New Container Candidates
Posted in Gardening Tips on February 22 2011, by Plant Talk
It’s still early yet, but time to start thinking about what we are going to plant in our containers this year. The catalogs have been out now for a while and we have had our chance to peruse what is new and exciting in the horticultural world.
The new options this year are a lot of fun and they are not shy. Ball Horticultural Company has come out with a series of three velvety black petunias that will knock your socks off – and yes – black means black.
Petunia ‘Black Velvet’ is the pure black petunia that is a soft and sensuous as it name suggests. ‘Phantom’ and ‘Pinstripe’ are two variations on the theme. The former has a bright yellow star pattern that is offset by the black background while the latter has the same pattern in a smaller muted cream and bleeding pink color.
The grower reminds us the ‘everything goes with black’ – and it should. These are three very adaptable container companions. They have a nice compact mounding habit – 8-12 inches in height and spread. They should be widely available this year. Burpee is selling the all black petunia under the name ‘Black Cat’.
If black is the color of the year – you might also be interested in Calibrachoa Superbells ‘Blackberry Punch’. The flowers are magenta but the large throat on this plant is velvet black. ‘Blackberry Punch’ is a trailer that grows 12 inches high and wide yet will spill over your container and trail up to 36 inches.
Terra Nova Nurseries always has a few new coral bells up their sleeves and this year is no exception. One that is receiving a lot of attention is Heuchera ‘Cherry Cola’. It has reddish-brown foliage and rusty red flowers. It is part of their soda series along with ‘Ginger Ale’ and ‘Root Beer’. This coral bell takes sun to part shade and has a nice mounding habit.
For those of you who are searching for bright colors to brighten up shady spots, Terra Nova has come out with trailing Heucherella ‘Yellowstone Falls’ (a cross between a coral bell (Heuchera) and a foam flower (Tiarella)). It has bright chartreuse deeply lobed leaves that are spotted with red. ‘Yellowstone Falls’ trails up to 3 feet, thrives in part-shade and looks wonderful in a hanging basket.
I am also anxious to try Heucherella ‘Solar Eclipse’. It is reminiscent of Heuchera ‘Miracle’ but has a greater intensity of color – with its red-brown leaves and chartreuse border.
Other exceptional container plants to keep your eye out for this year are Aloe ‘Delta Lights’, Lecanthemum x superbum ‘Lacrosse’, Phygelius Candy Drop series and Weigela florida ‘Sunset’ (a nice compact mounding shrub that stays under 2 feet).
