Bright Ideas for a Spring Refresh

April 12, 2016 | By webadmin

We hope those of you who planted late-winter and early spring color have been enjoying your delphiniums, cherianthus, nemesia, dill and other early spring bloomers. If you missed out on these beauties, or your winter color is looking tired, now’s the perfect time to refresh your color plantings.  

Here are a few of our favorite color garden standouts that can be planted now and enjoyed for many months to come:

Geraniums

Bright red, hot pink and white geraniums make a big impact in the landscape. Best in morning sun with some afternoon shade, these garden favorites are perfect for porches and patios planters. Mix geraniums with showy foliage plants such as foxtail fern, sun coleus and dichondra ‘Silver Falls’ to make a bold statement. Many geranium varieties will take a brief blooming hiatus during the hottest part of summer, then rebloom as fall temperatures cool.

Dusty Miller

Even neutrals can be dramatic. Silver foliage plants can be used to create stunning contrast in gardens with both hot and cool color schemes. Dusty Miller is one of our favorite and most versatile silver plants. Dusty Miller can be planted in full sun locations, in both beds and pots; but they’ll tolerate a little bit of afternoon shade. Small yellow flowers will appear on Dusty Miller plants by mid-summer, but it’s the beautiful fuzy foliage that really can’t be beat.

Lantana

We love lantana for its beauty that comes with toughness. Lantana can be planted in the toughest of garden locations that receive intense sun and not-so-frequent waterings. Plants will bloom now and all the way through fall. No matter what your favorite color theme is, there is a lantana match it, from soft pink and white, to fiery red and orange. Lantana is suitable for both landscape beds and containers and will attract many butterflies to your garden.

Lobelia

Blue lobelia blooms are some of the closest you’ll come to a true blue flower in the landscape. Up until just recently, us hot-climate southern gardeners were out of luck, as most lobeila varieties just couldn’t take the heat. With some new introductions to the market, however, there are a few lobelia varieties you can use to brighten up your hot Dallas garden. ‘Techno Heat’ and ‘Waterfall’ are two such varieties and they can be planted as a low growing border plant or mixed into containers, where they will cascade over the sides. Plants will perform best when given some afternoon shade.

Extras:  Butterfly-loving pentas, rainbow colored purslane and the vividly hued foliage of coleus can all be planted now for spring-fall color.