Buzzing into spring with color!
Spring is here and warmer weather and rain, too! Through the month of May, the Chief will be bringing you ways to celebrate spring and bring the bright colors of growing things to your gardens and lawns. We hope you enjoy “What’s the Buzz!
ANSLEY - Spring may have been slow to start however, many people are already digging in and planting flowers. Last week, Chas Berke of SunValley Landscaping said due to cool weather, vegetable plants weren’t yet big sellers but flowers have been.
When selecting colors, Berke suggests thinking where the flowers will be and the surrounding area.
“It depends upon the color of the house,” she said. “What’s going to make your door pop? If you have a dark house, you probably don’t want dark flowers.”
Whether or not an area receives lots of sun or is in the shade needs to be considered. “For dark corners, chartreuse will pull out the color,” she explained.
There are some new options at SunValley for customers to consider. Pink Diamond Double Petunia is one of them. Berke also mentioned Lantana, saying, “It likes the heat and attracts butterflies. It’s vibrant and kind of changes color, from yellow to red, and red to orange. There’s also pink and lavender.”
Another new bloom to try this year is Unplugged Pink Salvia. According to Berke, it doesn’t get too big and is good for containers.
In addition to annual and perennial flowers, SunValley also offers a wide variety of vegetable plants including tomatoes, peppers, cauliflower, broccoli, red and green cabbage, red, green, sweet and yellow onions and kohlrabi. Gardeners can also find the supplies they need such as potting soil, hanging baskets and containers.
Berke does landscaping and, even though spring has been slow to bloom, she has been very busy. “Right now I’m doing maintenance,” she said. “I’m already booking into next year.”She designs yards and landscapes and works with sod, retaining walls, pavers and sidewalks, sprinkler systems and more.
Asked if she has a particular favorite flower, Berke mentioned the Proven Winner Pink Vein Petunia and also Bubble Gum Petunia. Both would bring a strong pop of pink into any yard or deck.
Whether you want vibrant reds and yellows, brilliant pinks and greens or cool blues and whites, Berke can help with a full design or suggest flowers and plants well suited for your yard. And there are a lot of petunias and calibrachoa that are easy to care for and keep blooming all summer long. “And geraniums, too. They don’t mind the heat,” Berke added. “There are a lot of easy flowers.”