What makes Blue Jean Baby so special? For one, it’s a shorter, more compact variety that is super full with upright stems that resist flopping over. It’s one of the earliest to bloom, beginning in Midsummer and continuing to produce blooms into the Fall.
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Described as “a dense mound of ground-hugging branches that radiate from the center” this plant has a bonsai style and tight foliage with a blue-green tint. If your style of garden is Asian/Zen, contemporary, or even slightly rustic, then this plant will feel right at home in one of your beds or even as a potted accent plant for your patio or zen rock garden.
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Joe Pye Weed is a compact plant with super showy, mauve-purplish dome-shaped flowers that bloom from late summer and into early fall. It’s a great addition for borders if you need some vertical interest.
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What to do? What to do? Where to start? If you’re anything like me, the idea of planting your fall annual color is already on your mind. Of course, you’ll wait until the end of the month to plant those violas and pansies, but it doesn’t hurt to see if there are any new varieties out there.
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It wasn’t a difficult decision to add a new patio as a way to create more living space for your home. But now you’d like to bring more life to it. And this can be best accomplished with the addition of outdoor planters. Now comes the fun part! Deciding what to plant. And deciding on the containers to put those plants. One thing that will really add style to your patio is to select planters that are similar in style and color. Or to buy a specific design of planter and stick to that one style. The diversity will come from your plants. We love this collection from Pottery Barn. There are several different planters you can choose from that will match your style type. The plant selection needs more consideration when it comes to exposure to the elements. Is your patio space filled with shade? A few plants that might be perfect for you containers include coleus, fuschia, coral bells (heuchera), and impatiens. My absolute favorite shade plant for both color and foliage variety is coleus. Planted in a container along with some impatients and you will create a backyard show stopper. The color and size of the leaves have such a tremendous vaiety, and they are also extremely easy to care for. Is your patio in full sun? If you need plants to survive extreme heat and sun, there are numerous options when it comes to creating that perfect container full of lush colorful, plants. Among the choices are lantana, geraniums, zinnias, mint (it’s pretty, it smells great and it has multiple uses in food and drinks), palms (particularly Chinese fan palms) and the beauiful, crazy blooming Mandevilla. There are so many options when it comes to the plants that will decorate your patio, and you can go bold, basic, subdued with your planters and once you’ve decided on the planters, you can go try all of the different plants that are suited to the environement these planters will be placed. Choose planters and plants that compliment your existing hardscape and landscape choices.
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With every new lacecap I discover, I fall more deeply in love. Lacecaps are definitely one of my favorite summer bloomers, and this one has captured my heart.
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Blurred lines. Bring both the indoors out and the outdoors in. Make the line between the two much less distinguishable. Your entire property is your home. Take advantage of your spaces.
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If you’re looking to add a new hosta variety to your landscape this season, let this be THE one! With it’s heart-shaped, blue leaves with a crisp white margin, the color and shape are certainly inviting. But toss in some incredible ruffling on the leaves and you’ve got a bounty of added interest in this selcetion.
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Don’t you deserve a little extra color during the coldest months of the year? Hellebore is your answer. Also known as Lenten Rose, these beautiful treasures will bring you a bit of happiness in your landscape. Whether peeking out of the snow or located in a large pot by your doorway, you can count on Hellebore to fill the flower void. Cinnamon Snow is a particularly beautiful variety with it’s pink buds that will open up into large, creamy white flowers with the shades of rose and cinnamon. The color of these plants is affected by both temperature and the age of the flower itself, which means you can get quite a range of hues.
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With it’s gorgeous, vibrant coloring and love for cooler weather, this edible ornamental vegetable is a perfect plant for your fall landscape.
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