IN THE GARDEN BETTY MORRELL

IN THE GARDEN BY BETTY MORRELL

conspicuous color

With the Pantone Color Institute’s choice of Very Peri as this year’s color, add that striking shade to your garden with LA Dreaming Hydrangea and Bellini Grape Lagerstroemia.

Winter is a great time to add some new plants to your garden and bring it up-to-date. They say you’re never too old to learn, and I just learned about the Pantone Color Institute, which highlights a new color palette each year. Rather than a solid color, this year the company chose a combination color, symbolizing the unprecedent times of change we are experiencing. Very Peri is a mix of vibrant shades of periwinkle blue with energizing violet-red undertones.

In researching Star Roses and Bloomables, I found a few PP plants with this new color combo. The first one is LA Dreaming Hydrangea, a very unique hybrid. With its dazzling color display of pinks, blues, and everything in between, it is awesome. This 5-foot high re-bloomer has dark green foliage and it’s great in the garden or in a container. Place it where it will get morning sun and afternoon shade.

The next amazing plant is the Bellini Grape Lagerstroemia. With its compact size and awesome colors, this wonderful Crape Myrtle is unlike any other variety on the market. Bellini Grape is a bright purple addition to the garden. This compact dense shrub measures 3 feet to 4 feet in height and width. Plant it in full sun. A nice change from a Crape Myrtle tree, these are very versatile and can be planted in containers or mass-planted in the garden.

If you are a Rose lover, you might want to include Sunbelt Plum Perfection in your garden. This fragrant Floribunda beauty not only has intense lavender and-plum-colored flowers with shiny green leaves, but it is also heat- and humidity-tolerant. Plant this beautiful rose in full sun and enjoy it.

Butterflies in your garden will enjoy the Dapper Lavender Buddleia bush, with its long blooming season and rounded, compact habit. The light purple flowers bloom in early spring and continue to rebloom into fall, and the beautiful green foliage is a great backdrop. Spent flowers are hidden by new blooms, which reduces the need to deadhead. This 3-foot by 3-foot bush can be planted along a foundation, in a container, or in groups in full sun.

A new Proven Winner annual that will appear this spring is New Ageratum (Artist Pearl Floss flower). This heat tolerant continuous bloomer has small fluffy white button-like flowers that add color all season. They attract bees, birds, butterflies, and hummingbirds. How wonderful! Artists Pearl grows 8 to 12 inches and spreads its mounding green foliage 6 to 10 inches. Plant in part-sun to sun, and it will bloom until a hard freeze. It makes a great border plant, in containers, as cut flowers, and in mass plantings. Trim back anytime and it will flush back into bloom in a week or so.

I’ll have more new and exciting annuals in the next issue. If you have any questions, you can email me at bamorrell33@gmail.com. In the meantime, Happy Gardening!

TIP OF THE MONTH

Now is the time to plant bare root roses and cut your existing roses to about knee high; they will flush out with in early spring to enjoy all summer long. These plants are available at Walmart and Lowe’s.