by David Salman

Easy Garden Design with our Summer Showstopper Pre-Planned Garden — The Summer Showstopper Pre-Planned Garden is easy-care and drought resistant.

Easy Garden Design With The Summer Showstopper Pre-Planned Garden

As a kid, I loved to buy the paint-by-numbers watercolor painting kits. I wasn’t a very talented artist but my canvases turned out pretty nicely and I was happy and encouraged to do more. So many years ago, when I first thought about offering our High Country customers a way to plant a professionally designed perennial garden, the paint-by-numbers concept came back to me. I introduced our pre-planned gardens which come with planting diagrams that show you exactly where and how to space the plants to re-create the layout. It’s easy garden design, and the results are superb.

The inspiration for our newest garden came from a planting at a local college where they redesigned and replanted their front entrance.

I liked the designer’s core choice of plants and the fact that they planted the “inferno strip” between the street and sidewalk and the center median with colorful, waterwise perennials.

So working with the general design, I refined it with an expanded palette of plants so that the garden would bloom from late spring through fall and attract more pollinators.

I also decided to create two designs so the ‘Summer Showstopper’ could be used as a 3 ft by 16 ft. “inferno strip” or in a wider 6 ft. by 8 ft. rectangular bed to give more flexibility as to where it can be planted.

Easy Garden Design: Advantages Of Planting The Summer Showstopper Pre-Planned Garden

The plants used in the ‘Summer Showstopper’ are all:

Recommended as easy-to-grow for beginning gardeners
Waterwise (xeric) in areas with 30 inches or less of precipitation
Pollinator friendly, natural nectar sources to attract hummingbirds, bees and butterflies
Long blooming or repeat blooming (come back into flower when the faded flowers are removed)
Bloom with bright, bold colors combinations of blue, yellow, red and scarlet
Thrive in a wide range of soil types including rocky, sandy, garden loam and dry clay
Resistant to browsing rabbits and deer.

All of High Country Gardens' Pre-Planned Gardens come with planting maps and maintenance guides to help answer questions about the care of the individual plants, as well as the gardens as a whole.

Easy Garden Design Wtih: The Jumbo Waterwise Pre-Planned Garden — An alternative to the Summer Showstopper is the Jumbo Waterwise Pre-Planned Garden, our most popular garden of all time.

The Summer Dreams Pre-Planned Garden is another popular Summer-Blooming Pre-Planned Garden, perfect for small spaces.

Our Jumbo Waterwise Pre-Planned Garden has been a bestseller for decades! Perfect for hot, dry, sunny gardens, this eye-catching combination of long-blooming perennials will light up...
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Jumbo Waterwise Pre-Planned Garden Jumbo Waterwise Pre-Planned Garden
As low as $225.99 Sale $180.79
Per Garden of 18

Our Jumbo Waterwise Pre-Planned Garden has been a bestseller for decades! Perfect for hot, dry, sunny gardens, this eye-catching combination of long-blooming perennials will light up the landscape with bright, clear colors. Grow more flowers and foliage while using less water. Easy-care plants feature inedible foliage to keep rabbits and deer away. Large garden of 27 plants covers 190 sq ft, small garden of 18 plants covers 100 sq ft. This Pre-Planned Garden comes with a garden layout map to make planting easy. (For gardeners in coastal CA, OR, and WA, plant the Jumbo Waterwise Pre-Planned Garden For The West Coast)
Our Soft Colors Inferno Strip Pre-Planned Garden offers a creative approach to garden design with tough, xeric perennials. Designed for narrow spaces that call for curb appeal, this ...
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Soft Colors Inferno Strip Pre-Planned Garden Soft Colors Inferno Strip Pre-Planned Garden
As low as $199.99 Sale $179.99
Per Garden of 18

Our Soft Colors Inferno Strip Pre-Planned Garden offers a creative approach to garden design with tough, xeric perennials. Designed for narrow spaces that call for curb appeal, this garden features a beautiful palette of soft pink and purple flowers and silvery foliage. You can easily grow a beautiful flower garden in a hot, dry planting site with flowers that attract pollinators all season. Large garden of 27 plants covers 60 sq ft, small garden of 18 plants covers 30 sq ft. This Pre-Planned Garden comes with a garden layout map to make planting easy.
Our August Afternoons Pre-Planned Garden expertly blends color, texture, and fragrance, featuring many favorite perennials and ornamental grasses. Pull up a chair and enjoy your summ...
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August Afternoons Pre-Planned Garden August Afternoons Pre-Planned Garden

Sale Price I Save 10%
$224.99 Sale $202.49
Per Garden of 17

Our August Afternoons Pre-Planned Garden expertly blends color, texture, and fragrance, featuring many favorite perennials and ornamental grasses. Pull up a chair and enjoy your summer afternoons watching hummingbirds and butterflies sipping nectar from the beautiful blue, pink, and ivory flowers. When the rest of your garden is taking a late summer snooze, this waterwise garden comes alive with an engaging display. Garden of 17 plants covers 50 sq ft. This Pre-Planned Garden comes with a garden layout map to make planting easy.
The flowers in the Summer Dreams Pre-Planned Garden are favorites of butterflies, honeybees, and gardeners alike. Designed with low-maintenance perennials, you can enjoy your garden&...
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Summer Dreams Pre-Planned Garden Summer Dreams Pre-Planned Garden
As low as $136.99 Sale $123.29
Per Garden of 11

The flowers in the Summer Dreams Pre-Planned Garden are favorites of butterflies, honeybees, and gardeners alike. Designed with low-maintenance perennials, you can enjoy your garden’s fragrance and bright colors blooming from mid-summer to early fall. Watch pollinators dance from flower to flower in the summer sunlight. Garden of 11 plants covers 30 sq ft. This Pre-Planned Garden comes with a garden layout map to make planting easy.

Text and Photos by David Salman

Easy Gardening: Paint By Numbers, The Garden Version

By David Salman, High Country Gardens Founder and Chief Horticulturist

As a kid, I loved to buy the paint-by-numbers watercolor painting kits. I wasn’t a very talented artist but my canvases turned out pretty nicely and I was happy and encouraged to do more. So many years ago, when I first thought about offering our High Country customers a way to plant a professionally designed perennial garden, the paint-by-numbers concept came back to me.

I introduced our Pre-Planned Gardens, which come with Garden Maps that show you exactly where and how to space the plants to re-create the layout. It’s easy garden design, and the results are superb.

Designing A Summer Showstopper

The inspiration for our Summer Showtopper Pre-Planned Garden came from a planting at a local college where they redesigned and replanted their front entrance. I liked the designer’s core choice of plants and the fact that they planted the “inferno strip” between the street and sidewalk and the center median with colorful, waterwise perennials.

Working with the general design, I refined it with an expanded palette of plants so that the garden would bloom from late spring through fall and attract more pollinators.

The plants used in the Summer Showstopper Pre-Planned Garden are all:

Recommended as easy-to-grow for beginning gardeners
Waterwise (xeric) in areas with 30 inches or less of precipitation
Pollinator-friendly, offering natural nectar sources to attract hummingbirds, bees, and butterflies
Long blooming or repeat blooming, so they will come back into flower when the faded flowers are removed
Brightly colorful, with bold color combinations of blue, yellow, red, and scarlet
Resilient, thriving in a wide range of soil types including rocky, sandy, garden loam, and dry clay
Resistant to browsing rabbits and deer