Early Spring Color

Early spring is always a good time in the landscape as our cool season annuals are putting on a show with the warming temperatures. My friend Catherine’s landscape never fails to put on a show. In my opinion Matrix pansies are the best for gardeners in Mississippi. These pansies have freely branching growth habits and will about eight inches tall and wide. When massed together, as pansies were meant to be planted, they create an impressive colorful landscape carpet. I love the mix of flowers with dark blotches and the pure color clears. Now how about these Sonnet series snapdragons that are probably the most popular snapdragon for the Mississippi landscape. The wide variety of colors in the series is one reason Sonnets are so popular. What a display of colors including red, orange, yellow and white, with others in between. The plants will produce multiple tall flower spikes which make them a perfect choice for landscape massing. After being polite in the landscape all winter I like the way ornamental kale seems to explode in the spring. Catherine’s Peacock Red kale is certainly living up to its namesake and these plants look like small shrubs. The frilly foliage is displayed in beautiful sprays in shades of rose-red centers with green outer leaves. This is always a must have in Catherine’s landscape. Great early spring color begins with planning and planting cool season annuals in the fall. I’m horticulturist Gary Bachman and I’ll see you next time on Southern Gardening.