Thursday 21 April 2011

Endless possibilities

I found myself daydreaming again today. Don't worry about me, though, it's nothing serious! I am afflicted with this "condition" every Spring. It usually lasts from mid-April until May 24.

While I water the plants in our greenhouse, I daydream about all the combinations and permutations I could create with the new annuals that we are growing. Most urns and patio pots need a little height in the middle. Traditionally, that role has gone to the green-leaved dracaena. This year I see a whole new world of possibilities with the 'Red Star' dracaena and a new Proven Winners ornamental grass called 'King Tut'.

The 'Red Star' dracaena has burgundy-red foliage. When I think about combination plants to create a dramatic effect, I lean towards lime potato vine, yellow-flowered bidens and purple wave petunia. Oh! That combination would be very punchy!

'King Tut' ornamental grass grows to 3 feet tall by the end of the season and has a dense fountain shape. It's flower head reminds me of exploding fireworks. Architecturally, it is amazing! I wouldn't dream of hiding it with tall plants. It would look great paired with the new petunia called 'Pretty Much Picasso."  It is a medium-pink petunia with a surprise - the petals are rimmed with a chartreuse-green band. It is so unique! And it would complement the 'King Tut' grass beautifully.  I would then add a few gold standard hostas. Oh! What a bold, unexpected combination.
Patio pot featuring 'King Tut' ornamental grass
*Image provided by Proven Winners*

Those are some of the new, exciting plants available this season. This time of the year there is lots of watering to do, which means lots of time to daydream and fine-tune my urn creations.

No comments:

Post a Comment