I absolutely love the fourth of July. It’s such a fun, celebratory holiday. American flags are waving in the wind, kids are slurping the melted juice from bomb pops off of their arms, and nobody can seem to get enough of the colors red, white, and blue. It’s no different here at the nurseries. This time of year, you can generally find these three colors in an explosion of blooms. Let’s take a look at some red, white and blue faves for putting together a display that could rival any firework show!
The Reds:
When I set out to find my perfect trio of patriotic color, I was looking for brilliant, blazing, red blooms to start the combo off. Turns out I didn’t have to look very far. Pentas are unwavering with their full clusters of tiny, star-shaped flowers in brilliant colors. One option is a true-red hue that is like a magnet for hummingbirds who hone in when they see their favorite color. Butterflies don’t turn up their snout at these either. Just make sure you are watering your pentas well through summer and they’ll keep blazing along.
( I thought hard about those pentas. The star-shaped flowers almost won me over.)
While I’m a sucker for pentas, and almost always include them in my container gardens, there are a couple of other red-blooming, warm-weather loving plants that have me thinking fireworks around this time. Maricopa Red Fairy Duster and the Firecracker fern are both stunning bloomers.
The cherry-red “powderpuff” flowers on the Fairy Duster practically bloom nonstop spring through late fall and bring both butterflies and hummingbirds to visit through multiple seasons. This tropical shrub is a fast grower in warm weather.
(See what I mean by the “fiber optic” look?)
The Firecracker fern is really my favorite though. When in bloom, it truly looks like the trails of sparks that descend from the sky after a firework is ignited. Contradicting its name, the plant is not a fern. It’s foliage has that appearance though. Long, thin stems boast tons of bright-red flowers and grow with an arching form for a gorgeous cascading effect. The flowers on this tender perennial cover the plant from late spring into fall. Not only are the blooms the hummingbird’s favorite color, they also have the tubular shape that fits a hummingbird’s beak like a glove. It looks like the true winner has exploded it’s way into my heart. I’ve definitely picked my ‘red’.
 ( The thought of those tiny beaks examining the tubular flowers won me over. Plus, it has the word “firecracker in it’s name. How could I resist?)
The Whites:
In this trio of patriotic colors, white must not be overlooked. It is what gives a crisp, cool contrast to the bold colors of red and blue. Many people do overlook white when choosing flowers for their gardens. I can understand the allure that bright colors can bestow upon the eyes, but I’ve recently been smitten by the clean. fresh look that white flowers offer a garden. Brilliant displays of snow-white vinca planted in a mass can create a show-stopping display in front beds of gardens. Vinca will carry you through the summer and it’s heat, so keep these annuals at the top of your summer list.
(Brilliant, white, refreshing vinca makes a bold contrast against dark-green leaves.)
An ivory beauty with some dramatic flair is the Texas Star perennial hibiscus. Huge, beautiful, creamy-white flowers will bloom all summer long, and then unlike tropical varieties, this hibiscus returns each spring with even more stalks resulting in even more blooms. This plant offers tropical flair with the reliability of a perennial!
(The creamy, marshmallow-white of a Texas Star hibiscus won me over.)
Time to turn my attention to my favorite color of the patriotic trio…..blue.
The Blues:
Not only is blue my favorite color in general, but I feel that blue flowers bring a sense of coolness to landscapes even on hot summer days. I’ve been looking forward to scoping out these sky-hued plants the most. The blue flowers of certain varieties of Agapanthus (a.k.a. Lily of the Nile) can look practically electric! 3′ to 4′ blooms emerge from large clumps of dark-green leaves creating a spherical bloom that look a bit like, you guessed it, fireworks! This one would be perfect in a spot in your landscape that receives am sun/ pm shade or filtered light. You can usually find multiple hues of blue with agapanthus.
(The stunning Lily of the Nile.)
I think I talk about plumbago a lot, but it’s only because I love it so much. It truly is one of the showiest, easy-to care-for perennials out there. This shrub has a naturally cascading form. Long, arching stems are heavy with clusters of blue florets. Plumbago grows to about 3 feet tall, and can spread about 4′-5′. You see it in many landscapes both in sun or part sun, because it grows so easily in either. Again, the flower clusters are reminiscent of an explosion of bright-blue fireworks that just don’t want to stop. Plumbago will bloom early summer through fall, and returns each year. It really doesn’t have any insect or disease issues either. I think I’ve found my blue (and sometimes you can find it in white, too).
(Tons of flower clusters, and they just keep on coming. Way to go, Plumbago!)
Of course you can make your own “firework” display with any number of colors with the huge, colorful selection of plants we have at the nurseries, but I thought it would be fun to just focus on the colors that we proudly wear and display on this very special holiday. May you have a very happy and safe Fourth of July!
The Happy Gardener,
Lisa Mulroy
