Show your pride with red and white
Many hardy and colourful options let growers create a patriotic garden
It was interesting last fall to see Canadians from coast to coast planting millions of the ‘Canada 150’ or the ‘Canadian Celebration’ tulip to commemorate the significant 150th birthday for our country in 2017.
As our weather finally begins to look more promising and we may yet get the planting season we were hoping for, we are likely to see a great deal of red and white colour schemes showing up in gardens all across this nation.
This colour combination is not only striking, but also represents the colours of our flag and is a big part of our Canadian culture.
Although Canadian growers have not abandoned the traditional rainbow of bedding plant colours, many have shifted production this year to far more reds and whites, hoping they will translate into many patriotic gardens. Let’s not disappoint them.
From small containers or baskets to mind-bending bedding displays, planting reds and whites this year is a great way to celebrate our 150 years as a country. Creative gardeners will come up with many unique combinations using many different plants, and you will also see many growers presenting their own combinations as we inch closer to July 1.
Recently I spoke with Diane Surette, the Canadian general manager of floriculturists Dummen Orange and asked what her company was presenting to Canadian growers.
Canadians have a love affair with geraniums, and using them in a simple combination of red and white can create a very striking display. The folks at Dummen Orange suggest using the compact ‘Savannah White’ and ‘Really Red’ varieties, but any collection of the same type of geraniums will make a great punch in any garden. Geraniums are heat lovers and perform best in a sunny, well-drained location. A dracaena spike in the centre always adds a little extra pop.
Many new dahlia varieties are more compact and offer more continuous flowering.
Featuring red and white combinations that are a step beyond their usual colour range, they are also perfectly engaging.
The shorter, large flowered ‘XXL’ series makes quite a show, but as with all dahlias, they will need a little deadheading as older blooms finish.
Other great dahlias to look for are the ‘Dahlinova’, ‘Go Go’ and ‘Gardenette’ series. You can create a very dramatic planting by surrounding dahlias with other sun-loving plants, such as red and white verbenas, petunias and white lobularias.
Perhaps the showiest and least expensive way to create a red and white display is with petunias. They thrive in the heat, and once established, are quite drought tolerant. ‘Easy Wave’ and ‘Tidal Wave’ petunias are the most dramatic and aggressive. Spreading low and wide, they simply rule. For folks who don’t have the space for ‘Wave’ petunias, both the ‘Grandiflora Dreams’ series and the smaller but more prolific ‘Madness’ series are a great fit for smaller spaces, containers and baskets.
Red and white petunias blended together are showstoppers.
A little daintier and more elegant are the miniature petunias, generally classified as calibrachoas. There are many companies showcasing a wide variety of habits and flower sizes, but in each there are reds and whites that match up beautifully.
Surette also recommended more sophisticated pre-planted combinations called Confetti Gardens. The combination called ‘Glossy Strawberry’ uses ‘Peppy Red’ petunias, ‘Empress Red Flair’ verbenas and the alyssum look-alike — but far more versatile — white lobularia ‘Yolo White.’
Another great Confetti Garden called ‘Peppermint Candy’ features the same petunia and verbena but combines them with the calibrachoa ‘Aloha Kona White’. Confetti Gardens are very easy to work with and look great in containers and hanging baskets.
Traditional wax leaf or fibrous begonias are some of the most bulletproof of all bedding plants.
They tolerate full sun or partial shade as well as any kind of weather thrown at them … and they are compact enough to easily create elaborate designs as we did for many years at Minter Gardens. By using the white blooming green leaf variety called ‘Prelude White’ contrasted with a dark leaf red variety called ‘Vodka’ you can create some Canadian combinations that will really stand out.
For shady areas, the non-stop series of begonias are quite amazing. There is now a full line of dark foliage varieties call ‘Moccas.’
They allow you to contrast reds and whites with the added impact of foliage combinations. As a bonus, they will tolerate morning sun.
For years we’ve successfully used New Guinea impatiens for sun/shade conditions. With their very large, show-off blooms, the reds and whites of these plants are remarkable. As our weather begins to warm up, it’s time to colour up our gardens, balconies and patios. To celebrate Canada’s 150th year, I sincerely hope you can devote some part of your garden to Canada’s colours.
Canadians have a love affair with geraniums, and using them in a simple combination of red and white can create a very striking display.