Filling the Gaps in the Garden
So I started thinking of my garden as though it were some gigantic floral arrangement. And the first step is exactly the same as it is with arranging in a vase - you start by building a structure for your garden, using filler.
We all need it, whether we are starting a new garden or maintaining an established one. If we plant perennials and shrubs at the proper distances from each other, we have huge gaps until those plants mature. And even a mature garden ends up with unplanned for gaps, whether they are created by underground burrowing critters, harsh weather conditions or plain old neglect.
Besides (this is my eternal refrain when I show up after an alleged trip to the grocery store but come home with a few pots full of plants instead) the less dirt we let show, the fewer weeds we have to worry about.
Floral Fillers
Filler is usually foliage, although certain flowering plants also work - take Gypsophilia (baby's breath) or even lavender. The flowers aren't terribly showy but they add a certain quality to the bouquet that makes a huge contribution to its overall beauty. There is also an annual version of baby's breath - not quite as ethereal as the perennial type, but it flowers quickly from the initial sowing, which makes it extremely handy.
Most of us think of Queen Anne's Lace as a weed, but it, too, functions beautifully as filler, from its fern-like foliage to its lacy flowers. So if it insists on growing in your gardens, maybe you should let it. Within reason, of course. Another good floral filler is Nigella - "love in a mist" which is almost ethereal with the delicate mist of foliage surrounding the flower. Nigella grows quickly from seed and can be kept going throughout most of the growing season, so it is a great way to fill unwanted gaps while you wait for slower perennials to catch up.
Most annuals make great fillers, since they grow so quickly and have such long flowering periods. And if the permanent residents of your beds use a relatively simple color scheme, you can use those annuals to create a new look every year - going pastel one year, primary the next, deep and dramatic another year - or even every season.
The All-Important Foliage Fillers
Foliage filler is more functional than flower filler. It not only adds texture to the garden,
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