Perennials are sure-safe additions to your garden thanks to their robust vitality, sophisticated color and forms, and the fact that you only need to plant them once. If you’d like to add some spring colors to your home sooner this year, here are 9 early blooming perennials to add to your garden before spring is in full swing in Kansas City.
Bleeding heart got its name from its pink, heart-shaped flowers and the white-and-red droplet-like petal that extends out of the pointy bottom. The flowers line up on a stem and hang over an arch shape, making them a beautiful garden liner in early spring.
Bleeding hearts do best in partial shade and reach up to 3 inches when fully mature. They do best in moist, well-drained soil and thrive in cool-to-warm weather that’s between 55 and 75 ºF. Most bleeding hearts bloom in early spring with some variations blooming in mid- to late- spring.
Columbine is a popular perennial for its design versatility. After all, the plant comes with 60 to 70 species of variations! These star-shaped, dual-color flowers produce a light, elegant appearance. The most common columbines have blue petals on the outer ring and white petals in the center. Other common variations can be pink, red, smoky rose, and yellow.
Columbines do best in cooler conditions and should be planted in partial sun to full shade. They are fairly hardy and can tolerate a range of climate conditions, making them perfect for Kansas City’s spring temperature fluctuation, heavy wind, and storms. Fully mature columbines can reach 12 to 36 inches and bloom through spring and into early summer.
When daffodils bloom, spring arrives. These resilient, bright flowers are one of the most commonly seen early blooming perennials in Kansas City. Daffodils are drought-tolerant and do best in full sun. They are prone to rotting, so make sure you have well-drained soil around and prevent planting them where water tends to gather and pool.
Daffodils bloom once a year in late winter or early spring. The most common daffodils you may see around Kansas City are Narcissus “Baby Boomer”, a type of miniature daffodil that yields 6 to 8 small, golden flowers that are about 1.5 inches across.
Hyacinths bloom around the same time as daffodils in early to mid-spring. Each bulb typically yields one stem that reaches 8 to 10 inches when fully mature. On top of the stem, a flower cluster forms a cone shape. Most hyacinths come with pink, purple, or blue flowers with six pointy petals. A popular variation, called grape hyacinth, have round, blue-purple flowers that look like clusters of berries.
Plant hyacinth in full sun with the proper interval to get the largest flowers and straightest stems. However, they will still grow and bloom in partial shade. Like most early-blooming perennials, hyacinth thrives in well-drained soil.
Primroses are winter-hardy plants that can tolerate snow and low temperatures, making them the perfect early blooming perennials to add to your garden while Kansas City weather decides if it wants to be warm and cozy or bone-chilling cold with a hint of blizzard.
Primroses thrive in partial shade. A great spot to plant them would be under a tree where the sun shines through the branches and leaves. They prefer moist, well-draining soil with plenty of organic matter. Primroses bloom in late winter to early summer, depending on species.
Fun fact: Missouri has its own native primrose, called the Missouri Evening Primrose. They yield bright, 4-petaled, yellow flowers that can reach up to 4 inches wide.
Peonies are loved by many homeowners thanks to their luxurious, extravagant look. They also come in many different colors, making them the perfect centerpiece for anybody’s front yard.
Peonies need a lot of sunlight to grow, so they prefer to be planted under full sun. While some varieties can tolerate partial shade, the flowers still need sufficient sunlight to bloom fully. Most peonies can reach 3 feet tall and 3 feet wide with some that can reach 7 feet in both directions, so leave plenty of room in between when planting them.
Peonies bloom in late spring to early summer, and the flowers only last 8 to 10 days — enjoy the view while they last!
If you are looking for an early-blooming perennial shrub that can add some color close to the ground, try creeping phlox. Creeping phlox is a needle-like foliage that forms a blanket of five-petal flowers when it matures. The most common creeping phlox has pink flowers. Other popular varieties have lavender, white, red, and blueish purple flowers.
Creeping phlox can grow to 4 to 6 inches tall and spread up to 2 feet. It should be planted under full sun where the plant can receive 6 to 8 hours of sunlight. Routine watering is key to keeping your creeping phlox alive and happy, especially during the first year of planting.
Snowdrops are another great option that will thrive through Kansas City’s lingering winter weather. They bloom in late winter to early spring, or sometimes in mid-spring. As the name suggests, snowdrops create white, drooping flowers that point downward. They are great additions for those looking to develop a cottage/woodland aesthetics in their yard.
Snowdrops should be planted in partial shade with well-draining soil. Most bulbs begin to root within a week or two, but you won’t see any real activity until it’s closer to blooming time. Also, snowdrops takes a year to become established, so you might see few flowers during the first year. Just remember that your patience will be rewarded!
Looking to catch up with the native plant landscaping trend? Add some blue false indigo to your yard. This early blooming perennial is native to Missouri and the Midwest. Blue false indigo is a large, upright bush with long strings of indigo-blue flowers that bloom as early as April.
Blue false indigos live for a long time but grow slowly and take a year to mature. But they will thrive through Kansas City’s freezing winter and scorching summer. Once mature, these early-blooming perennials can reach 4 to 5 feet in height and width. Plant them in full sun or partial shade after the frost season.
Where to Buy Perennials
Your local hardware store and large retailers usually have perennials on sale, such as potted plants or roots. You may also find some online plant stores that will ship you bulbs in the mail.
But your easiest option would be signing up for our seasonal flower subscription. Our horticulture experts will design, source, and plant your containers for you based on your choices of palettes and container design styles. We will deliver your pots with fresh potting soil and fertilizer. You can keep them in the container or plant them in your garden.
Should You Hire a Pro?
Since most perennial bulbs come with planting instructions, it wouldn’t be too challenging for you to plant them yourself in the garden. However, if you don’t want to get your hands messy, hiring a local landscaping company is always the best option.
Working with a pro also allows you to bundle up other spring landscaping tasks into one project to get your front yard up to speed for the new year. Does that sound like something you need to do? Book a consultation with us today, and let’s get your front yard going for spring.
Do you live in an area with an HOA? Royal Creations Architectural Landscaping loves our customers. While we will always serve individual property owners, we want to keep the common areas in your HOA in good condition just as we keep your outdoor living spaces ready for you to use.
Target Areas
We are targeting some specific neighborhoods that are close to our new shop. These include:
Loch Lloyd
Lakewood
Hallbrook
Iron Horse
Lions Gate
Mission Hills
Mission Farms
The Woods
Our Service Area targets are in the red and green areas.
Referrals To HOA Board Members
If you know anyone on the HOA board for our target neighborhoods, we would love a referral or to be introduced to them. We do everything from designing landscape upgrades to keeping the grass green and inviting. Is there something your neighborhood needs that just isn’t getting done? We can help by talking to your HOA about fixing the problem.
Referrals To Property Management Companies
Do you have areas in your neighborhoods that are managed by property management companies? Many apartment complexes are managed by property management companies that are good with leasing but not as good at maintaining the green spaces around the apartments. Introducing us to the property management companies can pay off for both parties. If we are managing the green spaces, the property management company can spend more time helping residents.
Who do you know involved with the HOA in Loch Lloyd? We would love an introduction and a referral to help your community.
We Can Help Each Other
Lackluster common areas drag down property values. They look like no one cares enough to keep the outdoor living areas looking nice. Lackluster green spaces can negatively impact your ability to enjoy your outdoor living area. You don’t want to sit in the yard looking at dead plants and brown grass. Royal Creations Architectural Landscaping can help if you give us an introduction or referral. Give us a call at (816) 825-2524 to find out how we can help each other.
Watching birds is a nice way to spend some time in the winter when it is too cold outside for people to be comfortable. Feeding birds makes sure you have some birds to watch. Here are some winter bird feeding tips to help you attract the birds you want to your yard.
Food Determines Bird Species
Cheap bird seed mixes have a lot of fillers that birds, like choosy teenagers, will pick through and waste. The best general food for birds is black-oil sunflower seed. The thin shells are easy to get into for most birds and the high fat helps the birds stay warm. Suet placed in a suet holder is another source of calories birds appreciate in the winter.
Feeders Can Be Simple
You can buy very fancy feeders, but for beginners, a hopper-style feeder is easiest. Suet goes in a suet holder. Be sure to wire the suet holder closed, or an enterprising raccoon will take the suet cake out of it and leave with it.
Choose a feeder with a roof to protect the seed from getting wet and moldy. Make sure the feeder has drainage holes so any water that does get in has a place to go. Use several feeders of different styles to attract more birds.
Location, Location, Location
Feeders need to be five or six feet off the ground and around ten feet from cover such as trees, bushes, and wood piles. Cats and other predators can hide in cover and ambush birds, but birds need someplace to hide if necessary, so some cover if needed. If you are worried about birds hitting your windows, then either place the feeders so close to the window the birds can see it (within three feet) or place the feeders so far away they have no reason to fly near the window (at least thirty feet away.)
Be Consistent
It may take a few weeks for birds to find your first feeder. Once they do, be consistent and fill it regularly. The birds will come to rely on the food, and it can even cause problems if you feed for a while and then abruptly stop.
Cleanliness For Health
Remove wet and moldy seeds promptly. They can make the birds sick. Wash the bird feeders in a solution of ten percent bleach and ninety percent water to kill diseases and remove droppings. Rinse with fresh water and dry before filling the feeders with seeds.
Provide a Source of Water
Birds need water even in the winter. If you can provide a source of water with a fountain heater in it, the birds will be able to drink even in the cold. Fountain heaters float on the surface of the water and have a heating element down below that keeps the water from freezing. You can get them at feed stores or plant nurseries.
Plant Things with Winter Berries or Seeds
Plant shrubs and trees that have berries or seeds that last all winter. Not only will the berries bring color to your landscape, these natural sources of food will also draw birds to your yard, too.
Sign Up Now
Royal Creations Architectural Landscaping is keeping busy, even in the winter. We are signing people up for our garden care program now. We are also doing design work with people so we can start installing landscapes when it warms up. Call the office at (816) 825-2524 or schedule a consult.
Composting is the process of using microbes to break down organic matter into a rich, fertile, humus. This composted material, referred to as compost can then be used to enrich your landscape and encourage your plants to grow.
Organic Matter
Compost adds organic matter to the soil. This organic matter becomes fertilizer for the plants around it. In addition, mixing compost into the soil makes room for water to trickle in and soak the soil instead of running off. Adding organic matter to the soil each spring keeps it fertile and loose.
Aeration
Compost also helps aerate the soil. The irregularly shaped particles make space for air and keep the soil from compacting. Roots need oxygen to grow, and adding organic matter makes sure there is enough oxygen in the soil for the roots. Compacted soil, on the other hand, doesn’t have many spaces for air to penetrate.
pH
The pH of finished compost is usually between 6-8. The “finished” is important. Compost that is unfinished can adversely affect your plants. How do you tell if compost is finished? Grab a handful of it. There should be a uniform brown color and no lumps. It should smell like good earth. If you can see a leaf fragment or piece of manure, the compost is not finished. If the compost has an unpleasant smell, it is not finished.
How to Use Compost
Compost can be used in two ways. When first developing a landscape bed, you should till the soil to a depth of twelve inches. Layer three inches of compost on top of the soil. Mix the compost throughout the tilled soil. Now you have rich, aerated soil full of organic matter.
If your landscape bed is older, with plants already in it, you can top-dress the soil with compost. Layer about an inch of compost over the soil in the landscape bed in the early spring. Cover this with three inches of mulch. The compost acts like a slow-release nitrogen fertilizer. You can top-dress turf grass with an inch of compost if you then rake the grass with a leaf rake to make the compost fall to the ground.
How To Make Your Own Compost
Making compost is not hard. You are essentially farming microbes that will turn your food and yard waste into rich organic matter. The best way to make compost involves a three-bin system. Make three bins with the front open. In the first bin goes the raw food and yard waste. Once a month, you turn the contents of the second bin into the third bin. You then turn the contents of the first bin into the second bin. The third bin should contain the finished compost after three months. Each compost pile should be between three and five cubic feet. Smaller piles do not have the mass to stay warm and larger piles do not have enough air for the microbes.
Recipe for Compost
The best compost piles come from a simple recipe. You want browns and greens plus moisture. Browns (carbon sources) are dry leaves, wood chips, straw, hay, newspaper, and sawdust. Greens (nitrogen sources) are grass clippings, coffee grounds, fruit and vegetable waste, fresh hay, manure, and seaweed. Do not compost meats, oils, and bones, as they will attract rodents and other vermin to your pile.
Pile 3-4 inches of hedge trimmings and branches that are roughly chopped to allow air to circulate around the base of the pile.
Pile 6-8 inches of mixed browns and greens.
Pile one inch of dirt to inoculate the pile with microorganisms.
Add 2-3 inches of manure or one pound of urea fertilizer per yard of the pile.
Repeat steps one through four until the pile is big enough to compost.
We Can Help
Making a compost bin and composting your waste can take time. Turning and spreading the compost can also be labor intensive. Royal Creations Architectural Landscaping can help. We develop landscape beds and mix in compost, so you do not have to. We even provide the compost, made where it gets hot enough to sterilize any weed seeds or pathogens in the pile. Our Garden Care Team will also come out in the spring and top dress your landscape with compost, then mulch, to keep your plants growing well and your landscape looking sharp. Contact us today to schedule our services.
“I have this horrible transformer right in the front yard. It looks awful! I get upset every time I see it.”
If you see an eyesore when you are outside, it can really reduce your enjoyment of your outdoor living space. Nosy neighbors can do the same thing. Royal Creations Architectural Landscaping can design landscape features to improve your view and your privacy.
Evergreen Trees
Evergreen trees make wonderful screens. Because they are thick at the bottom and taper up, these trees block the view at ground level. As they mature, the trees spread and become a solid hedge that completely blocks the view of something unpleasant. The hedge also blocks the view from the property on the other side, giving you more privacy.
The Green Giant Arborvitae is an example of a great tree for this purpose. It grows rapidly and is somewhat deer resistant. A strong pyramid growth habit makes a very thick screening hedge. The mature height is 20-30 feet, and the width is 10-15 feet.
Shade Trees
Shade trees do not block the view from ground level, but their foliage blocks the view well from raised structures such as raised decks or balconies. Most shade trees are deciduous, so do not block the view during the winter. You will need to decide if that will work for you, depending on the view you want to be screened and how much you are outside during the winter.
Structures
Another way of screening unsightly views and improving privacy is to build a structure. These structures can be a variety of materials, shapes, and sizes. We have used metal, wood, metal & wood, stucco, stone, and brick in the past. Here are some of the structures we have built in the past.
Fences
A fence can be made of wood, stone, brick, metal, or some combination. As Robert Frost said, “Good fences make good neighbors.” Not only does a fence block a bad view, but it also gives you more security and privacy.
Walls
Walls can be freestanding or part of a covered outdoor living area. The wall can be made from practically any construction material. Depending on the function, the wall can hold large screen televisions, waterfalls, or practically anything you want to hang on it.
Fireplaces
If you spend a lot of time outdoors, a great screen is a fireplace. In addition to looking nice, it can provide heat on chilly nights. You can even cook with it. You can use gas or burn wood, depending on your preference.
Combination Screens
Structures do not have to have just one function. You can combine a wall with a fire feature, for example, to block a view and provide a backdrop. The wall also funnels the warmth from the fire back toward the people sitting around it, so they stay warmer. Walls and plants can alternate, creating a centerpiece in the yard that happens to block an unsightly view.
Improve Your View
If you are not pleased with the view from your outdoor landscape, Royal Creations Architectural Landscaping can help design a better view. Our Blue Crew will install it right the first time. Soon, you will be able to enjoy your landscape without unsightly views to trouble you. Contact us now to schedule a consultation.
