Outdoor Living
Outdoorp Living
l a n t p r oDfei sl ee r t
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Garden
Designs
for Where
YoU LIVE
We’ve taken the guesswork
out of spring planting by
giving you three gardens
designed specifically
for your region.
Design 1
Vegetables, Herbs, and Perennials
Mix edible plants with long-lasting flowers.
Planting a garden is
the best way to celebrate
spring, and we asked
Bright blooms mingle with fresh
herbs and vegetables in this
creative garden. A center circle
of spiraea softens the grid of four
beds. Flavorful Southwestern
favorites, such as pepper, cilantro,
sweet basil, and tomato, spice
up the mix, while moss pink and
purple coneflower add lush
splashes of color.
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Lowe’s Creative Ideas
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I l l u s t r at i o n s b y E r i n O ’ To o l e
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p h oto g r a p h y b y b r i a n f r a n c i s
architect Bill Slack to
help. He’s designed three
region-friendly gardens so
you can spend less time
planning—and more
time planting. The plant
selections reflect availability
and growing conditions in
your area. Use our easy-tofollow plans to get your
spring started right.
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Plant List
A Pepper (Capsicum annuum ‘Jalapeño’)
B Cilantro (Coriandrum sativum)
C Sweet basil (Ocimum basilicum ‘Dark Opal’)
D Tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum ‘Better Boy’)
E Carrot (Daucus carota sativus ‘Long Imperator’)
F Moss pink (Phlox subulata)
G Yarrow (Achillea millefolium)
H Spiraea (Spiraea japonica ‘Anthony Waterer’)
I Purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea)
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Design 3
Desert
Container Combo
Add elegance in shades of
white and green with this simple
arrangement. The three plant
selections—geranium, caladium,
and bacopa—are all tolerant to
sun, making them good choices
for arid desert regions. We’ve
suggested specific varieties,
but experiment with your own
color preferences.
Outdoor Living
Fill a pretty planter to accent your landscape.
A
B
C
With container
gardens, you
can display
blooms on a
deck, patio, or
anywhere you
can fit a planter.
Design 2
Annuals and Perennials
Plant a patch of spring-to-fall blooms.
Soften a bare corner of your
yard with this gently curving
flowerbed. Graceful fountain
grass anchors the arrangement,
balanced by tall spires of foxglove
at one end. Daylily, snapdragon,
and begonia add more interest
with contrasting shapes and
textures. Old-fashioned favorites
like sweet alyssum, marigold, and
zinnia attract butterflies.
E
C
Plant List
A Geranium (Pelargonium x hortorum)
B Caladium (Caladium bicolor)
C Bacopa (Sutera cordata)
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f or mor e
Live outside the region featured here? Find garden plans for all eight
regions at LowesCreativeIdeas.com.
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Plant Like a Professional
Plant List
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Lowe’s Creative Ideas
m a r c h /a p r i l 2 010
Bill Slack shares his tips for a no-fail spring garden.
P h oto g r a p h y b y J u s t i n K e o n i n h
A Sweet alyssum (Lobularia maritima)
B Begonia (Begonia x semperflorens-cultorum)
C Sweet William (Dianthus barbatus)
D Marigold (Tagetes hybrids)
E Zinnia (Zinnia elegans)
F Snapdragon (Antirrhinum majus)
G Fountain grass (Pennisetum alopecuroides)
H Daylily (Hemerocallis ‘Happy Returns’)
I Foxglove (Digitalis purpurea)
What’s the secret to a great garden? “Height, texture, and color,”
says Bill Slack, a registered landscape architect, author, and former
faculty member at the University of Georgia. Once you know the basic
requirements for your planting zone, you can focus on aesthetics, the
award-winning garden specialist says. Think of your class picture from
school: Tall kids go in back, shorter ones up front. “It’s the same rule
with plants,” Bill says. “Then play with texture and color, and you’re
good to go.”
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