JUST SO YOU know, I’m outraged and furious!
Again this week, as I was getting various vegetable seed for a huge kitchen garden I am responsible for, they’re in front of me — purple-brownish “hardened-off” geraniums, tomatoes and marigolds with no warning sign!
Grrr.
As you know, Jack Frost is here on the Peninsula for an extended vacation.
When “warm crops” become hardened off by cold weather, they produce far less flowers and fruit for the entire year.
As you can see, like a bad joke, April seems to be fooling us with snow in the foothills, ice on ponds and frost scattered here and there. The weather makes us bundle up, even during the day.
Just as we see the first of the trees in bloom, with azaleas and rhodys coming into flower as daffodils radiate their bright color, you can now add colorful flowering plants to your own yard.
The trick is purchasing cool-tolerant, frost-resistant flowers, many of which are perennials or bi-annuals.
Most will either bloom continuously until fall or, with a severe cut back, rebloom even better than they will do in the spring.
So for this week, let me advise you with a list of plants that you can install today for great spring color.
First, I strongly recommend what I call the fabulous four because of their stunning flowers and height in the garden, which maximizes their focal appeal.
Delphiniums
These plants are native to mountainous regions and thus adore our cool climate.
They are dramatic both in the garden and as cut flowers arranged in a vase.
Delphiniums prefer a moist, well drained soil, and one should use a slug bait for early spring protection.
The Magic Fountain series is a medium height (18 inches) and good for windy spots.
The New Millennium Stars mix is bred for tall (4 to 5 feet) exceptional garden performance and as a cut flower.
Bellamosum is a new variety that is very bushy, deep violet in color and attracts both butterflies and hummingbirds, while Pacific Hybrids have long, tall, flower power spikes with massive 3-inch blooms.
Lupins
My favorite late spring, early summer flower is the Lupine because of its intense flower spikes. Lupine’s come in kodachrome colors unique to this type of plant and have interesting, deeply serrated palmate leaves.
The Gallery Series are 2 to 3 feet in height and bear many 8 to 10 inch spikes on dense compact plants.
Red Flame is a 4 foot plant and features intense carmine red blooms.
Both varieties of these lupins are perfect cut flowers as well.
Columbine
These plants are an open, airy perennial with distinctive cup shaped flowers and trailing petal spurs.
They have an orchid quality to the bloom, both in color variation and appearance.
They will re-seed freely if not deadheaded and prefer a well-drained soil.
Breeding has intensified on these plants and are now available with colored foliage, double or fringed blooms, large flowers and unique colors.
The dragonfly series, Mckana hybrids, Colorado violet and white, along with the Clementine series and Woodside gold, are excellent cut flowers.
As a bonus, all three afore mentioned plants will rebloom again and even more spectacularly if cut back and leaf stripped immediately upon finishing flowering.
Foxglove
Otherwise known as digitalis, foxglove is extremely prized for its tall (2 foot) flowering spikes of downward facing tubular flowers.
A native of Washington, foxglove is available in many cultivated varieties with enhanced color, size and bloom longevity.
Foxgloves attract birds, bees and butterflies, but are mostly biannual so you will need to plant a new crop each year.
Spice Island is an all-American award winner because of its densely filled spikes of peachy yellow blooms and cinnamon freckles on a vigorous, fast growing plant.
Primulas
For instant color, one could plant a variety of perennials now, and the first on the list would be primulas.
Many of us are familiar with the acaulus type, but now there are countless varieties available at every greenhouse, grocery store and garden center.
Recent breeding has enlarged flower size and color selections with choices that include double flowers and delicate fragrance.
But there also exists a whole other range of primrose, that unlike their acaulus-type cousins, has numerous flowers arranged in a cluster on each stem.
Vialii bloom on long flower spikes of bright scarlet that turn pink as they open.
Denticulata mix is renowned for shades of lilac, fuchsia, purple, pink and lavender blooming on rounded flower clusters atop long stems.
Bergenia
Another unique plant flowering right now is bergenia, an evergreen perennial with thick glossy leaves, many of which sport nice foliage color in addition to their unique bracket flowers.
Bressingham Ruby has intense red flowers with dark green leaves that are painted a rich maroon on the undersides, while Winter Glow has pink, pendulous clusters of blooms on leaves that display bronze hues in early spring weather.
Arabis
Arabis, or rock cress, is a not to be overlooked perennial with a low growing, dense carpet of flowers ideal for rock walls.
Spring Charm has rosy purple flowers.
Compinkie has rose pink blooms and Variegata has year-round attractiveness with its white and green leaves.
Arabis needs an alkaline soil, so add some lime when planting and they will bloom March through May.
Aremeria
Aremeria, or sea pink, is another outstanding early March, April and May flowering perennial.
It is an excellent selection for rock gardens or as a border plant.
They have very dense balls of flowers atop grass-like foliage and come in a wide range of pastel colors.
Joystick mix is a very prolific variety, and Dusseldorf Pride blooms sporadically throughout summer.
Now don’t be part of the con, buy cool tolerant plants. And stay well all!
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Andrew May is a freelance writer and ornamental horticulturist who dreams of having Clallam and Jefferson counties nationally recognized as “Flower Peninsula USA.” Send him questions c/o Peninsula Daily News, P.O. Box 1330, Port Angeles, WA 98362, or email news@peninsuladailynews.com (subject line: Andrew May).
