Spring has finally arrived in Middle Tennessee, ushering in a dazzling display of pretty petals, bold blooms and color everywhere. Whether you’re new to gardening or a longtime homeowner looking for a yard “refresh,” make the most of this spring by maximizing your yard’s beauty, comfort, and functionality through smart landscaping.
Did you know that your landscaping choices may help your seasonal allergies? Tree pollen contributes to many people’s seasonal sniffles, so planting lower pollen varieties may cut back on some free-flying pollen in your vicinity. The following varieties are not only low pollen but tough and low-maintenance too. Juniper and cedar trees offer verdant evergreen foliage, and with their softly sweeping branches, willows create a dramatic statement in the landscape. Tulip poplar is not only the Tennessee state tree with beautiful orange and yellow flowers but a surprisingly allergy-friendly choice.
If trees form the structure of your landscape, then picking the right foundational plantings – your larger shrubs and mass plantings – will give it a style and sensibility this spring. For an elegant and classic feel, pick an iconic boxwood like the compact and easy-to-prune Baby Gem™ Boxwood from Southern Living® Plant Collection, perfect for low hedges, borders, and even topiary. As an alternative, stately Jewel Box™ Distylium offers blue-green foliage and a compact and round shape similar to boxwood, with easy care and low watering needs. Swap green-leafed shrubs for a romantic spring garden bursting with color for a brighter hue. ‘Sunshine’ Ligustrum and Golden Oakland® Holly pop with cheerful yellow, enlivening even the loneliest corners of your yard and providing visual interest, while Purple Diamond® Loropetalum offers sprays of hot pink spring flowers on a dazzling backdrop of rich purple foliage.
The finishing touch for your spring garden is an abundance of spring-blooming flowers. To maximize the spring flower show, look carefully at when your spring flowers are projected to bloom – this information can often be found on the plant’s tag or online. Spring is a season with highly variable weather – from chilly days in March to the beating sun of late May, so some “spring-blooming” flowers strongly prefer one end of the weather spectrum or the other. For abundant early spring flowers, opt for one of the early-blooming Encore® Azalea varieties like Autumn Rouge™, Autumn Amethyst™, or Autumn Fire™; Encore azaleas make ideal spring-blooming flowers because unlike traditional azaleas, these varieties will rebloom in summer and fall, extending their colorful show across the seasons. Think a shade-blooming spring flower is impossible? Think again! Plant the beautiful white bells of Mountain Snow™ Pieris in the landscape or even a porch container for unique blooms that look beautiful in cut flower arrangements. And finally, an agapanthus like Ever Amethyst™ Agapanthus will set your house out in the crowd. Agapanthus’ bright spikes of brilliant flowers look like something you’d see at a botanical garden, but they’re fast-growing, tough, drought-tolerant, making them the perfect home landscaping choice.
To ace, your spring yard, start by thinking BIG (as in tall trees and stately shrubs!), then add the perfect finishing touch with the delicate flowers the season is known for. You’ll be planting the seeds of year-round beauty and have something exceptional to enjoy this April.
Encore® Azalea is the world’s best-selling multi-season blooming azalea. Its thirty-three varieties and range of sizes enliven landscapes with rich, colorful blooms in spring, summer and fall. Visit EncoreAzalea.com to learn more.
The Southern Living® Plant Collection provides gardeners with innovative new plants designed to solve specific landscape challenges and excel in Southern gardens. Want your gardens to look like the pages of Southern Living? These plants deliver!
