Always a Season in Bloom

Objective:
Always a Season in Bloom

Critical thinking about your home, lifestylewill help your plants blossom correctly.

Perhaps the most flexible area of landscaping — the one that provides the most latitude for creativity — is in choosing the
plants that will adorn your property. That leeway, however, means you have a lot of decisions to make. Richard Kuri of R.J.K. Gardens in Saint James, N.Y., says those decisions usually start with the critical issue of color: which ones you want, how many you
want, and when you want to have them. “It’s a matter of planting for the seasons,” he says. “There is always a season that something will be blooming. Even in the winter you can have witch hazel. So if you have a yard that’s large enough, you can incorporate all of these things.” Think high, too. When choosing flowering plants, Kuri says most people consider only the groundlevel options, forgetting that the Northeast also has many trees that flower, such as dogwood, magnolia, apple and cherry. Of course, not everyone has a yard big enough to plant dozens of species of flowers without creating clutter. In that case, Kuri recommends choosing the plants that you really like better than everything else. The downside is that you won’t always have flowers in bloom, but you can still mix colors by planting evergreens, which grant more creative options than most people realize. After all, evergreens come in different shapes and shades. Also, don’t worry about year-round color around the pool — just make sure the surrounding plants look nice in June, July and August, the only months when you’ll be using the pool anyway. Another matter to consider is what type of
house you have. “There are houses we do that are 150 years old, and you’re not going to want contemporary landscaping with spiral junipers on a house like that — you’re going to want to stick with plants from the same era, such as boxwoods,” Kuri says “Or if you have a house that’s very formal, you may want to do English gardens or cottage gardens. The idea is to fit your plants with the type
of house.” Lastly, Kuri advises that you consider what type of family you have and what your lifestyle is. “Are you busy? Do you have little time for maintenance? Do you like doing things in the yard? Do you have kids who play sports back there? These are all things that can help determine what kinds of plants are best for you,” Kuri says.