The Art of Layering Blooms in the Early Spring Landscape
If you aim to build a landscape that explodes with color and blooms left and right, it is likely that you will want to build a landscape with a multitude of layers. Off the bat, this may seem like a simple feat; however, landscape layering is an art, and mastering it takes time.
Lucky for you, we have a team of elite gardeners and horticulturalists who can help you apply the various facets of landscape layering to build a landscape that belongs in a magazine. In this blog, we will cover the basics of layering plants in the landscape and highlight the best plant combinations to include in your early spring landscape.
The Basics of Landscape Layering
Landscape layering is taking the growth patterns, bloom times, and landscape design elements into account to ultimately build a landscape that explodes with life and color every season. Before we dive into the levels of your landscape design, it is essential that we cover the basics of understanding your growing conditions.
The first step to building a breathtaking landscape is identifying your USDA grow zone. If you are unsure what your grow zone is, man, oh man do we have the tool for you! Head over to our Find Your Growzone Tool for your answer, along with a selection of plants that will thrive best in your zone!
The next important step in creating a garden with a layered effect is understanding lighting before and after certain plants have been incorporated. If you plant a tree that will provide heavy shade cover to your yard, then you will want to incorporate shade-loving understory plants so that they aren't competing for the sunshine.
After taking lighting conditions into account, you can decide on a set color scheme and overall garden theme for your project. The great thing about layered gardens is with such a wide variety of plants to choose from; you can create depth and beauty with just about any theme in mind!
Whether you are going for a more manicured and classical look or a more naturalistic and overgrown look, the layered garden can adapt to your style based on the plants that you select!
The Levels of Your Landscape Design
Similar to how the various layers of a rainforest work in unison to create a colorful and vibrant ecosystem, a layered landscape works in levels.
The Canopy
The uppermost layer of your landscape is the canopy. The canopy of your landscape should consist of tall trees and shrubs that will live at the outer edges of the landscape. These plants will be the backbone to set the tone for your landscape.
There are so many options when it comes to canopy plants for your layered landscape, but in keeping spring blooms and color in mind, we do have a few favorites. Consider starting your layered landscape with one or multiple of the following spring-blooming trees:
- Allegheny Serviceberry
- American Fringe Tree
- Eastern Redbud
- Magnolia Jane
- Yoshino Cherry Blossom
The Understory
Next, you can incorporate your understory plants. This layer consists of medium-sized trees, shrubs, and perennials to meet the viewer at eye level.
When it comes to selecting understory plants for your layered garden, the options are endless! But pertaining to spring blooms to pair beautifully with your flowering trees, we have a few recommendati
- Anna's Red Helleborus
- Eleanor Tabor Indian Hawthorn
- Iris Caesar's Brother
- Lynwood Gold Forsythia
- Pieris Katsura
The Groundcover
Lastly, but certainly not the least important, is the ground cover layer. This is where you fill the low-lying gaps of your yard with color and blooms that spread across the ground for a carpet of color.
We offer a wide selection of groundcover perennial plants available for your purchase online, but for the purposes of creating a spring display that wows, the following plants are our favorites:
- Emerald Blue Creeping Phlox
- Lamium Purple Dragon
- Mediterranean Pink Heather
- Pachysandra
- Periwinkle Vinca
Shop Plants For Your Layered Landscape Online
With all of the planning and preparation that is involved in building a layered landscape, you are likely already feeling exhausted before even digging into the actual process of planting! We want to simplify that process for you.
Skip the crowds, lines, heavy lifting, and transportation of your landscape plants, and leave the dirty work to us! Shop our wide collection of landscape plants online today and have everything conveniently shipped to your front door!