Feathery things for the garden

It is difficult but not impossible to find an explosion of pink plumes on a big bird of a shrub in July. And sometimes the garden needs something gay and wispy as we head into soupy summer days, that weigh on you like a visit to a lead smelter. This vision in pink can be achieved if you have planted a tamarisk.

Tamarisk (Tamarix ramosissima) is a willowy, arching, multi stemmed shrub that grows 3 to 6 metres. In July it puffs out with the most amazing pink flowers, like a confection from the CNE midway. It tolerates salt, it is at peace with poor soil and it's just fine in frigid weather down to Zone 3. So tamarisk is both flashy and tough. Plant it with the deep maroon forms of purple smoke bush (Cotinus coggygria) and enjoy the play of light and dark. It will also stay in bloom for four to six weeks.

All is not perfect with this unusual shrub though. At the end of its blooming cycle and into the fall, its beauty starts to fade and it can become an untidy customer in the garden. So if you can, have other camouflage plants nearby, like ornamental grasses, that will help disguise the patchy appearance of this European native. A sharp, sculptural planting of the first class grass, calamagrostis, would look lovely with the tamarisk. The feathery plumes of calamagrostis (also called feather reed grass) have a pinkish hue and are fully flushed out at the same time as the tamarisk flowers.

Because it flowers on new growth, it's wise to prune tamarisk back in late winter to shape up its scraggly appearance and encourage fresh, new growth.

Another wispy rascal is the Siberian peashrub, (Caragana arborescens) especially a cultivar called 'Lorbergii'. This variety has very feathery leaves, almost like an asparagus fern. It won't win many people's choice awards, because the shape is quite irregular, but it will grow in harsh cold, high winds, and poor soil. It was one of the first shrubs I planted in my scorching backyard. Many generations of groundhogs have tunneled near its root system, and it still stands homely and proud on the hillside.

Among perennials there are many to choose from which lighten the garden with their airy appearance. A favorite is goatsbeard (Aruncus dioicus) which gets as big as a shrub, and has feathery white, plume like flowers. It needs moisture and looks grand beside a pond.

Astilbe of course accomplishes the same feathery profile, but on a plant that is much smaller in scale, and lovely for shady areas.

Light and airy in a more subtle way are the flowers of the many types of coral bells (heuchera). The flowers are small, and bell shaped on wiry stems, giving the appearance of little stars waving in the garden. Coral bells are chosen for their dynamite foliage, but the flowers are a charming bonus.

The Chicago Botanic Garden recently evaluated 60 types of coral bells over a five-year period. They rated the plants on flower production, healthy foliage, good habit, and winter hardiness. Their top five picks were 'Bressingham Bronze', 'Cappuccino', 'Molly Bush', 'Montrose Ruby' and the old standby 'Palace Purple'. 'Molly Bush' a coral bell with deep purple foliage and greeny-white flowers was the overall winner and has also won the Royal Horticultural Society Award of Merit.

So with wise planning, the right plants can add airiness and movement to the garden, and a certain, soft haziness from flowers that are light as a feather.