No Place Like Home -- Karen Wight

Spring has sprung and summer is right around the corner.

Many of us have made a habit of flying Old Glory in the front of our

homes and I think a great way to highlight the Fourth of July this year

would be to complement our red, white and blue fever with gardens to

match.

A botanical display of red, white and blue is fresh, cheerful and

downright patriotic. Considering the orientation of your garden, I am

going to suggest some planting materials that will make your garden look

like a Yankee Doodle Dandy by July Fourth.

If you have a garden that gets at least six hours of sun a day, you

have a lot of choices. Think of your garden in terms of layers: tall

plants in the back, medium heights in the middle and border plants on the

front edge.

The back of your garden should be reserved for the giants. Bright

blue delphiniums are a good choice and, if they are cut back after the

first bloom cycle, you can enjoy these annuals all summer long.

Another tall plant that has a delicate and lacy look is Queen Anne’s

Lace.

This specimen can grow up to five feet, has round green leaves and

very beautiful clusters of tiny white flowers.

If you want to incorporate some red in your background plantings,

nothing says “red” better than a Mr. Lincoln rose bush. This hybrid tea

rose is one of the most popular selling roses in America and it’s easy to

understand why. This disease-resistant bush has large, deep-red blooms

that produce flowers eight months out of the year.

The white iceberg rose is a great background choice. It is a

floribunda which means the flowers bloom in clusters. Icebergs are one of

the easiest roses to grow and they offer a display almost all year long.

Another tall flower with a delicate leaf and flower is cosmos. Cosmos

come in many different shades. Look for packs that come in single colors

and get some of the white and red varieties.

For your middle ground consider a mix of Shasta daisies (white),

penstemon (blues and reds), lavendar (blues) and lily of the Nile (blues

and whites). Other mid-height plants are nicotania (white and red),

salvia (blue), and zinnias, which have a bright red variety that will

make your garden pop.

Border plants that coordinate with the theme include blue and white

lobelia, white alyssum, and white candytuft.

For a shady garden, use calla lilies in your back row. Given the

right conditions, these lilies can grow three to four feet in height.

The white flowers serve as a strong backbone; are elegant; and look

beautiful as cut flowers in the house.

Lilies of the Nile can tolerate semi-shade conditions and the blue

multi-clustered flowers make a dramatic display in a garden and are easy

to care for.

Foxglove like to cool off from the midday sun and the white varieties

make a lovely addition to any garden. Impatiens are shade-lovers that

come in a fabulous bright red variety. If you plant them now and

fertilize them frequently, these border plants can take on new heights

and importance in your nationalistic garden.

If you want to carry the theme into your vegetable garden, consider a

few of these additions. Tomatoes: Red, big, small and everything in

between. White eggplants are unusual looking plants: the vegetables

almost look like eggs.

These plants are unusual and it’s always fun to plant a few surprises.

Scarlet runner beans are a fun veggie to grow. It seems like you can

practically watch them stretch out and given the appropriate support

system, they will add some interesting color to your garden scheme.

It takes about six weeks for flowers to go from pony packs to

perfection, so do the math and calculate accordingly.

Are you inspired? I hope so. I want to see those flags waving

proudly amidst a sea of red, white and blue flowers. Plan ahead and take

some time over Memorial Day weekend to make sure that your garden will

make Uncle Sam proud this summer.

* KAREN WIGHT is a Newport Beach resident. Her column runs Sundays.