Front Border

Red, white and blue (well, sort of)

Mom's Windowbox

Coleus, plectranthus, and mahonia

Entrance pots

Front entry area.

Plectranthus, torrenia, and purple heart jew

Connecting between beds

Red ladybug with plants

The red ties it together.

Note how the colors yellow and dark pink are repeated in the border. Even the urn contributes with its pinkish hues.

The petunias echo the color of the Purple Majestic millet that I great from seed. The lamb's ear connects with the giant dusty miller and the white blooms of the lantana.

There's a lot going on here, but you will notice how the pink blooms of the penta ties to the blooms of the begonia and the pinkish foliage of the Hawaiian snowbush (Breynia disticha). Also the dark foliage of the begonia ties to the pototo vine below it.

The combo includes coleus 'Swallowtail' (available at Singing Springs Nursery on line), Plectranthus 'Mona Lavender' and Mahonia bealei.

I have framed the entrance to my home with these pots of caladium and impatiens. You'll note how the pink and white connect together while still being slightly different in composition from pot to pot.

This curved bridge marks the beginning of the dry stream bed seen in other slides. The colors in the strap leaf caladium is echoed in the begonias and impatiens throughout the area to offer unity through repetition.

This planting was a total accident. The purple heart wandering jew (Setcreasea pallida) with the mauve blooming torrenia makes a perfect combo. The Plectranthus in the background offers a bold contrast.

If you will study the bed in the background you will see a dark leaved barberry and variegated impatiens. Note how these colors are repeated in the planting in the foreground.

Here I have connected the planting together by using the red of the caladium with the red on the wings of the lady bug. This grouping is on my driveway and illustrates how one can use a collection of containers to make a place where plants would never grow vibrant and alive with color. This technique also works well under trees with moisture hungry roots.

I love the way the red coleus connects to the red impatiens and also the red undertones of the Zingiber 'Midnight,' the dark leaved ginger in the middle.