Toni's Annuals/Containers Spring/Summer

Hi Everyone

By mid-April it is safe to plant warm season annuals. Here are a few suggestions for annual color in your garden or in containers. Any suggestions where the name is in quotes (i.e. 'Profusion'), that is the specific cultivar that you need to look for for best results. For even more suggestions, go to dallasplanttrials.org click on "Talks," then choose from the list of presentations by Jimmy Turner with the Dallas Arboretum.

As mentioned in my Container Crazy! post, when planting containers, remember you want...

a “thriller” (tall plants),

a “filler” (plants to fill in the middle),

and a “spiller” (plants that trail over the edge).

By far the best container book I've ever had is called Easy Container Gardensby Pamela Crawford. She gives great plant combination ideas, and they all work for our Zone 7/8 climate!

A suggestion from the April 2011 Southern Living magazine is to first find a foliage plant that you love. Then choose a second foliage plant with complementary hues and contrasting textures. And finally, add a bloom that pulls it all together.

Some great annuals for summer SUN:

Thrillers: Purple Fountaingrass

Ti Plant or Cordyline

Esperanza (Tecoma Stans)

Variegated Tapioca (Manihot esculenta)

Copperplant

Perilla Magilla and Perilla Vanilla

Canna

Fillers: ‘Profusion’ zinnia or zinnia linearis(Star zinnia)

Periwinkles/Vinca ‘Cora’ (plant periwinkles late May, early June)

Pentas – ‘Graffiti’ or ‘Kaleidoscope’ or 'Butterfly' varieties

Angelonia ‘Serena’ series

‘Stara’ or ‘Sun Devil’ Begonia

Melampodium

Cosmos

‘Intensia’ Phlox

‘Dakota Gold’ Helenium

Euphorbia ‘Diamond Frost’ (looks great paired with pentas or impatiens)

Ornamental peppers

Coleus (sun varieties)

Croton

Spillers: Lantana

Moss Rose (portulaca) or Spanish Moss Ross or 'Samba' Portulaca

Purselane

Sweet Potato Vine (Margarita, Blackie, Ace of Spades, Bewitched,
NEW: Emerald Lace & Midnight Lace)

Blue Daze

Verbena tapien or Homestead Verbena

Creeping Jenny

Sedum 'Angelina'

Annuals for SHADE:

Thrillers: Iresine

Persian Shield

Lemon Lollipop or Golden Shrimp Plant (Pachystachys lutea)

Spike or Cordyline
Caladiums (do not plant until soil temps are about 70 degrees)

Fillers: Impatiens (not New Guinea impatiens)

Begonias (‘Stara’ green leaf)

Alternanthera (sun or shade)

Dragonwing Begonias

Coleus (shade varieties)

Oxalis

Spider Plant (filler/spiller)

Spillers: Summer Wave Torenia

Sweet Potato Vine (see above for varieties)

Creeping Jenny

Wandering Jew

Hemigraphis

Asparagus Fern (filler/spiller)
Swedish Ivy

Note: Avoid getting petunias, geraniums, marigolds, and New Guinea impatiens, no matter how great they look in the nursery. They just can’t take the summer heat! Don’t be wooed by flowering snapdragons and alyssum. They are on their way out; they are cool season annuals that should be planted in the fall. Petunias and marigolds perform much better if planted in the fall.

Scroll down to see pictures and suggestions for container combination plantings. I hope you give them a try!

Don't forget...the Grapevine Garden Club AnnualPLANT SALE is Saturday April 30 from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Gazebo on Main Street in Grapevine! Come for a great selection of heirloom and nursery plants. Tell all your friends and neighbors! Arrive early for the best selection. All profits for our plant sale go to GGC scholarships, as well as many civic activities. I hope to see you there!

Enjoy your gardens.

If I can answer any questions, just call or e-mail signaturegardens@verizon.net

Toni’s Container Combos:

For SUN:

Variegated Tapioca

Blue Daze (below)

Purple Fountain Grass

Blackie Sweet Potato Vine

Margarita Sweet Potato Vine

(foreground)

'Dakota Gold' Helenium

Moss Rose

(background)

Knock-Out Rose

Angelonia 'Serena' Series - purple

Red or Pink Pentas

'Ace of Spaces' Sweet Potato Vine

Angelonia 'Serena' Series - lavender

Cordyline (red)

Sun Coleus (lime green)

'Blackie' Sweet Potato Vine

Purple Fountain Grass

'Chilly Chili' Ornamental Peppers

Esperanza

Verbena tapien (purple)

Creeping Jenny

Esperanza (Tecoma stans)

Perilla Magilla

'Profusion' Zinnias

Spanish Moss Rose

(part sun)

Cordyline (red)

Pentas (violet 'Graffiti')

Sun Coleus (lime green)

Caladium 'Miss Muffet'

'Bewitched' Sweet Potato Vine

(part sun)

Angelonia (purple)

Dragonwing Begonias

Croton

Creeping Jenny or Sedum

Angelonia 'Serena' Series (purple)

Penta (red)

Sun Coleus (lime green)

Verbena tapien (purple)

Creeping Jenny

More SUN Combos:

Variegated Tapioca

'Cora' periwinkles - deep lavender or punch

Moss Rose - portulaca or Purple Heart

***

Angelonia (purple)

Profusion Zinnia (orange or fire)

Margarita Sweet Potato Vine

***

Angelonia ‘Serena’ Series

Penta – Pink ‘Graffiti’

Summer Wave Torenia – Pink

Purple Heart or Wandering Jew or Hemigraphis

***

'Bengal Tiger' or 'Pretoria' Canna

Red Dragonwing Begonias

'Tropicana' Canna

Margarita Sweet Potato Vine

***

(part sun)

Spike (dracaena)

Perilla Magilla

Summer Wave Torenia – blue

‘Margarita’ Sweet Potato Vine

***

'Dakota Gold' Helenium

Angelonia ‘Serena’ Series - purple

Punch 'Cora' vinca - (periwinkles) or
Red Penta 'Grafitti' 'Kalaidescope' or 'Butterfly'

Moss Rose

***

(part sun)

Red Dragonwing Begonia

Coleus 'Lemon Sunsation'

'Bewitched' Sweet Potato Vine

***

Pentas 'Graffiti' - red or dark pink

Dakota Gold Helenium or Dahlberg Daisy or Melampodium

Purple Heart

***

Cordyline or Ti Plant

Dragonwing Begonia - Pink or Red

Blackie or Bewitched Sweet Potato vine

Silver Licorice plant

***

Cordyline or Ti Plant or Canna

Croton

'Margarita' or 'Emerald Lace' Sweet Potato Vine OR Creeping Jenny

For SHADE:

Assorted Caladiums

Dragonwing Begonia (pink or red)

Creeping Jenny or Swedish Ivy

Cordyline (red)

Dragonwing Begonia (red)

Assorted Coleus

Creeping Jenny

'Diamond Frost'

Euphorbia

Impatiens (or Pentas)

Oxalis (purple)

Impatiens

Caladiums 'White Queen'

Dragonwing Begonias (red)

Caladium (red strapleaf)

Elephant Ear or Caladiums
Dragonwing Begonias (pink or red)

Spider Plant

(hanging basket)

Caladium 'White Queen'

Dragonwing Begonia (red)

Creeping Jenny

Caladium 'Miss Muffet'
'Diamond Frost' Euphorbia

Impatiens

Summer Wave Torenia (blue)

(great for hanging baskets)
Spider Plant
Purple Oxalis

More SHADE Combos:

Iresine ‘Blazin Rose’

Dragonwing Begonia – Pink

Penta – Pink ‘Graffiti’ or Pink/purple impatiens

Coleus

Rosebud Caladiums

‘Margarita’ Sweet Potato Vine or Creeping Jenny

***

Persian Shield

Coleus - lime green

Impatiens - pink

Creeping Jenny or Purple Heart or

Sweet Potato vine - 'Margarita,' 'Bewitched,' or 'Emerald Lace'

***

Golden Shrimp Plant -(Lemon Lollipop -pachystachys lutea)

Dragonwing Begonia

Coleus - pink or purple shades or Persian Shield

Summer Wave Torenia - blue

Sweet Potato vine - 'Margarita' or 'Emerald Lace'

***

Persian Shield

Caladium 'White Queen'

Begonias - pink

***
Golden Shrimp Plant - (Lemon Lollipop - pachystachys lutea)

Red Pentas

Lime green coleus

Blue Daze or Blue Torenia

Creeping Jenny

***

Caladiums 'Carolyn Whorton'

Coleus - lime green

Begonias - pink

Summer Wave Torenia - pink

***

Cordyline

Kong Coleus

Pink Begonias

Creeping Jenny

***

Spike (dracaena) or Cordyline

Caladiums (strapleaf)

Dragonwing Begonia

Creeping Jenny or 'Margarita' or 'Emerald Lace' Sweet Potato Vine

Remember...
A day without dirt under your nails is like a day without sunshine

Toni :-)