A spike with petunias and sweet potato vine. Photo courtesy Proven Winners
We’re in prime container planting season and I’m on a one-person campaign to change the gardener’s mind about spikes. Spikes are the go-to centerpiece in many annual container plantings. Sometimes called dracaena (Dracaena indivisa), spikes are green with stiff blades that add height to pots. Spikes are perfectly serviceable, but boring and ordinary.
There are so many other plants that satisfy the center piece-height requirements. Consider using a premium annual for the centerpiece and height. These usually come as a single plant in a 4-inch pot. How to use these plants depends on whether you view the pot from one direction or from all sides. When viewed from all sides, use the plant as the centerpiece. If viewed from one direction, use it as a backdrop. Here’s a sampler of alternatives:
Angleface Blue angelonias add height to a container planted with Dreamsicle calibrachoa, Bordeaux petunia and Lime Time coleus. Photo courtesy ProvenWinners.com
Angelonia is probably the best annuals to be introduced in the last decade. It has 15-18 inch tall spikes of blue, pink, bicolor or white flowers. Sometimes called a summer snapdragon, angelonia looks more like an orchid than a snap. These plants have a slight scent of grapes and can be cut for indoor arrangements. It does best in full sun, but tolerates light shade. Angleface Blue and Serena Purple are my favorites.
Henna coleus,
Big Bounce New Guinea White Impatiens and
Estella trifolium.
Photo courtesy Ball Horticulture.
Granted coleus (Plectranthus scutellarioides) is not grown for its bloom as much as its fabulous foliage, form and texture. Breeders have been improving this traditional shade-loving annual to one that thrives there and in full sun. Many of the newer varieties will get 30 inches tall or more, making them perfect for the height requirement of containers. Favorites for this job are Royal Glissade and Henna, each in the 24-30 inch tall range and recommended for sun or shade. These plants bloom tall spikes of blue flowers in mid to late summer.
Lantana takes as much heat and sun as you want to give it. Drought tolerant, this tender perennial is grown as an annual in our climate. The ball-like flowers usually are bicolored, such as yellow and white, pink and yellow or red and orange, but they also can be solid colors. Most lantanas are in the 24-inch tall range and about 1 foot wide. Lantana has an open growth habit, so companion plants are not overwhelmed.
Lucious Grape lantana with Royal Velvet petunia and Diamond Frost euphorbia. Photo courtesy Proven Winners