If you’re standing here finding yourself inspired by patriotic feelings or tunes, it may be thanks to the Garden Supervisor’s creative planting in the raised bed of annuals!
For this season’s display, she has designed the bed to suggest the American flag:
The waving stripes at the west end:
Celosia Fresh Look Red provides the red stripes. This plant is a 2004 All American Selection (AAS) Gold Medal winner, meaning it has been tested for garden performance by an expert panel of judges.
“Fresh Look Red performs like a fresh floral arrangement all summer. Thriving in the summer heat and humidity with drought or rainy conditions, Fresh Look Red decorates a garden or patio container with rosy red plumes. It won the coveted Gold Medal for its consistent performance with minimal maintenance and pest-free growth. Fresh Look Red covers up spent plumes by producing new foliage and blooms. The plant always looks fresh, needing no grooming.”
When grown in the full sun, Fresh Look Red plants mature at 12 to 18 inches tall and spreads 12 to 20 inches. The central plume can be 8 to 10 inches tall and 5 inches wide. Like all Celosia plumosa, the flowers can be cut and dried for everlasting homemade bouquets.
Euphorbia Diamond Frost provides the white stripes. This plant is one of three Euphorbia Diamond plants that share the honor of being selected as the 2020 Annual of the Year. To receive this designation, such plants must meet a strict set of criteria.
Diamond Euphorbia might appear to be delicate but looks can be deceiving. They are actually tough as nails! They thrive in sun, shade, heat, drought and poor soil. They are self-cleaning, so no deadheading is needed to keep them in bloom from spring to frost. They grow best in sun to part sun, but can tolerate some shade.
These plants do not require much care; they grow best without much supplemental water and in lean soils, and do not need to be fertilized weekly like is done with many other annual flowers. Euphorbias are very self-sufficient. You shouldn’t need to do much pruning to keep them in shape, but they can be trimmed at any time if needed. Height: 12-18”
The field of stars at the east end:
Cleome Senorita Blanca provides the white stars. This PW (Proven Winner) is a heat and drought tolerant plant which gives dramatic height to landscape beds. It does not require deadheading and continuously blooms. It will grow 24″- 48″ high and spreads 18″ – 24″. Unlike other Cleome, this hybrid does not self-seed.
Salvia Rockin’ Playin’ the Blues provides the blue background. Another PW, this salvia has beautiful blue flowers all summer long. As the flowers age, the calyx remains deep-blue after the actual flower falls off, giving the impression that the entire flower stalk remains in flower giving a greater floral presence in the garden. It is heat and drought tolerant, does not require deadheading and attracts bees, butterflies and hummingbirds yet is deer resistant. It grows 24″ – 48″ tall and spreads to 24″- 36″.
Happy Fourth of July, and enjoy the Columbus Park of Roses!
Resources:
all-americanselections.org
provenwinners.com