Annuals

Black Velvet PetuniaI am totally excited about the new black petunia. (It’s actually a super dark purple, but looks black until you’re up very close). I know it seems kind of, well, dark for spring and summer, but the truth is it is actually quite versatile! We have planted it with a few different combinations of colors here in our Brighton store and it looks amazing!

Planter 1: Scotch Broom, Nemesia, Diascia, Vinca, ‘Black Scallop’ Ajuga and ‘Black Velvet’ Petunias

The first combination we did was with yellow scotch broom, which I like using in planters as the central vertical element. It has such a soft yet structured quality to it. Yellow and white nemesia and diascia create a balance between light and dark. I also added a light green vinca vine to spill over the container. I prefer it over potato vine for its smaller leaf scale and because it won’t dominate the planter. Lastly, I added some ‘black scallop’ ajuga which has beautiful, glossy dark purple foliage. I like to use perennials, herbs and shrubs often in my annual plantings for added foliage color and texture.

Planter 2: Mandevilla, ‘Blackie’ Potato Vine, Nemesia and ‘Black Velvet’ Petunias

Another planter we created here is an elegant terra cotta urn with a mandevilla as the focal point. It looks quite stunning with the ‘black velvet’ petunias and ‘blackie’ potato vine as an under planting. There is also some raspberry-colored nemesia which adds another shade of pink to the mix.

As long as you choose some colors on the opposite side of the color wheel to balance it, the black petunia has many possibilities and looks very pretty. What interesting and unique combination will you create?

Sara DiPalermo

Meet Sara DiPalermo, blog contributor and the greenhouse buyer and merchandiser at the Mahoney’s Brighton location. About Sara Sara grew up in Woburn and has 17 years experience in the garden center and floral industry around Boston. She is passionate about her job and loves...

The poinsettia, Euphorbia pulcherrima, has become synonymous with the Christmas holiday.  Since its introduction to the United States in the 1800’s by Joel Poinsett, the first U.S. Ambassador to Mexico, it has evolved from its humble beginnings as a rather rangy plant in basic scarlet red to the wide variety of compact, colorful choices available today at the garden center. 

Poinsettias do contain a milky sap which can be a skin irritant.  While the sap is irritating, it is not considered poisonous.  Many studies have been done concerning the effects of ingesting poinsettia leaves.  You can read about them here.  

It is fairly common knowledge that the colored petals are really modified leaves called bracts. The actual flower is in the very center of the colored bracts and it is a greenish yellow cup-shaped structure arranged in a cluster. Each is called a cyathia.  The cyathia contains both male and female flowers. The red stamens, which become visible as the plant matures, are the male flowers and the female flowers are hidden within the capsule.  Breeding and hybridization programs have resulted in a much-improved poinsettias in both shape and color.  It is now possible to pick out a plant in a full spectrum of red ranging from burgundy through orange and on to clear pink.  There are cultivars available in an impressionistic Monet marked white with hot pink, marbled pink and white, peach, and even blue.  Well, the blue is a result of watercolors applied to white but blue is available and it is up to you to decide if it belongs on your table or if it is a crime against nature.  I did ask the staff at Mahoney’s how the blue and purple poinsettias were received by shoppers and I was told that they were ‘flying off the tables’. I did notice a child begging her Mom to purchase a blue one.  We all love blue flowers since they are rare, but a blue poinsettia? I am in the ‘crime against nature’ camp.  Red is the most popular color sold, and over 70% of shoppers choose it.  But it is a high energy color and I find that I do get tired of it. Red poinsettias can also be a decorating challenge with some decors, but white poinsettias are available and white is always truly elegant. Mahoney’s poinsettia collectionMany poinsettias find their way to a Christmas party as a hostess gift.  If you do decide to pick up a few poinsettias this season, please don’t take them outside without a sleeve.  A sleeve stapled at the top will protect your plant against the cold. Never leave them in a cold vehicle. Poinsettias are quite cold-sensitive and will suffer after just a few minutes of freezing temperatures.  They prefer bright light and even watering (water when the soil surface is just dry to the touch), and warm temperatures - in the 65 F - 70 F degree range.  A bit lower at night is fine.  

It is possible to keep your poinsettia indefinitely.  They are actually a shrub in their native habitat.  Whether you will get them to bloom again is another story since they need 14 hours of continuous darkness for eight to ten weeks in order to produce colorful bracts.  You will have to decide if this plant is worth the extra trouble or, if it belongs in your compost heap.  

When I last showed off some of my favorite curbside gardens a commenter wrote to complain.  “Sure, those tall plantings are great if you don’t have to, um, PARK and get out of your car.”  True enough, so I promised to follow up with curbside gardens that WOULD work with parked cars.

And here ya go. First up, in a sunny spot along a busy street with parking, you see some liriope, another tough-looking short grass, some of the new petunia varieties that bloom like crazy without dead-heading, and the silver foliage of the Licorace plant (Helichrysum petiolare ‘Silver Mist’). All are super drought-tolerant except those petunias.

And for shade, how about good old hostas with liriope (for evergreen color) and strategically placed flagstones for human passage? Plants don’t get much lower-maintenance than these two workhorses.

I always try to get people to think outside the box by showing them different options to use in their container plantings. That means not just annuals, but groundcovers, perennials… even houseplants can be used to create unique and colorful combinations. The best part is that afterwards, some plants can either be planted in the ground or brought inside to enjoy through the winter, giving you much more bang for your buck.

So my colleague Maria and I created four summer arrangements at our Brighton store and gave them fun names, hoping to inspire you all to try something different. Here you go.

SoCal, for full sun

We were “California dreaming” when we planted the lantana in this box, where it grows into a large bush in the southern part of the state. This combo also includes verbena, licorice plant and petunias.

The Charms of Dublin, for part to full shade

What epitomizes Ireland better than shamrocks and ferns? (Besides leprechauns of course!) Both can be brought indoors and used as houseplants in the fall. Also included are lobelia, fuschia and rex begonias. Begonias also double as house plants.

Bombay Nights, for part sun, part shade

These colors reminded us of the hot nights and beautiful saris worn in India. If planted in the ground, the lysmachia will return in the spring. Also included are cordyline, setcreasea, and new guinea impatiens.

Aztec Gold, for full sun

These plants worship the sun, just as the Aztecs did thousands of years ago. We paired annuals and perennials to create this unique combination. Also used here are the perennials rumex and heucheral; and annuals cordyline, calibrachoa, euphorbia and verbena.