Hi GPODers!
Today a contributor has answered our call for summer color with a collection of blooms in just about every shade imaginable. Hugh Locke in New York has shared some seriously colorful photos in his previous submissions (Hugh’s Celebration of Annuals From Seed, Some Plants Worth Growing, Close-ups in Hugh’s Garden, etc.), many of which are his stunning ‘flower portraits’ that he also shares regularly on his Instagram (@hugh.locke). In this submission he’s diving deep into an absolutely impressive border he created last summer:
I created a vibrant 80-foot-long flower border in Westchester with an array of annuals and perennials, the majority of which I grow from seed. The photos here are from last summer.
My approach is based on the classic English flower border that mixes colors and textures with a gradation of height from front to back. It is also deep enough to accommodate a wide variety of flowers that are positioned to ensure a continuous show all season long.
One of the highlights of last summer was this orange and yellow snapdragon (Antirrhinum majus ‘Potomac Orange’, annual) that was grown from seed and rebloomed on cue.
Part of the fun is putting different flowers together to see what happens. Here the experiment worked out with a purple blue dwarf ‘Aloha Blue’ ageratum (Ageratum houstonianum ‘Aloha Blue’) (Ageratum houstonianum ‘Aloha Blue’, annual) that bloomed continuously until frost. The zinnias were similarly in full bloom until frost, from left to right: ‘Profusion Double Hot Cherry’, ‘Profusion Double Deep Salmon’, ‘Zahara Starlight Rose’, and Profusion Apricot’.
The focal point of a different section of the border is ‘Musifolia’ canna (Canna ‘Musifolia’, Zones 7–10). This is the world’s tallest known variety, which topped out last summer at 8 feet tall. While it has modest red blooms late in the season, the leaves are its best feature.
White flowers can sometimes get lost, but these two stand out against a hedge and some canna: Culver’s root (Veronicastrum virginicum, Zones 3–8) on the left and woodland tobacco (Nicotiana sylvestris, Zones 10–11 or as an annual) with its fireworks of trumpet flowers on the right.
Hugh has been experimenting with coleus, with this variety a clear winner ‘Colocha Rose’ coleus (Plectranthus scutellarioides ‘Colocha Rose’, Zones 10–11 or as an annual) when grown next to ‘Profusion Apricot’ zinnias.
This image shows off the range of colors and textures to maximum effect. Pink cosmos (Cosmos bipinnatus ‘Rosetta’, annual) and blue salvia (Salvia farinacea ‘Victoria Blue’, Zones 8–10 or as an annual) are in front of striking yellow goldenrod (Solidago), next to which is lacy white yarrow (Achillea millefolium, Zones 3–9)… all grown from seed, with the perennials now a few years old.
‘Casa Blanca’ Oriental lilies (Lilium ‘Casa Blanca’, Zones 5–8) steal the show, with a backdrop of violet cleome (Cleome hassleriana ‘Violet Queen’, annual). To the right are perennial Shasta daisies (Leucanthemum ‘Madonna’, Zones 3–9) grown from seed last spring and happily flowering their first year out.
Yet another section of the border is dominated by this giant castor bean (Ricinus communis ‘Zanzibariensis’, Zones 9–11 or as an annual). An annual grown from seed, this tropical beauty eventually reached 14 feet by the end of the season. At that point the stem was the diameter of a small tree trunk and digging up the deep root system was a major undertaking.
This celosia (Celosia plumosa ‘Yachiyo Hiryu’, annual) was a new addition last year and is now on the permanent list of annuals.
Each year I starts seeds indoors under lights, beginning in February. While most are annuals, each year there are a few perennials (some of which admittedly take two years to put on a show of flowers). Last spring the result was close just over 350 plants in 4 inch pots ready for transplanting.
Here are just a few examples of the closeup flower portraits from my garden you can see on my Instagram.
Thank you so much for another memorable submission, Hugh! As many of us look out into gray, white, and brown landscapes of winter, your plant portraits and colorful garden combinations are a much-needed reminder of the warmth and color that awaits us later in the year.
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