Got a passion for purple, a yen for yellow, or an obsession for orange? Explore your favorite color and get inspired!
Egyptian star cluster
Red star-shaped flowers with small white centers bloom atop
erect stems from spring to autumn. This evergreen perennial or subshrub is
often grown as a summer annual. It generally stays under 2 feet tall in the
garden, but the species can reach over 6 feet tall in the wild. Grow in a bed
or border, or in containers.
'Tangerine Beauty' cross vine
A better-behaved cousin to the less-than-polite trumpet
vine, cross vine is a colorful solution for a fence or arbor with afternoon
shade. Although this east Texas native is slow to establish, ‘Tangerine Beauty’
sports brighter, showier flowers than other cultivars and will reward your
patience with loads of orange blooms in both spring and fall. Flowers bloom on
old wood, so prune this vine immediately only after blooms fade
Butterfly bush
Butterfly bushes are carefree deciduous shrubs that are
reliably fragrant and easy to grow. Butterflies swarm to their blooms all
summer long. 'Black Knight' has deep purple-blue, almost black, flowers
in elongated clusters on arching branches to 10 feet tall if not cut
back, and half that size if cut back. The blooms come from early summer to
first frost. The foliage is willow-like and grayish green.
Forsythia
Its blaze of yellow flowers is surely one of the first
harbingers of spring. Forsythia are widely recognized for their utility in a
shrub border, a bank, or for hedging, and their light to deep yellow,
four-petaled flowers.
Common garden peony
This stunning herbaceous woodland peony has upright
red-mottled stems and dark green leaves that are elliptic or lance-shaped with
rough margins. It bears usually solitary, single creamy white to pale pink
blossoms that are cup-shaped and elegant. The blooms measure 3 to 4
inches across and have pale yellow stamens. Like all peonies, the
flowers are with us for too short a time. They are followed by beautiful
seedpods.
Four o'clocks
This bushy perennial has oval, deep green leaves on branched
stems. In summer, blooms appear: fragrant red, pink, magenta, yellow or white
flowers with a delicate, faded-vanilla aroma. Flowers open in late afternoon
and die by morning.
'Casa Blanca' Oriental lily
Often used by florists and for weddings, 'Casa Blanca' lily
has large, pure white, scented flowers.
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Flowering tobacco
This thick-stemmed annual or short-lived perennial reaches 5
to 6 feet tall, forming a large basal rosette of dark green leaves to 36 inches
long. Lightly fragrant, long and tubular white flowers dangle in dense
clusters from atop the tall stems. This plant starts blooming in late July or
August. Flowers close in full sun.
Angelonia
Upright, low perennial with deep mauve to violet two-lipped
flowers blooming all summer. Angelonia are superlative container plants, and
can also be grown as bedding annuals
Japanese stewartia
A multi-stemmed, deciduous tree with a rounded columnar
form, stewartia features stunning bark that exfoliates in strips of gray,
orange, and reddish brown once the trunk attains a diameter of 2 to 3 inches.
Serrated foliage emerges bronzy purple in spring, develops into a dark green by
summer, and turns red or orange in the fall. In midsummer,
"glamorous" white camellia-like flowers open in random succession and
are followed by pointed brown seed pods, which are persistent but not very
ornamental.
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Golden Duchess™ Eastern Hemlock
Like a jewel in the landscape, this superb new dwarf conifer
nearly glows with golden-yellow foliage on graceful, arching branches. Its low,
mounding form and improved sun tolerance over other gold varieties makes it a
perfect for woodland or rock garden. A stunning container specimen. Plant in
mass for a truly dramatic effect.
Crimson Kisses™ Weigela
A new, compact reblooming Weigela with a tidy, rounded shape
covered with dark, lipstick-red flowers kissed with a white eye. A versatile
shrub to back a flower border or to feature in front of larger shrubs. Early
trials exhibit hardiness to zone 4. Information provided by Monrovia.
Tulip
This bunch tulip has multiple orange-red flowers that bloom
in spring above green leaves edged in creamy white. A species tulip, it is more
likely to bloom in subsequent years. It reaches less than a foot tall and is
stunning planted en masse.
Mexican sunflower
'Torch' is a quick-growing annual that
produces vivid red or orange-red dahlia-like flowers from
mid-summer on. Its leaves are somewhat attractive, being dark green and lobed.
Plants can reach up to 6 feet tall and 2 feet wide in just a few
months.
Flower Carpet® Amber
Each bush is covered in a mass explosion of amber
blooms. One of the new Next Generation Flower Carpet roses with improved
heat and humidity tolerance and disease resistance.
Daylily
Daylilies are classic, extremely popular garden plants. They
feature long, arching, strappy leaves and long stems of generally 6-petaled
flowers, though double flowers are popular as well. Each flower lasts only one
day, hence the plant’s common name. Daylilies come in a wide range of colors,
from cream and cheery yellow to peach, orange, fiery red, deep burgundy, pink,
and purple. Some have contrasting throats and "eye-zones." Daylilies
are ideal for a mixed herbaceous perennial border.
Mexican fire bush
A tropical tree by design, the Mexican fire bush freezes to
the ground in winter in Zones 8-11, but grows up to 5 feet tall by summer's
end. The erect, branched, woody stems bear simple copper-toned leaves with
small orange flowers bunched along the tips. It loves the heat, and the more
you can give it, the more vigorous it will be.
'Mango Lassi' geum
This evergreen perenial grows to 4 to 16 inches tall and 12
to 24 inches wide and blooms from late spring to fall (with deadheading) with
double flowers in shades of apricot and buttery yellow.
Crown imperial
This species draws much attention with its striking gaiety
of color and form. Its large, bell-shaped flowers in shades of orange,
yellow, and red dangle from tufts of shiny green leaf bracts. Sitting atop
sturdy, 3-foot stalks, the flowers make a surprising and regal
statement in the late spring garden.
Virginia bluebells
This clump-forming perennial has light blue to purplish blue
pendulous flowers that open from pink buds atop 16- to 24-inch stems in mid- to
late spring. Elliptic to ovate, hairless, bluish green leaves yellow and die
back once the flowers fade after about 10 days.
Ever Red® Loropetalum
This new, compact loropetalum has the reddest blooms of all
cultivars. Dark burgundy foliage retains its color throughout the year. Great
for specimen planting, mass plantings and borders.
Euphorbia griffithii 'Fireglow'
'Fireglow' bears conspicuous bracts in vivid
orange-fuchsia in early summer. It has red stems and dark green leaves,
which emerge in spring with a reddish tinge.
Coneflower
This is one of the exceptional Big Sky™ series ( E. paradoxa
crossed with E. purpurea ), bearing fragrant, russet-orange petals and
reddish-brown central cones. These hybrids have all inherited the large
green leaves, strong branching stems, wide flower petals, and profuse blooming
tendencies of E. purpurea .
'Star of the East' crocosmia
To put it in perspective, ‘Star of the East’ crocosmia is as
far removed from the well-known ‘Lucifer’ crocosmia as Lady Gaga is from an
Appalachian clogger. ‘Star of East’ is a strong grower without being
aggressive, starting the season off with attractive green leaves that are held
vertically. The foliage remains upright and in good condition well into fall,
which isn’t always the case with other cultivars. The flower stems are
exceptionally sturdy, too, and they need to be because they bear some of the
largest flowers of any crocosmia—nearly 4 inches in diameter. In late summer,
deep orange flower buds emerge like tubes of lipstick from protective bracts.
The flowers open widely with a glowing, soft orange face highlighted by a pale
center. A surprisingly long bloom period is a bonus, the blossoms perfectly
mixing with the other hot colors of late summer and then seamlessly blending
into the warm oranges and yellows of autumn.
Berry Bright™ Saxifrage
Brighten the cool season garden with sprays of vibrant
flower clusters held above compact mounds of fantastic, bronze-tinged foliage.
Plant this quintessential woodland garden perennial along pathway borders, in a
lightly shaded rock garden, or add for contrast to mixed container plantings. Herbaceous.
Information provided by Monrovia.
Brakelights® Red Yucca
Vibrant, brake light red blooms are a great color
improvement to the species. This compact new selection rarely sets seedpods,
meaning more prolific flowering over an exceptionally long season. Plant in
mass for a dramatic effect in xeriscapes and waterwise gardens. Good container
specimen. Evergreen. Information provided by Monrovia.
Trumpet creeper
Trumpet creeper is a vigorous climber with clusters of
trumpet-shaped orange to red flowers from late summer to autumn.
'Just Peachy' hummingbird mint, 'Just Peachy' hyssop
A cultivar discovered at High Country Gardens in Santa Fe,
New Mexico, this aromatic, water-wise perennial grows to 30 inches tall and 18
inches wide and features fine, mint-scented, gray-green leaves and spikes of
tubular flowers in shades of soft pink and peach from summer to early
fall. The plant is hugely attractive to hummingbirds, hence its common name. It
is resistant to heat and drought, and can be used in both mixed borders and
containers.
Grape hyacinth
Grape hyacinths are hardy, easy to grow, and have
long-lasting blooms--no garden should be without them. They are particularly
spectacular when allowed to naturalize, whether under trees, along a pathway,
tucked into ground covers, or in a bed. 'Blue Magic' has a true-blue hue and is
great for forcing.
Iris pallida 'Variegata'
An iris with foliage as showy as its flowers, 'Variegata'
has bright green leaves striped with yellow and beautiful soft blue flowers
with yellow beards. This bearded iris reaches four feet high and spreads
indefinitely. Use to edge a border or grow at waterside.
Spring starflower
Star-shaped, honey-scented, pale silvery blue flowers are
borne in spring for several weeks. The leaves, to 10 inches long, are
semi-erect, strap-shaped, and silver-green.
Cranesbill
This popular perennial is grown for
its blue or lavender-blue, saucer-shaped flowers that bloom for
many weeks. It is useful in borders, rock gardens, and containers. It quickly
reaches about 18 inches tall and 2 or 3 feet wide.
Purple mullein
This biennial or short-lived perennial species is one of
the earliest mulleins to bloom. Its showy blossoms of dark-purple,
violet, pink, or white open along slender 3-foot spires for about two weeks
in early summer. Its shiny dark green leaves are ground-hugging and evergreen.
It has naturalized in some regions of the U.S.
Meadow rue
This hauntingly beautiful specimen has blue-green foliage
along matte, purple-green, willowy stems. At 5 or more feet in height,
it has a dramatic yet delicate garden presence. Its sprays of nodding
lilac flowers have pale yellow stamens. Plant at the back of a border; it
may require staking.