It's that happy time of year when the overnight frosts are ending, and it's time to plant up annuals in pots and in the potager/cutting garden. While I plan to purchase a few more plants, including a few edibles, my haul a couple of days ago is colorful and fun.
Since I'm posting for "Six on Saturday," I'll focus on a half dozen...
This is AngelDance 'Violet Bicolor' Angelonia (A. angustifolia). I've been planting Angelonias as spikes in a couple of my pots for several years now. There's something magical about the form and the shape of this plant.
This is AngelDance 'Violet Bicolor' Angelonia (A. angustifolia). I've been planting Angelonias as spikes in a couple of my pots for several years now. There's something magical about the form and the shape of this plant.
Next, let's celebrate Lantanas (L. camara)! This is Bandolero 'Guava Imp.' I purchased a couple other varieties, too. I regularly plant Lantanas for the pollinators, and because I like them. They cheer me up.
Sweet Potato vine (Ipomoea batatas) is a great side element in pots. The two varieties here are 'Sidekick Lime Improved' and 'Sidekick Heart Bronze.'
The mounding form of these hybrid Impatiens (I. x hybrida) works well in large pots. And the color of SunPatiens 'Compact Purple Candy' will work well with the other elements I plan to plant with them.
Caladiums (C. hortulanum) are always a joy to view. Their large, draping foliage is fascinating to observe throughout the growing season. Unfortunately, I purchased a plant with no tag, but with research, I believe this is Heart to Heart 'Raspberry Moon.'
Finally, another joy with its bright, warm coloring is this Dahlia hybrid, Dahlinova 'Hypnotica Rose Bicolor.' Within minutes of planting it, bees and other pollinators were enthusiastically visiting. It's perfect for a view right outside my sunroom windows.
Check out other "Six on Saturday" posts at Garden Ruminations!
This caladium is superb! And I didn't know about angelonias with their amazing flowers. Will they last a long time in bloom? Do you only keep them for the season because they don't survive the winter?
ReplyDeleteHi Fred: The Angelonias bloom from now until frost--an excellent choice for a center spike in a pot of plants. None of the plants in this post would survive my winters, but many are good choices to overwinter in the sunroom.
DeleteWhat a lovely six, I don't know the Angelonias flower, thanks for including it.
ReplyDeleteI discovered the Angelonias about a decade ago, and I've been planting them regularly in a particular spot. They're great cut flowers and they bloom the entire growing season, from May until the first frost.
DeleteThat Angelonia is flashy! I love your Caladium too. I planted Caladium tubers a few weeks ago but they've yet to emerge. I also potted 16 dahlia tubers to sprout while awaiting space in my cutting garden - 2 have already gotten started :)
ReplyDeleteLove, love Dahlias. I don't know if I'll dig this one up and overwinter the tuber, but I do that most years with other Dahlias. I wish I could grow more, but I don't have enough sun for a load of them. They're great beauties, and great cut flowers!
DeleteYes, what a great lot of plants, and your garden is going to be really colourful in a short time.
ReplyDeleteIt's so fun to shop for plants, isn't it? The garden and the surrounding area are bright with blooms now...soon my pots will be full of these annual beauties. :)
DeleteLots of unusual plants here Beth (for us UK folk) and I have never heard of Angelonia before.
ReplyDeleteSome of these are a little lesser-known for folks here, too, although others are mainstays. The Angelonia, I think, is underappreciated and underutilized in garden settings. It's a beautiful plant that blooms all season and it's a great cut flower!
DeleteAhh, you’ve been on a shopping spree! What a colourful collection you’ve brought home. Like those commenting before me, I’m not familiar with Angelonia. Its colours are amazing. I thought perhaps they were unique to the US, but I’ve had a quick search and they appear to be available here, where they’re also known as Summer snapdragons. They’re a tender perennial but usually grown as an annual in the UK. I must make a note for next year. I love that gorgeous dahlia!
ReplyDeleteHi Catherine: Yes, indeed! The Angelonias are somewhat lesser-known here, as well, and (I think) underappreciated and underutilized. There are many other color variants, and I tend to vary my selection from year to year. The Dahlia called out to me as an impulse purchase. ;-)
DeleteLots of cheery, summery color and texture, Beth. Have fun with these! Tina
ReplyDeleteThanks, Tina. Yes, they will brighten their corners of the garden, and please the pollinators. :)
DeleteI like lantanas, the colors they come in are so bright and happy. I don't plant them though since I'd have to treat them as annuals. You must too?
ReplyDeleteHi Lisa: Yes, Lantanas are annuals in my garden, too. While I've been aware of them for many years, I really started planting them regularly a little more than a decade ago, after a trip to New Orleans. I fell in love with them in gardens there. ❤
DeleteSo nice to see the Lantana, brings back memories of our yard in California (long ago).
ReplyDeleteThey are so cheery, aren't they? How nice to have lived in a place where they were perennials, right? I saw quite a few of them in New Orleans gardens, too. :)
DeleteI wish I could grow Dahlias, but some combination of soil, rainfall patterns, and temperature have resulted in failure every time I have tried. I just noticed that one of last year‘s attempts survived the winter in the ground, so I guess I’ll see if it does any better this year.
ReplyDeleteHi Nick: In my climate, I have to dig up the tubers, and then replant them if I want them to grow the following year. I've done that several times and had some luck. I wish I had a little more sun so I could grow more of them, though. And it would be nice to not have to dig them up.
DeleteYou certainly had fun choosing your plants didn't you! What a lovely colourful selection your garden will be a pollinators paradise this summer!
ReplyDeleteHi Pauline: Yes, I had a grand time. Now it's time to plant them in pots. Fun, fun. :)
DeleteI love it all Beth. :-) I love the dahlia. I took a break from growing them last year because of the earwigs, but I am going to try again this season.
ReplyDelete:-)
Hi Carla: I love Dahlias, too! For many years, I've replanted tubers from year to year. But the ones from last year don't seem to have survived winter storage. Maybe I'll try digging up these new ones at the end of the season, and see if I can replant with success next spring.
DeleteThey are all beautiful! I am not good with plants, as I have had cats most of my life, so I am good with cats. You have chosen some gorgeous plants here, Beth!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Linda. I LOVE cats and plants! I've had cats most of my life, too. During the winter, we keep most of our plants in the sunroom, which is closed off from the pets. And then we move the plants outside from May through mid-October.
DeleteThat Angelonia is a nice new twist in the colors that have become available. Nice find! You've reminded me to dig the annual flower seeds out of the refrigerator and start a few this week. I don't want to miss out on marigold season. Have fun planting.
ReplyDeleteHi Jerry: Yes the Angelonia is great! I've planted most, but not all, of the annuals now. Much more planting to go. Fun, fun! Enjoy!
DeleteAll gorgeous colours. I particularly love the angelonia and the caladiums.
ReplyDeleteHi Chloris. For some reason, the colors and the shading of these plants really caught my eye this spring. Plant shopping and growing is such a joy. :)
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