The Good, The Bad and the Ugly

Well, here we are at the end of the summer season and it is time to report on how all the "children" did in their little playgrounds around the City.  There is so much to tell you about that I'll do this over several postings, so check in frequently.  The first plant to tell you about -- well, I'm not sure where it falls in the categories -- it was good, at times it was bad and -- you decide if it ended up "ugly".

This container holds three Kong Coleus Rose, a couple Raspberry Moon Caladium and three Carex Ice Dance.....guess who won the race?  The caladium was able to poke its head out here and there but Kong lived up to its name and overpowered everything.  Not a bad thing but next time I'll be aware that there is no need to put anything else in a container with them.  This container had short morning sun followed by shade all day.  It did well with the every-other-day watering, although it did droop when the heat was intense.  I recommend using Kong coleus wherever you need to make a big impact but it is a coleus with big leaves so it will need water!

I'll be sure to use Raspberry Moon Caladium next year....if I can find it again.  The leaves are huge and the coloration different.  This would look good with pink torenia as a spiller and autumn ferns as fillers. 

While I'm on the subject of coleus I'll tell you about the others that were part of the plan.  We're naming the "bad" now....Coleus Indian Summer....bad girl.  She never got with the program, and I had been in love with her in previous years.  True, I put her in full sun but she had been there before.  She looked like wet laundry hanging on the line more than she did a proud flag flying on the mast.  Every other day watering did not do it for her.

Coleus Indian Summer
Vinca Cora White
Sweet Potato Vine Bronze
Cuphea Totally Tempted


















While I had hoped the colors of the coleus, cuphea and the sweet potato vine would all compliment each other, the sad state of the coleus overshadowed all of the potential glamour.

But on to the "good girls".   To be sure I'll be using Coleus Wasabi and Dipt in Wine next year, along with the ultimate winner -- Coleus Pineapple.  Wasabi and Dipt in Wine were in the ground at the Welcome Center garden so they did have the advantage of in-ground moisture and the shade of the tree.  But Pineapple worked her magic no matter where she was.  When she had more sun the colors were brighter yellow with bolder burgundy stems and accents.  In the shade, it was more lime green with less accents, but it made up for it in size.  Check out the photos -----

 

 

This container had 3 Coleus Pineapple, 3 Vinca Cora Pink, 3 sweet potato vine Sweet Carolina Sweetheart Red, and 3 Sunpatiens White (you all know the sad story about the Sunpatiens....gone, gone, gone).  It did get morning sun and some late afternoon sun....but it was one happy container.

 



The colorations on Pineapple are so striking and will compliment just about anything you pair it with....think red, burgundy, purple, blue, and even OMG...pink.

Now check out the color when it sat in the shade all day......

Coleus Pineapple (3)
Vinca Cora white (4)
Angelonia white (4)
Autumn Ferns (3)
Lysimachia Persian Chocolate (3)

















In another posting I'll tell you about the awesome Lysimachia Persian Chocolate but for now, can you believe that coleus??

Another all time favorite of mine that seems to be appearing in nurseries under slightly different names is Big Red Judy or as this year's version is called Redhead.  It did well in full sun -- would have liked a little more water than it got, but still strutted its stuff all summer.  It is still in a container as of this date -- we'll see how she holds up to the 30 degree temps coming our way.

I've shown you these guys before but to round out the story, here are photos of Wasabi and Dipt in Wine again.

Wasabi is in the background


Dipt in Wine in the foreground


















The retail nurseries are placing their 2013 spring orders now so if you like any of these plants, let the owners know so they can be sure to have them available next year.  Paula at Thomas Orchards works with a grower who does lots of "proven winners" -- but it is a tight market so get your requests in early.  Next posting --  the grasses!

"Under The Sea" - At Last

Finally, the 'Under the Sea' collection of coleus and I have "arrived" at the same moment in time --  they reached their full size and I found the opportunity to photograph them.  There are greats and not so greats in this collection, at least in my humble opinion.  I'll set out photos of each though and let you decide for yourself which ones have "wow" factor.  Better yet, you ought to stop by the Welcome Center garden and check them out.  They are scattered about in the beds so you'll also have fun finding them.

Seven varieties are growing in the garden but I thought I'd share the "red" group with you today and save the green/burgundy group for tomorrow.  You gotta love the names even if you don't love the leaves.

Under the Sea 'Bone Fish'

I think this is my favorite just because it is so cute and little that it almost looks like a sea creature. 

The colors are very bright and distinct so I think they will coordinate easily with other colors and textures. 

The full plant  makes a bold statement in the garden.  A comparison of the leaf size can be seen next to the rose leaves above.

Under the Sea 'Molten Coral'     -   This one seems to morph from oranges to pinks so you will get some options when pairing it.   Leaves are small but the color is big.

In this lighting the pink coloration is more pronounced.  As busy as this one is, I'd pair it with solid colored plants - something with lime green and big leaves.  The Wasabi coleus would work well or lime colored heucheras. 

Under the Sea 'Red Coral' 

It's pretty hard to see any "red" in this one but I'm think that may be because it is in heavy shade.  There is a lot of lime showing up along with the burgundy, but for the most part it is a dark colored plant.  Keep this in mind when you are pairing it.

If nothing else Red Coral has some very interesting leaf shapes.  This is another very busy plant and will need large, smooth leaves around it to set it off.  Where it sits in the Welcome Center garden causes it to be lost in the crowd.

The last one with some red/pink coloration is 'Hermit Crab'.  This is another very busy leaf that needs to be carefully matched, but that can probably be said of all coleus in the Under the Sea collection.  I've been complaining that coleus in general have become ordinary and monochromatic.  Guess I should be careful what I ask for -- this group is "over the top" in color and leaf shape. 

Under the Sea 'Hermit Crab'  -  this one really does look like a crab - well, maybe a kalidescope crab.  Unlike a mother, who loves all her children equally, this is not one of my favorites, mainly because it is so busy that it is hard to focus on any one aspect of it.  And I can't easily see what to pair it with.  Wherever you put it, it will have to be the star of the show so I suggest putting a number of them together to make an impact and just provide a solid color background. 

That's it for today's show.  I'll be back tomorrow with the rest of the team.