PLANNING AN ORDER FOR SUMMER DESIGNS
As a container garden designer planning around my customers timelines can push out the planting season meaning creating when the weather is hotter, and more humid. I choose and design my high summer order with plants that are bred to be adaptable to climatic changes, disease resistance and with better water resilience. Later planting means I take a 2-season approach with containers that can carry through into fall, the colors and varieties in my order reflect this. Now is the time to plan and place it with my grower. I have a fantastic grower whose greenhouses will be full of the latest varieties of season extenders all suited to the hotter months. For my container designs Impatiens Sol Luna Ultra Violet and Angelonia Alonia Big Cherry will feature as the thriller and structure, happy in both sun and shade with large vibrant violet/pink flowers Sol Luna will deliver a ball of color when planted next to the Angelonias tall upright and vibrant cherry stems, a fantastic combination of color and impact, both varieties will flourish in the heat. 
I note with excitement that in 2025 the Helianthus Sol Seeker collection will be available, from yellow through to bronze, and with different habits, these stunning sunflowers grown from cuttings not seed are less water dependent than other sunflowers making them so much easier to maintain in containers, a factor that is becoming increasingly important when choosing plants. I will look forward to designing around them as my thrillers next season. I need to focus on this year’s design first with so many new varieties coming next year I can get distracted.
For fillers and spillers Verbena Vanessa Compact Bordeaux is perfect, upright and compact with tolerance to mildew and color cycling makes it an obvious choice over other verbenas, as does Petunia Amazonas Plum Cockatoo, it has everything my customers love, a unique green ruffled flower edge, transitioning through white to a purple throat adds so much color variation to a design without having to sacrifice flower power. It’s weather resistant blooms can cope well through summer storms.
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I want a second design to be lower in height and flowing with hotter colors of oranges, reds and yellows. I can still use the thriller, filler, spiller approach taking into consideration the habit of each plant to suit my needs. New this year is Bidens Blazing Star, with each flower creating a distinctive star pattern in yellow and orange it creates a focus for the eye, mounding and semi trailing its continuous flowering is perfect for the hotter months.
With this container I want to attract pollinators and hummingbirds, so I am including both Mimulus Mai Tai Red and Lantana Gem Compact Yellow Topaz, both are hummingbird magnets and beloved by butterflies and pollinators. Continuous bloomers and drought tolerant they are perfect for a ‘hot’ container.
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The final spiller and a plant that performs consistently in both containers and hanging baskets is Portulaca, the choice of color and habits is mind blowing, Pazzaz Nano Fuchsia Imp with large bright fuchsia flowers that stay open longer, will bring a real punch of color, and complement all the other hot brights that I am using. Again, drought tolerant which is very much the theme for this container with a tropical vibe, it will flow over the side but remain compact enough for the size of my design. I have spotted the Mega Pazzaz Papaya Twist which will be available next year, I’ve placed it on my wish list. It’s certainly one to use next season.
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Order complete and with 2 designs for the extended summer season that will look fabulous on any porch or around a pool, I’m really looking forward to creating with my choices through the summer months.
