It has been a whirlwind few months and I can’t believe it is almost the end of June. There’s still so much to do!

Well at least my front garden beds are looking better. Last fall I decided to re-do them because, well, the tulips alone just weren’t cutting it. (It turns out in order to really go “KaBloom!”, tulips need full sun rather than mostly shade…Oops!) I turned to my friends at Flowerland for some suggestions on perennials that have some multi-season color and like partial to full shade. Their recommendation: Heuchera (aka Coral Bells).

Heurchera is primarily a foliage plant that sprouts small flowers in the summer months. I’m not normally that big on foliage plants but these caught my attention. The foliage isn’t just green. In fact one of the two varieties I chose has a kind of gold-ish colored leaves and the other variety has purple leaves. And the best part: the leaves held throughout the winter and into the spring so I have something to look at in front of the house year-round.

This summer I’ve partnered the Heuchera with some regular and some double Impatiens (some of my favorite shade-loving annuals!) for a little extra color and interest. I so enjoy pulling into my drive every day!