, fertilizer N-P-K ratios*, too soon or too late to plant, tools  you need versus the ones that are nice to have, etc.?

Don't know what you don't know?

Then, this may be the class for you that still feels like talking to your neighbor gardener who lives on the other side of your fence. Bring your garden questions as well. 

The Richmond Beach Library is located at 19601 21st Ave NW, Shoreline, WA 98177

Speaker Bruce Bennett is a 20-year veteran of the WSU/King County Master Gardener Program. He is a garden designer, lecturer and contributing garden columnist to many community publications across the state.

*N-P-K represents the ratio of three primary nutrients in fertilizer: Nitrogen (N), Phosphorus (P), and Potassium (K). A fertilizer N-P-K ratio is indicated by three numbers on the label, such as 10-10-10 or 20-5-5, which show the percentage of each nutrient by weight. -- Google AI

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The A, B, Cs of Garden Centers and Nurseries with Bruce Bennett at the Kenmore Library Saturday afternoon August 9, 2025

Garden Guy
Bruce Bennett

Former Garden Guy columnist Bruce Bennett will speak at the Kenmore Library on Saturday, August 9, 2025 from 2-3pm on The A, B, Cs of Garden Centers and Nurseries

 Do the nomenclature, numbers and gardening products confuse you? 

Need to know which plant spray or bagged soil is best for you? 

Then, this program is for you!. Kenmore Library, 6531 NE 181st St, Kenmore, WA 98028, August 9, 2:00 – 3:00pm.

And then at the Richmond Beach Library on August 13, 2025:

Tips For New and Experienced Gardeners

Practical ways to save time in the yard and produce better crops of veggies, flowers and perennials. 

Richmond Beach Library, 19601 21st Ave NW, Shoreline, WA 98177, August 13, 6:00 – 7:00pm

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Shoreline Area News presents Master Gardener Bruce Bennett in person during August 2025

Master Gardener Bruce Bennett recently retired his Garden Guy column in the Shoreline Area News. We are happy to sponsor him in person for a series of talks in our libraries.

The first one was at Shoreline Library on July 9, 2025 where he talked about Herbs for the Pacific NW.

Three more are planned.

August 5, 2025 Lake Forest Park

Introduction to Rain Gardens

Looking for an environmentally friendly way of using your home and patio rain runoff? You may even save money in the process! 

Lake Forest Park Library, lower level Town Center lobby

intersection Bothell and Ballinger Way

August 5, 6:00 – 7:00 PM

August 9, 2025 Kenmore

The A, B, Cs of Garden Centers and Nurseries

Do the nomenclature, numbers and gardening products confuse you? Need to know which plant spray or bagged soil is best for you? Then, this program is for you!. 

Kenmore Library, 6531 NE 181st St, Kenmore, WA 98028

August 9, 2:00 – 3:00 PM

August 13, 2025 Richmond Beach

Tips For New and Experienced Gardeners

Practical ways to save time in the yard and produce better crops of veggies, flowers and perennials.

Richmond Beach Library, 19601 21st Ave NW, Shoreline, WA 98177
August 13, 6:00 – 7:00 PM

And welcome new columnist Marie Brown to the Shoreline Area News.

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Herbs for the Pacific Northwest - Bruce Bennett at the Shoreline Library Wednesday July 9, 2025

Shoreline Area News is proud to sponsor our Garden Guy Bruce Bennett in a presentation on Wednesday, July 9, 2025 from 6:30 - 7:30pm at the Shoreline Library.

Herbs for the Pacific Northwest

You can grow more herbs than you think in the PNW. Need herbs for sun, shade, containers AND indoors? 

How about herbs for the three main cuisines for the area? 

We can discuss them all.

Shoreline Library, July 9, 6:30 – 7:30pm
345 NE 175th, Shoreline WA 98155

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Garden Guy: April means foolish things like Trompe l’oeil

By Bruce Bennett

This 2023 article generated more questions than all the other columns, combined, I wrote that year. I have been asked a number of times to republish it for gardeners who had not seen, or lost/tossed, the original article. This one has been expanded a bit. I am happy to get the little gray cells of the mind working and turning toward new gardening adventures……BB

Photo by pixabay.com

Weather permitting, welcome to the start of spring. And, being that April Fool’s Day is celebrated by the young-at-heart during the month of April, let’s spend this column discussing ‘trompe l’oeil’ in the garden. 

Trompe l’oeil is the French term for ‘fool the eye’ and is an artistic phrase used for the creation of optical illusions of three-dimensional space and objects on a two-dimensional surface, usually for indoor wall paintings. 

While the term usually deals with paintings, gardeners can use several of the same techniques to make their three-dimensional green spaces appear larger than they are (and who wouldn’t like a larger back yard or garden?). Trompe l’oeil makes visitors question the boundary between an artificially created world and what actually exists.

Photo by disneytouristblog.com

The practice of illusion painting appears to have begun in the Greek states some three thousand years ago. By the time of the Renaissance, the practice of painting just wall murals moved on to creating ‘forced perspective’ in architecture. 

This technique is probably most noticed by the largest number of people in this country when they gaze at Disneyland’s Cinderella’s Castle whose forced perspective (larger ground floor and smaller towers) makes the building look much taller than it really is. 

“And, how does this increase the size of my garden?” you ask. Well, while you are not increasing the actual square footage of your yard, the same ‘smoke and mirrors’ techniques of trompe l’oeil allows you to create the appearance of more garden and a larger yard. Let’s discuss a few DIY examples to make real estate agents rethink your property value……..

Photo by growsonyou.com

Trompe L’oeil is all about illusion, subterfuge and fun. The technique involves using the laws of visual perspective to create an impression of depth on flat walls (like a mural) or in open 3D spaces. Sometimes the creation is intended as a joke, but not always. 

The technique has been used on garden walls and fences to make gardens appear larger than they really are. The trellis is the most observed wall illusion that garden centers sell. The angles of the structure make it appear to be of greater depth than it is.

Photo by thespruce.com

The easiest trick a gardener can do is simply to use bright colored flowers on the front border of a planting bed and, then, install other plants that slowly fade the colors to blues and grays the further back you go. 

This process creates a visual sense of increased distance between the viewer and the back border without costing more money than would have otherwise been spent on the gardening project.

Image by pixabaycom

Find the longest view line in the garden. The first thing you need to do to make a small garden look bigger is during the (re)design stage. 

Most gardens are rectangles; those that are short and wide look even smaller. But… This is because we usually look straight into the back of the yard. 

Photo by richardrogersdesigns.com

Now, turn sideways and look into the corner of the yard..… You will see that it already looks bigger. It is a trick of geometry (that high school math class you said you’d never use). 

The diagonal is always longer than either of the sides of a rectangle, thus, increasing the greater sense of depth and space. Draw a simple map of your yard and draw the longest perspectives lines (AKA, lines of sight) you can achieve. You can lay out your garden so that attention is drawn to an object or setting at the end of these lines.

Photo by Houzz.com

Place eye catching features at the end of the long view lines. 

You can direct visitors’ eyes to go where you want them to by placing a feature, plant or construct at the very end of the longest perspective lines you found. It is a simple way of tricking the eye. 

When a new landscape is seen for the first time, visitors unconsciously search for something to fix their eyes on, something that stands out. You just need to provide it and place it as far away as possible – yes, to create the feel of distance. Use your imagination and choose something that fits with your design.

Blurring the boundaries of where your garden ends and the next space/yard begins is a simple option to make small spaces look larger. 

One easy way to achieve this is by using informal plantings at varying heights to make it unclear how far your boundaries truly extend. To heighten the effect, keep shorter plantings closer to your living/working space and allow the heights to gradually increase. Your yard will seem endless. Steering away from formal rectangular hedges will blur these lines even further.

Photo by gardeningiftsdirect.com

Use mirrors to expand the feel of gardens as you would do with indoor rooms. The difference is that you want to mingle them in with their green surroundings. 

Choose large and sturdy mirrors, metal ones for example, because you don’t want them to break. Place them where you know your garden shows its limits, at the back, against the fence, or the wall of your neighbor’s home. but hide them a bit. 

Allow plants and vines to grow partly over them, to smooth down their hedges, so they look embedded in a natural environment, like old ruins left in a forest, etc. 

You can also paint them to disguise them. For example, a tall mirror on the back fence can turn into a false door if you draw or build a frame, handle, casement, etc. Be creative, and shop around at antique dealers, fairs, and second-hand stores for a very original look and solution for your small space. 

Or, as with the photo to the left, build your own illusion. It is the mirror and angle-cut wooden gate that makes it seem as though it is open into another space.

Photo by bedbathandbeyond.com

A final easy trick is to create a line of multiple look-alike containers, or a full-size and dwarf variety of the same plant, of descending sizes with the largest located closest to the viewer and smaller ones taking the visitor back into the garden. 

Not only does this increase visual depth perception, it can add a bit of instant and year-round color and visual interest to the venue.

There are certainly more landscape-expanding ideas in the realm of trompe l’oeil. 

Get ready to make your small garden look larger and spectacular with these few visual perspective tricks as well as other ideas you’ll find in garden design articles and trompe l’oeil books. 

As you will note in my articles and hear in my lectures, “As a good gardener, do your research before the project and save aggravation and higher costs. Happy gardening all!

For More Ideas

• Brookes, John. Small Garden. 2006, London, UK: DK Publishing.
• Maitland, Sara & Matthews, Peter. Gardens of Illusion. 2000. London, UK: Cassell Publishers, Ltd.
• Tarling, Thomasina. Truly Tiny Gardens. 1995. North Pomfret, VT: Trafalgar Square Publishing.

Contributing columnist, Bruce Bennett, is a WSU Master Gardener, lecturer and garden designer. 

If you have questions concerning this article, have a gardening question or two to ask concerning your own landscape or want to suggest a topic for a future column, contact Bruce at gardenguy4u@gmail.com.

See previous columns here

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GardenGuy: March tasks begin the new gardening year

Image courtesy pixabay.com

By Bruce Bennett

For many of us, February and the NW Flower and Garden Festival start the new gardening season. But, weatherwise, March marks the beginning of spring in our yards. The weather can still be just a tad bit fickle. It can be mild and pleasant one day, then, cold and wet the next. 

Until the days become consistently milder, be patient, continue to read your seed and plant catalogs and use this time to organize your thoughts and sketches about what you want to accomplish in your landscape and veggie garden this spring. I do not typically write monthly to-do lists, but March is the exception. There is soooooo much that could be done, given your amount of free time and energy.

Image courtesy pixabay.com

Generally, the soil in March is too cold and wet to work in. Just walking on the soggy soil in a vegetable bed will compress it. This compaction affects drainage and rain absorption and prevents plant roots from penetrating very deeply. 

Soil compaction also reduces the amount of open pore spaces and makes it difficult for plant roots to absorb oxygen and water. 

How to know the difference? That’s easy. Put on your gloves, dig a small amount of soil and squeeze it in your hand. If the soil stays in a solid muddy ball, it’s too wet to work in. If the soil crumbles through your fingers when you squeeze it, then it’s ready to be worked.

Once the soil in ornamental garden beds is dry enough to walk on, remove any weeds that have overwintered and think they now have seasonal squatters’ rights. It’s important to tackle weeds early and stay on top of this task throughout the growing season. This time of year, I find pop weed to be my first nemesis and use my handy Weed Dragon (homeowner’s flame thrower) on my gravel paths and patios.

Unless you are really eager to get outdoors and do some gardening, don’t be too quick to cut back last year’s dead perennial foliage. If possible, hold off on this task until daytime temperatures are consistently above 50°F for at least a week. 

Many beneficial insect species such as small native bees, Hover Flies (syrphidae), and lacewings overwinter in the debris and are simply biding their time and waiting for warmer weather conditions before emerging. By waiting for the right conditions, you give these insects the chance to emerge safely and start doing their seasonal work in your yard.

Image courtesy pixabay.com

Redefine flower bed edges as needed to give them a neat appearance. If you do not have small bed walls of one sort or another, consider using a flat-edged spade or a half-moon edger to create English-style edges that define a line between lawn and planting beds. 

Using either tool, make a straight cut down four to six inches. Then, make a second 45 degree angle from the flower bed down to the bottom of the lawn cut. The cut edge can be left as-is or filled with mulch or grass clippings. Either way maintains a distinct, weed-free boundary between grassy lawns and pathways and the perennial borders. It makes the rest of your gardening year just a little bit easier.

Assess your emerging perennials to identify any that may need to be divided. Guidelines vary, depending on who you read, on how often to divide perennials but, on average, many of perennials benefit from being divided about every four years. 

As a general rule, divide spring and early summer-flowering plants in the late summer or autumn and autumn-blooming plants in the spring. And, certainly, divide hostas just as they emerge in early spring. This will minimize damage to the leaves.

Top dress flower beds with one to two inches of compost to improve the soil structure, add nutrients, and enhance the soil’s capacity for holding moisture. Now is a good time to incorporate bare root plants and dormant roses. 

Bare root sales of 20% - 40% are generally occurring in February and March. Soak the plants’ bare root in a bucket of water overnight to rehydrate the roots. Choose the appropriate well-drained location, dig the planting hole wide enough and deep enough to easily accommodate the roots and set any plant graft so that the graft union is at soil level. And, especially with roses, space them far enough apart to allow good air circulation.

Image courtesy extension.oregonstate.edu

Now that the harsh winter winds have past, prune established rose bushes now to improve their health and structure. Make sure your pruners are sharp and clean. Prune canes to an outward-pointing bud and make each cut at a 45° angle just slightly above the bud. Remove any broken, diseased or crossing canes. Cut any damaged wood back about one inch into healthy wood. 

Cut any dead canes down to the ground. If any branches rub together, choose the healthier of the two and remove the other one. If you are pruning a grafted rose, check for suckers below the graft union and remove them. 

Proper pruning facilitates better air circulation, allows more sun into the middle of the plant, and results in a healthier, more attractive plant. Stop by the Woodland Park Rose Garden for examples of this work and, perhaps, talk to one of the Horticultural staff working in the area.

Again, depending on who you read, when to fertilize spring-flowering bulbs will vary, but, as a general rule-of-thumb, they may be fertilized with a low-nitrogen fertilizer or a fertilizer made especially for bulbs as soon as the shoots start to appear in spring. 

For daffodils, the American Daffodil Society recommends reapplying fertilizer at bloom time as well. Other sources recommend fertilizing daffodils and tulips after the bulbs have finished blooming. Regardless of when you fertilize, if you are using a granular fertilizer, avoid getting any on the foliage and be sure to water it in or apply it just before a rain.

Miscanthus sinensis 'Gracillimus'
Image courtesy plants.ces.ncsu.edu

Cut back ornamental grasses early in the month before they start to display new spring growth. Cut to 8” from the ground. If you wait too long, you risk cutting the new, emerging foliage. 

For larger ornamental grasses, such as miscanthus, pruners or hedge trimmers will do the job nicely. If you need to divide the grasses, let me recommend the use of a reciprocating (AKA, Sawzall) saw to do the work. I took day-long division projects down to 90 minutes and saved my back in process.

Prune tree and shrub twigs that were affected by winter kill. Cut back to green wood. If pruning back to a main truck, remember to preserve the branch collar for optimal healing of the area. To determine if a branch is dead or alive, scratch the bark with your fingernail or your pruners.

There will always be other early spring projects. Tackle them as you can. Or, even better, teach the kiddos how to handle some tasks and get them in contact with nature (and, perhaps, earn credit for a science project). 

Gardening should be a good time to be outdoors and mix aesthetics and learning, with a bit of exercise thrown in. Just remember that gardening is, for most, a hobby that should enhance your yards and provide you with a strong dose of self-satisfaction and good cheer. Happy gardening all!

Bruce Bennett

Contributing columnist, Bruce Bennett, is a WSU Master Gardener, lecturer and garden designer. If you have questions concerning this article, have a gardening question or two to ask concerning your landscape or want to suggest a topic for a future column, contact Bruce at gardenguy4u@gmail.com.

Previous columns can be seen here.

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