I'm a huge fan of Little and Lewis ! There is something about the rich lushness of a PNW garden and their art that makes me envious of their climate and ability to sculpt to their hearts delight. nhbabs, attached is the sea horse photo. I guess I have had water on the mind for the past few years and have enjoyed working with watery themes. Last year I had a client who thought they wanted a water feature but the maintenance issue just wasn't geared to his busy life so we used vibrant tumbled blue glass in a raised planter and planted aeonium tabuliforme ( looks like a lily pad ) and some juncus to satisify the desire . looks pretty good and I have a few other clients that are considering this low maintenance option. From May 30, 2012

If you decide to leave the bulbs make sure they are not Scilla siberica. This bulb is a nightmare. It's the little bulb that has the bright blue flowers in late March and early April. Crocuses, tulips and muscari (these also have small blue flowers but bloom later) are usually not a problem. I would also avoid Chinadoxa as well since it has the same tendencies as the scilla. Since it's native to Asia it comes up several weeks sooner then the native bulbs/perennials. It rapidly seeds creating huge colonies and the danger is that as the foliage decays it forms a giant smothering mat of green that makes it hard for many perennials (native and non-native) to push up through. I've had problems with things rotting underneathe or becoming stunted. This is one bulb that cannot nicely coexist with companion plantings and should be completely elimated. I find the best way to control is to spray at soon as the temperature is around 60 degrees. Digging will also work but it is very labor intensive since there can be hundreds of bulbs or more. If that is not an option you can at least control the spread and vigor by pulling the tops off of the plant before they set seed. It also reduces their vigor for next year. A nice little native bulb is Spring Beauty - Claytonia virginica. It mimics the look of the scillas without it's destructive tendencies. It forms carpets of soft pink in April.

You mentioned that the garden has landscape cloth right now. It is possible that the cloth may have killed off the weeds that were growing there prior to it being placed. You may have some seeds in the soil still that could germinate, but it shouldn't be that big of an issue. I'd just go ahead and plant a quality seed mix if you're looking to go cheap and have limited time. Any weeds that pop up shouldn't be a problem to pull in the first growing season with it being such a small area. If you do want to invest in quality plants that will establish quickly and give you blooms quicker you can buy plants that are already growing in pots. If you space them correctly you should be able to do this for a little over $100. It can be a major time saver and you will be able to identify which plant is which right off the bat. Many native plants are simple to divide too and you can fill in any spots that look bare the following year with the plants you've selected. Also, planting seed mixes that contain grasses during the Spring will lead to the area being dominated by grasses. If you are set on planting seeds, make sure that you don't a ton of grass seed in the mix. If you were to plant it in Fall it wouldn't be that much of an issue. If I were you I would leave all grass seed out and only use nursery grown or wild-collected grasses. This will allow you to control where and how much grass develops in the area. Big Bluestem and Indiangrass look great in small areas if there are only a few plants. Too much of them and in 4-5 years it will be all that youll have growing in there unless you use control measures on a regular basis.

I suggest Wild Columbine - Aquilegia canadensis. This is in full bloom here in central PA right now, and has had flowers for several weeks. Easily grown from seed and among the easiest natives to find in nurseries. If you leave some space unmulched at the base of the columbines, you'll have to pull some weeds but should also get lots of volunteer columbine seedlings next year which can be moved around the garden. Also try violets. They bloom even earlier than columbine, depending on the species, and there are many species to choose. The showiest is Birdsfoot Violet, which is a relatively common plant in the native nursery business. The widespread Common Blue violet is also nice and very easy to find - you probably have some in the lawn. There are numerous other species, and you might find one or two growing in a spot with similar soil and sunlight as your garden and move a few. Around here Viola finriatula is common in dry, sunny spots and very showy in early spring. The big drawback to violets is their stature - they are low growers and can get lost in a garden if larger plants or weeds overtop them, and since they're small they can be hard to mulch properly. I would plant them in small areas that are easy to locate - at the base of a sign, for example - so that you will know where they are in the fall when you return for class even if weeds have grown over them. Violets do fine in full sun or shade.