Tuesday, April 20, 2004

Pink, White and Shades of Green
When I walk out my front door, here's what I see in the roughly triangular garden edged by driveway, house and front sidewalk.

The base is green. Height is supplied by two dwarf evergreens and mass is from the blue-green succulent leaves of Autumn Joy sedum. Contrasting this height and mass are the ferny green leaves of Achillea filipendula "Coronation Gold" (yarrow), the ruffled variegated foliage of Aquilegia (Columbine), the grassy, low, blue-green foliage of Dianthus (pinks or carnations) and the spikey foiiage of Siberian iris. Other plants are emerging to provide a background of different shades and textures of foliage. The green foliage is broken up with several dwarf red barberry bushes.

Four varieties of tulips are blooming. Angelique are soft pink and white with a creamy base. The other two tall tulips are a clear medium pink and a dark pink, almost purple. The last tulip is "Persian Pearl," a small hot pink species tulip. Interspersed among the tulips are pure white hyacinths.

None of these plants are unusual. The aesthetic is from the combination and this year's unique blooming times. With a hot dry spring, the tulips are blooming with the hyacinths and the foliage has shot up. I may not see this combination again.

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