Colorful, elegant, refined, dramatic, sophisticated, and playful: garden designers gather these sorts of accolades and more for their summer annuals displays.  But they don’t “own” the patents on beauty.  Making a beautiful and effective groupings of annuals is entirely within reach of even humble ol’ you and me.

Let’s look at three basic “tricks” used by even the most intuitive of professional garden designers, and then illustrate them with some container plantings now on display in Cleveland Botanical Garden’s Sun Patio in the new Inspiration Gardens.  When we’re done, I think we’ll choose our summer flowers with brighter, keener eyes.

“One” is to follow the color wheel, and choose a palette for flower and leaf.

Red-Orange-Yellow-Green-Blue-Violet; that’s the color wheel.  Easy.  Now, “Google” a color wheel.  Colors run in the R.O.Y.G.B.V. sequence around the wheel.  What’s directly across from, say, red?  Green…and that makes complementary dyad with red.  Starting with red, what other two colors are equidistant around the wheel?  Yellow and blue…and they’re a complementary triad with red.

Any dyad or triad selected from the color wheel like this is a guaranteed match!

Be careful with a few things.  If in doubt, don’t mix “saturated,” or intense, colors with pastels.  For instance, a pastel pink impatiens with bright yellow marigold is a color clash.  Also, if in doubt, don’t mix warm and cool colors.  Warm (towards the sun) and cool (towards the moonlight) can work together, but avoid them until we are sure of our "eyes."

Use white flowers to frame or “dot” your color palette; white often adds informal cheer, and dilutes color intensity.  Use black/dark foliage to frame color palette; black adds drama/elegance and strengthens color intensity.

“Two” is to consider plant structure and form, and choose harmonious suite of shape and texture.

Use leaf variety to accentuate our color choices, and to help give our containers gesture and flow.  Whaaat?  Look at the accompanying pix.  Dark, broad leaves inflame the greens and the reds; ultra-violet leaves rise dramatically like midnight  flames.  That is gesture and flow.  If all leaves in a container are similar size/shape, they look "busy."

“Three” is to remember plant needs, and to choose plants that grow well together.

This is easy with annuals.  Most annuals like full sun and plenty of water.  Pelagoniums (geraniums), verbenas and marigolds are a few dry-land rule-breakers that come to mind.  For instance, pelargoniums develop yellow leaves if heavily watered alongside canna.  And—ahem—as we can see in the pic, I broke this rule on the Sun Patio!

Color acts on us physically, biologically, and psychologically. Complexity!  Harmonious interaction of texture and form have been debated surely since the days of Lascaux Cave Painting, and the discussion is still lively today.  That’s right, our One-Two-Three design rules are a beginning…without end.

And please visit our Sun Patio to see some well-designed summer annuals plantings.  Colorful or dramatic, or both?  I do know they set the garden afire!

Posted by Mark Bir

P.S.: I’ll make this a continuing series…if you show interest.  Hey, lemme know.

It’s a simple enough job to sit down at my keyboard and tap out another profile for one of our garden plants. The resultant blog would be tidy, professional, factual, and a total bore. What, with access to a library full of plant books upstairs and Google at my fingertips, to write such a piece I would feel like I am plagiarizing all sources in one swoop. It is a written form of vegetative propagation, perhaps? “What’s the point of being redundant,” he repeated.

So with this week’s (er—month’s) blog entry, I am going to attempt to not-so-much brief you, dear reader, on a common flower growing here at Cleveland Botanical Garden, as to put that plant into specific and particular context.

Meet ‘Mandarin Twist.’ (Shake hands here.) Mandarin Twist is a brilliant orange-blooming cultivar of the so-called calendula or pot marigold, Calendula officinalis. This once-native of the Med is classed as a hardy annual, which in Cleveland means that it behaves pretty much like a regular old annual. Start it from seed in a cold frame—easy—about April Fool’s Day, and plant it outside a week or two before Memorial Day. A fortnight after an early planting, ours began to bloom…and bloom and bloom. Now, pot marigold is widely reputed to Peter out when the temperature soars. But even with our recent July fire days, our Mandarin Twist has stayed true to the colorful course. What have I done to aid and abet? I deadhead ours with snippers down to the next leaf nodes once a week. A little fertilizer high in the last two numbers every third week (or-so), some supplemental water recently, and that’s been it for care. No bugs, no rusts or molds or other phyto-FUBARs have found ‘em here. Flowers galore.

It’s in the aster family, and sets copious seed, so if you want to be a seed-saver, just let some of the August blooms stand for seed. Might put mesh bags around ‘em soz they don’t make birdfeed. Although it is a cultivar, Mandarin Twist is not too far removed from its wild progenitors, so I’m betting they’ll breed near to true, with a few interesting variations popping up in your seed flats, as well.

Inspect Mandarin Twist at Cleveland Botanic Garden in the sunken garden between the library and the Japanese Garden. Find it rising in a mass from behind the central stone bench. Can’t miss it, like sparks issuing from a fire. It is framed by dramatic contrasts that punch-up the orange heat: 1) a low foreground of across-the-color-wheel black sweet-potato vine and purple alternathera (pow!); 2) bold “N” exotic canna leaves like stage curtains to either side (bif!); 3) inky pools of shadow in the background (wham!).

Calendula is doubtless a common annual, but one that I feel is underused in our fair city. Go orange, give ‘Mandarin Twist’ a try. BTW, the name “Calendula” has a curious etymology. But I’m not gonna tell you…gotta Google it yourself!

Posted by Mark Bir

The difference between an annual and perennial.

When to divide hostas.

How to prune a lilac.

Are these gardening questions you’ve wanted to know the answers to —  but were afraid to ask? Help is on the way, my friend.

Twice a year, the Garden offers a“Green Gardener and Public Horticulture Volunteer” certification program. And the even better news is there is still time to register before the August 28^th deadline. The bad news (for you, maybe) is that this class always sells out. We began offering this class in the winter of 2006, and every time since then, a fanastic little community of learners has been created by the participants. The class is 10 weeks long.  Half of the instruction is conveniently conducted online, and the other half consists of hands-on labs conducted here at the Garden. Throughout the class, you learn the basics of horticulture, botany, plant health, soil composition, good versus bad insects — enough to make you a proficient and prolific hands-on gardener.

The Green Gardener/Public Horticulture Volunteer certification program is a great way to learn more about something you love, meet some fun, like-minded people, and end up with certification that you can brag to your friends about! Why not just sign up already! 

When I see a new plant, I don’t really feel that I’ve made its acquaintance until I rub a leaf between my fingers, or run a hand over the bark. It is possible to experience texture through your eyes, in a limited way, of course. And sometimes that’s the only safe or acceptable way to appreciate the gorgeous variety of form and surface in the plant world. If everyone went through the  Garden touching and pinching every plant, we’d probably end up with a pretty tattered-looking mess come summer’s end. A few plants are even a little risky to handle, with sharp grassy leaves, fierce thorns or extremely sticky sap.

There are a couple of spots in the Garden, though, where guests are welcome to fondle the plants! The sensory bed in the Elizabeth and Nona Evans Restorative Garden offers a wealth of "please touch" plants for those seeking that extra dimension to their experience here. Along with the many beautiful, fragrant and tasty plants are some specially selected to communicate with your fingertips:

 What could be more inviting than a plant named "Furbee"? This cultivar of Silver Sage (Salvia argentea ‘Furbee’) is everything the name promises, and more.

 Blue borage (Borago officinalis) reminds us in a bristly, but not unpleasant way, that plants aren’t all snuggles and cuddles. Like many prickly plants, its texture provides a defense against random munching by herbivorous animals.

 Another notable texture in the plant world is provided by Purslane’s (Portulaca oleracea) soft and rubbery leaves.

There are lots of other "approachable" plants in this garden offering more variations on the theme. Come and experience plants to the fullest in this "touchy-feely" part of the Garden.

While edible plants are a theme throughout the Garden this summer, the Elizabeth and Nona Evans Restorative Garden offers a feast for all of your senses! In the design and installation of this garden, special efforts were made to include fragrant plants, touchable plants, tasty plants and even auditory effects, like the splashing of waterfalls.

This season, a stunning container display by Gardener Robin Johansen offers something delicious to devour with your eyes, too. Tucked away in a shady seating area, it’s so vibrant, it seems like you should be able to hear it before you see it! Whenever I see a really pleasing design like this one, I like to analyze the things that make it so successful.

Airy flower sprays of Euphorbia ‘Diamond Frost’, broad smooth Xanthorrhiza ‘Lime Zinger’ leaves and soft hair-like strands of whimsically-named “Fiber Optic Grass” create pleasing textural contrasts.

No matter how many media outlets report that Poinsettias are non-toxic, it doesn’t surprise me that many people still think they are toxic to pets and children if eaten. Yet another study just released by the British Medical Journal confirms that Poinsettias are not toxic. They reviewed all cases reported to the Poison Control Centers and determined that not a single case of ingesting Poinsettias leaves resulted in death. This is not to say that if you do ingest the leaves you won’t get sick. You just might. And I can’t imagine that it tastes very good. The white, milky sap that the leaves and branches exude is known to be irritating to the skin and if you get it in your eyes somehow, I can personally attest to how painful that is! Just wash your hands if you do get the sap on you and be sure not to rub your eyes. Otherwise, enjoy your colorful Poinsettias- red, white or even blue or purple ones this year and don’t worry about their toxicity!

Posted by Cynthia Druckenbrod

Through trial and error I have learned that it is best to group plants together that have similar cultural requirements. This may sound like common sense, but all too often we let other factors determine what gets planted, and where. 

I needed a low, yellow annual in front of a wave of red coleus this year and selected portulaca. It started out okay, but I soon realized that the water requirements for the two plants were vastly different. In order to keep the coleus from wilting, I had to supply more water than the portulaca could handle. So one or the other had to go. 

It is helpful to remember this when designing planters as well. You wouldn’t want to combine lavender with hydrangeas because of the different watering requirements. Each year I like to group succulents in containers because they are so low maintenance. 

During a recent two week drought I was watering my coleus and dahlia container arrangements daily but didn’t have to provide a drop of water to the succulent containers.

The same principle applies to pH requirements. The need for some broadleaf evergreen shrubs led to the planting of some pieris and azaleas in one of my gardens. But often these acid-loving plants were sited right next to lilacs, roses and bottlebrush buckeyes, which prefer neutral to alkaline soils. As a result, I have to amend soils and alter pH in some very restricted and sporadic areas throughout my beds to try and keep everyone happy.

So if we want our plants to all get along and play nice together, start by selecting a grouping of plants that all have similar cultural requirements.

Posted by Bob Rensel

Sometimes a planting doesn’t quite work and you are not sure why. You can have the right soil conditions and the right sun exposure and still the plant doesn’t seem happy. How long do you put up with that?

 

My annuals get yanked pretty quickly if they don’t look good. I might first try fertilizing or spraying for annoyances such as powdery mildew. But the summer is too short to put up with sick-looking annuals and I’ll swap them out with something else. I will typically give perennials one season to get acclimated. If they don’t perform up to par in the second year, they get yanked. I noticed that some plants just don’t like to be moved and will let you know if you try. I moved some Japanese Painted Ferns one year and complained all season about how weak they were. They browned out a bit and just didn’t get very big. The next season they were great. Shrubs can be the same way. I planted some new Oakleaf Hydrangeas one year next to some established ones. The new ones constantly wilted that year while the older ones were fine. But in year two, all was well with the new ones. Trees can take a bit longer. I have some Japanese Tree Lilacs that were transplanted in 2003. The stress of moving the mature trees took several years to go away. The first picture shows one of the trees in 2006.  The second picture shows the same tree in 2008.  Each year I would get lots of water sprouts and significant die-back at the ends of the branches. Five years later they are finally having a good year and filling out nicely.

There are few plants that rival Lantana as a nectar source for butterflies and hummingbirds. As annuals here in Ohio, they grow exceedingly fast and make excellent container additions. We have several varieties here at the Garden and some of the showiest cultivars include, ‘New Gold’, ‘Radiation’, ‘Gold Mound’ and ‘Confetti’. Lantanas are orignially from the new world tropics but they have since spread to tropical areas around the world. In fact, they are considered an invasive weed in many areas due to their agressive growth habits. I often see them growing in ditches in Central and South America. They love it hot and dry and must have good drainage. Previously, Lantanas required lots of dead-heading to keep them in bloom in the summer. Now, there are new varieties that are sterile and therefore are not producing seeds that need constant removing. One word of caution, the leaves of Lantana can be irritating and will cause a slight rash to those with sensitive skin. Even so, Lantanas are relatively care free and will look great on your patio!

Posted by Cynthia Druckenbrod