Tag Archives: coleus

A rainbow of Zinnias

It’s a good zinnia growing year.

Zinnias, Zinnia elegans are the star of the summer flower show. For filler and contrast, try adding herbs, or coleus. It doesn’t always have to be leather leaf ferns or baby’s breath.

Red and gold zinnias with coleus in an antique watering can.

Red and gold zinnias with coleus in an antique watering can.

Summer-long blooms bring butterflies and pollinators to the garden. Zinnias meant “thoughts of an absent friend.” in the Victorian language of flowers.

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Zinnias and Russian sage. Cutting Zinnia, “Hot Crayon Colors” ↑ 

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Zinnias and mini marigolds. ↑ →

“Signet Starfire” marigolds. grown from seed. Little yellow and orange dwarf single marigolds keeps blooming until frost.

Shades of red:

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Red and white zinnias with coleus make a simple bouquet.

Zinnias and coleus.↑

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Zinnias and Nicotiana. ↑

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Zinnia and Coleus. ↑

Zinnias were named 1763 by Linnaeus in honor of Johann Zinn, a German professor of botany and medicine.

Pinks and lavender:

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Zinnias and coleus. ↑ Cutting Zinnia, “Berry Basket”

These crayon colored flowers are long-stemmed cutting flowers with long-lasting blooms.

To extend the life of cut flower blooms by trimming off the bottom of the stem, every few days. Replace the water with fresh every 4 days.

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Zinnias and basil. Cutting Zinnia, “Berry Basket” ↑

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Zinnias with oregano and basil. Cutting Zinnia, “Bling Bling.” These lovely cut flowers are bigger and brighter every year. Disease resistance has much improved through the years.

Pink zinnias and Queen Ann's lace.

Pink zinnias and Queen Ann’s lace.

If it’s been awhile since you’ve included zinnias in your garden, take another look. Zinnias are disease resistant rebloomers that will keep you in flowers until frost.

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IMG_3335I got all the zinnias in this post from Renee’s Garden.

Wordless Wednesday

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Coleus is big color and little work

In the afternoon shade, this beautiful coleus looks black.

Camilon-like color brings out the best in other plants. photo PBH

It looks good mixed with other leafy ornamentals like coleus and heuchera plants. I love coleus because it gives you color all season. Flowers are good for a week our two. But the coleus always has that color or texture or shape.

New coleus are being created very quickly these days. So, I like that they are a frost sensitive annual. To me it means I can try several new ones every year.

Read more about this annual plant the stays in beautiful shape, doesn’t get leggy, just needs water similar to any container plant. Look for this new Proven Winners selection in the Spring 2013. ↓

ColorBlaze® Marooned™ Coleus New 2013

Pinch Plants for Better Growth

More Hub pages Checkout my pepper and tomato reviews on HubPages.

Marooned is deep and dark maroon. It did well with morning sun and afternool shade. I don’t know why this new growth was green, but it eventually truned dark and stayed that way. Photo: PBH

Rethinking Coleas

Alabama Sunset' is a popular and durable sun-tolerant coleus.

This coleus is on my friends back deck. She knows – because I just had to tell her — that coleus should be pinched back. I admit this trailing plant is very pretty and continuously blooming. Most long time gardeners would have rushed to this plant and made 2 dozen cuttings imediately.

Pinch Plants for Better Growth

It just occurred to me when I saw this plant, that we don’t have to follow the rules or even an experienced gardeners advice.

Relax. Be happy. It is OK to NOT follow the rules all the time. You don’t Have To pinch plants. If you don’t, this is what will happen.↑ (see above photo) That’s OK too.

 

Goldilocks Rocks™ Bidens & Alligator Tears™ Coleus

Look for these plants

 

Goldilocks Rocks™ Bidens Bidens ferulifolia

ColorBlaze®Alligator Tears™ Coleus Solenostemon scutellarioides

Bidens and coleus

Goldilocks Rocks™ Bidens Bidens ferulifolia

ColorBlaze®Alligator Tears™ Coleus Solenostemon scutellarioides

I watered the container but did not fertilize it. The bidens is self cleaning, takes full sun or part sun and looks good in this combination. Alligator tears doesn’t need constant pinching and looked full, not leggy in the pot.

It was my honor to trial these plants for Proven Winners last summer.  Proven Winners are easy to find in our area. You could imagine my shock when I read the back of the plant label this spring: “BUY THIS! Even Patsy Bell Hobson did not kill it.” I don’t know if this is a regional marketing stategy or a National Campaign. Let me know if you see this tag in your store.

I planted three pots of Alligator tears in the planter under the mail box last summer. The hose rarely made it out that far. I did not add fertilizer.

ColorBlaze® Alligator Tears™ Coleus Solenostemon scutellarioides

Both plants, bidens and the coleus, performed all summer.

Proven Winners

 

My Patio

2 New Coleus

Red Head (Solenostemon hybrida)
Versa Crimson Gold Coleus ( Solenostemon scutellarioides)

Red Head coleus

I combined these two coleus in hanging baskets that had late afternoon shade. Generally these plants were left on their own. I cut them back only twice during the growing season.

Red Head is truest red color in the Ball coleus collection. I like these newer coleus that can take the heat and hold their henna color in both full sun and part shade.

The Versa Coleus series includes Crimson Gold. These coleus were neglected, not fertilized, and inconsistently watered in hanging baskets. The bicolor leaves held their color, were vigorous, and quickly branched into a full mounded hanging basket.

All coleus will be gone with the first freeze, but till then, these plants provide bright, bold color on the patio.

Bright color all season

I’ll be using more coleus in my gardens because, unlike flowers, you get bold, season-long color.

If I can get bright , fade proof red in my garden all summer, I am inclined to plant it again next year. Most folks look at a garden at a distance. They just see the red. And this Ball Horticultural trial plant is a long lasting, fade proof busrt of red in my garden from spring till frost. Look for it next spring.


Most of my trial plants went in containers like this.

Coleus gave my garden bright season-long color.

Alligator Tears and Goldilocks Rocks

 Alligator Tears and Goldilocks Rocks

I like this combo of two Proven Winners annuals. For some reason, I was blessed with five pots of this coleus, aligator green foliage with a creamy-yellow tear drop center; and three Golidilocks Rocks – Bidens Ferulifolia


ColorBlaze® Alligator Tears™ Solenostemon scutellarioides Coleus is growing in three different place in the garden. I am attracted to the multi color coleus in reds and greens, so Alligator Tears had to win me over, and it did.

It requires less trimming to maintain it’s thick, full shape than most coleus.

This was one of the easiest, to care for containers on my patio. In fact, I have a pair of these containers. One container with two coleus and one Bidens, and another with one coleus and two Bidens.

Golidilocks Rocks – Bidens Ferulifolia is loaded with bright yellow blooms and has bloomed continously all summer. It has grown in containers with little care or attention. Goldilocks is a great choice for containers, withstood our record-breaking heat and has blended into a delightful container combination. This self cleaning trait – meaning no deadheading necessary – is another reason to include Golidilocks Rocks in container garden combinations.

Aligator Tears

Only two coleus in the concrete planter, they looked kind of lonely  when they were first planted. Out by the mail boxes, these Aligator Tears recieved no pruning or cutting back. They did not set seed until mid August. They nicely fill the container and kept a good shape. Imagine how well they would do with pinching back, generous water and fertilzer.

These plants were sent to me for trial and evaluation. Thanks to Proven Winners for the opportunity to grow the newest most exciting plants. For plant combinations and container ideas, go to Proven Winners.

Calibrachoa and Coleus

Excellent Container Choices Calibrachoa and Coleus

Superbells Coralberry Punch color Calibrachoa from Proven Winners. And Ball Horticulture Coleua “redhead”

Coralberry Punch Calibrachoa is a Superbells® Proven Winners Calibrachoa hybrid paired with Coleus Redhead a Ball Exclusive and a Simply Beautiful® selection. These two plants seem to bring out the best of red in each other. Colors do not fade and they are very drought tolerant.

Most coleus need regular pinching or pruning to keep it’s bushy shape, but I rarely trimmed or fed this combo. The Coleus Redhead, is a Ball Exclusive. It’s hard to find a fade resitant coleus this color. I will look for the Redhead next spring and add it to my hanging baskets or containers.

Calibrachoas are a new type of plant that looks like a dwarf  Petunia. These little flowers bloomed all summer, the containers are in full sun, and got irreglar watering. Great container choice for this drought tolerant plant that showed no sign of disease or insect damage.

Look for more varieties of this fade resitant full sun bloomer at Proven Winners. There are some great color combinations on Proven Winners site.

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