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Mini Me Watermelon Magical new coleus for 2023
Mini Me Watermelon
Magical new coleus for 2023
Just when you thought the gardening world was
content and we didn’t need another new coleus, Mini Me Watermelon is rocking scorecards in university trials. Mini Me Watermelon is part of the ColorBlaze series and will be making its debut in 2023 and climbing the musthave plants chart. Photos of trial plants at Mississippi State University’s Truck Crops Branch Experiment in Crystal Springs, MS and the University of Tennessee Gardens at the West Tennessee AgResearch and Education Center in Jackson, TN show incredible plants in full sun that - to be honest - may exceed mini. Now perhaps mini describes the size of their leaves and that would be just perfect. These small colorful leaves, described as watermelon to coral-colored with chartreuse accents, are absolutely stunning. I would add that as the sun shifts during the day and light gets filtered the color looks more of a royal burgundy with the chartreuse. But as soon as the sun returns, it’s flaming again. The designation of mini might have been directed to the height, which is tagged at 20 inches with an 18-inch spread. Now I did not go out and measure those in Mississippi and Tennessee but I did measure my plants and they were 34 inches on September 12. That didn’t bother me in the slightest. My ColorBlaze Lime Time coleus out front, which was supposed to reach 34 inches, grew to 42 and I pinched it all summer. I was deliriously happy about that too! Everything flourished in West Georgia in 2022. In July we thought we would perish with the nonstop triple digit heat index numbers. Then in August and September it was, “Lord, we thank you for our daily rain.” Everything was much larger than usual. Consequently, plant partnerships or combinations had an exaggerated look. Everyone thinks of coleus combinations in containers and ColorBlaze Mini Me Watermelon already has its share of prized recipes on the Proven Winners website. They deserve great partnerships in the landscape too! At the Young’s Plant Farm Spring Trials, they had
At the Young’s Plant Farm Spring Trials in Auburn AL, ColorBlaze Mini Me Watermelon was partnered with Luscious Lemon Tart lantana, and Illusion Emerald Lace sweet potato for a dazzling partnership. ColorBlaze Mini Me Watermelon coleus pairs beautifully with Limelight Prime hydrangea, Rockin’ Playin’ the Blues salvia and Color Coded, One in a Melon coneflower.
ColorBlaze Mini Me Watermelon coleus will make its debut in 2023. The leaves are small but packed with riveting color.
ColorBlaze Mini Me Watermelon combined with Luscious Lemon Tart lantana and Illusion Emerald Lace sweet potato, both of which echoed the coleus accent colors.
My combinations were a little lucky. I partnered mine with Limelight Prime hydrangea. I admit I always underestimate the summer growth they will put on. Hence, those glorious white panicle flowers intermingled with the coleus foliage. In the overall design I have also included Rockin’ Playin’ the Blues salvia and Color Coded, One in a Melon coneflower, that will also be making its debut in 2023.
There will be 18-selections available in the ColorBlaze series in 2023. They are among the most carefree plants you can grow and worth every penny for your garden dollar. The maintenance I have already mentioned: simply pinch to maintain bushiness and structure.
I am also one to pinch off flowers if they develop before I would like. Though I grow coleus for foliage, those flowers do have some added value. In my area the first two weeks of October are usually the last days of hummingbird activity. I will often let a few coleus blooms develop in late September to offer any extra nectar that might be needed for the hummingbirds before they head to the tropics. Here I partnered ColorBlaze Mini Me Watermelon coleus with Limelight Prime hydrangea and Rockin’ Playin’ the Blues salvia.
Limelight Prime panicle hydrangea intermingles with ColorBlaze Mini Me Watermelon coleus which will make its debut in 2023.
About the author Norman Winter is an author and speaker on horticultural topics.
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inspiration: Norman Winter The Garden Guy
