16 Stunners From an English Garden Center: Spring Favorites That Perform All Year

After a dry, benign winter in England, April brought the wettest April on record. Gardens suffered. May brought respite and a chance to repair and replant. Garden centers now burst with wonderful colors of flower and foliage.

We're lucky to have such plant range thanks to the mild Gulf Stream–influenced climate, 19th-century plant hunters, and ongoing British passion for gardening. Here are notes from an English garden center highlighting plants that look best in spring but pay their way year-round.

Golden Fullmoon Maple

Lime green is "in" for house decor; nature follows with Golden Fullmoon Maple (Acer shirasawanum 'Aureum'), zones 5–7. Forms a superbushy, spreading tree 15–20 feet at maturity, rewarding colors at both ends of the year: pale yellow and lime-green leaves in spring, darkening in summer, glowing gold in autumn.

Pregrown Topiary

Topiary balls and shapes are popular. Box (Buxus spp.) and Sweet Bay (Laurus nobilis), zones 8–10, are favorites; Photinia 'Red Robin' (Photinia x fraseri 'Red Robin'), zones 7–9, also available. Box topiary trimmed first in May after spring growth, then again midsummer to keep tight shapes.

Cosmea Sonata Series

A favorite annual for borders, containers, and cuttings: Cosmea Sonata Series (Cosmos bipinnatus 'Sonata Series'), all zones. Compact with feathery leaves and daisylike flowers with yellow centers. Grown from seed or bought as young plants in early spring.

Euonymus Varieties

Low-growing evergreen Euonymus fortunei 'Emerald 'n Gold' (zones 5–9) and 'Emerald Gaiety' (zones 4–9) are longtime ground cover favorites. New to market: Euonymus japonicus 'Pierrolino', hardy to zone 6. Compact, dense, bushy evergreen shrub with rounded white to mottled white leaves in spring.

Marguerite Daisy

Marguerite daisy (Argyranthemum frutescens), zones 9–11, fashionable in British gardens since the '60s, especially as a standard on 2–3 foot stems. Charming white daisylike flowers (also pinks, yellow, cream) bloom all summer with deadheading. In mild climates left outside; in Britain overwintered under protection.

Spirea japonica 'Firelight'

Spirea japonica 'Firelight', zones 4–8, a firework of a deciduous shrub. Spring dazzles with bright red, orange, yellow foliage; leaves turn green with red young tips rest of year. Bonus: dark pink/purple flowers in late spring. Reasonably low-growing, ~30 inches high and wide.

Nemesia 'Myrtille'

Nemesias are becoming favorites as summer container plants, and in milder areas, rock gardens and borders. Nemesia 'Myrtille' perhaps the bluest recent introduction. Generous violet-blue flowers from late spring to autumn frosts, compact 8-inch mound.

Sweet Mock Orange

Acid yellow foliage of Sweet Mock Orange (Philadelphus coronarius 'Aureus'), zones 5–9, perfect companion for Common Hop (Humulus lupulus 'Aureus'). Leaves glow in spring sun, turn greener, foil for strongly scented creamy white flowers. Arching habit reaches 8 feet over 5–10 years—not for small gardens.

Azaleas and Rhododendrons

Still popular in British gardens, preferring acidic soils, thriving in mild southwest. Breeding yields compact varieties with longer flowering seasons.

Discovered 1900s on Yakushima, Japan, Rhododendron yakushimanum introduced West 50 years ago. Rhododendron 'Surrey Heath' is a hybrid with all best species characteristics: dense, compact, deep green leaves, globe clusters of rose-pink flowers on yellow stems in spring. Needs lime-free soil or ericaceous compost.

For larger spreading rhododendron, R. 'Horizon Monarch' is a great late spring variety. Bright red to pink buds mid-May to early June open to large clusters of funnel-shaped pale yellow flowers with small red flares against leathery dark green leaves.

Phlox divaricata 'Clouds of Perfume'

Phlox divaricata 'Clouds of Perfume', zones 4–8, late spring-flowering phlox with masses of scented pale blue flowers above bright green carpeting foliage. Hardy, evergreen, survives many seasons. Plant by kitchen door for superb perfume.

Spiderwort 'Sweet Kate'

Rare bright yellow foliage in perennials, but Spiderwort (Tradescantia 'Sweet Kate'), zones 5–9, is the best. Happiest in moist, fertile soil in full sun, flowers all summer with stunning blue flowers contrasting golden foliage.

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