These "pigsqueaks" are one of my favorite plants for the landscape. They have a beautiful bloom in the spring, lush green leaves during the summer and have a subtle reddish tone in the fall. They look especially nice planted in mass or nestled between boulders for a pop of color in the spring and texture year round.
This year has been a little different for us here at Olive Branch. We've had a very busy spring. Landscape season is upon us and we are currently in limbo with our house on the market. We're doing a little less gardening of our own this year, but we do have a potted herb garden that is going strong and we're enjoying the work we've done in the past. After such a long winter, it's hard to believe the tulips have already come and gone and the peonies are about to bloom! Although we're missing a lot of the gardening we are used to doing, it's kind of nice to spend some time just enjoying what we have.
This spring Olive Branch added landscape maintenance to it's list of services! We are very excited to offer this to our clients. We take great care with proper maintenance and take pride in ensuring that our customer's landscapes are always at their finest.
Here is a nice late spring combination: giant allium and 'husker red' penstemon. The allium bring out the subtle purple streaks of the penstemon while the penstemon provide the perfect backdrop for the allium. It is important to consider texture and shape as well as color when choosing plant combinations. I like the contrast of a bold plant against a more delicate one. They aren't competing for attention but compliment each other nicely. These are planted adjacent to a patio but they would also look great from a distance in the garden. If you're going to use allium, don't skimp, they tend to get lost if there are only a few. When used in a group though, their whimsical shape is unmatched by any other flower.
The snow is retreating and I can finally see the ground! This has been an unusually cold and snowy winter in Omaha and although I love winter I am glad to see it go. I rejoice in the knowledge that Spring is just around the corner. Just this past weekend the Robins arrived and a flock of Canadian geese made their return known yesterday. Among my favorite signs of spring is the bloom of the forsythia, nothing is better than the golden yellow blooms bursting open against the drab brown of the surrounding landscape. However, I will have to be a little more patient as the forsythia are still a few weeks from blooming. If your forsythia doesn't seem to bloom cosistently you may have a variety that is not hardy enough for your zone. Forsythia flower buds may get frozen off by cold winter temps. Among my other early spring favorites are Eastern Redbuds and Rhododendrons.
