5 Favorites: Instant Gratification Blooms - Gardenista
Every spring, the riot in the garden raises expectations so high that it’s nearly impossible to believe I’ll ever have to live in a post-peony world. Here are ten favorites–annuals and a few obliging perennials for a temperate zone–that make me forget, come August, that I ever cared for anything other than the blowsy extravagance of a late-summer garden (sorry, peonies): Photograph by Ted via Flickr. Cleome practically explodes, growing from a seedling to a 5 foot tall preener by August. A packet of 1,000 seeds of Nicotiana Mutabilis is £1.99 from Crocus. With their strong stems, showy flowers, and propensity for facing you dead-on—as if posing for a model’s headshot—dahlias can pretty much carry the summer garden without any extra help, thank you. Photograph by D. Fletcher via Flickr. The downside is you must dig up tubers in the winter, in climates where temperatures drop below 20 degrees F. For a pink flower the size of a dinner plate, consider Dahlia ‘Onesta’; it’s $9.95 from White Flower Farm. In bright sun, Cosmos plays well with others; its delicate, fringed stems won’t overwhelm the flower standing next to it. Photograph by Britt Willoughby Dyer. Photograph by Chris Penny via Flickr. “You know this plant—it’s one of the greatest all purpose, make your garden look good no matter what plants,” notes Annie’s Annuals. For shaded window boxes or container plantings, Coleus, Ipomoea, and Caladium grow quickly; strong complementary colors look especially good in shade. Coleus Dipt in Wine is $7.95 from White Flower Farm. Photograph by Rhonda Fleming Hayes via Flickr.