Angle Face white angelonia , red geraniums, Easy Wave Red and White petunias and Night Sky blue petunias celebrate the Fourth of July in a south side Indianapolis garden. © Photo courtesy Carol Michel
There’s nothing that conveys a little Fourth of July spirit than red, white and blue. Fortunately, a summer pot or two of summer annuals can honor this holiday tradition.
Summer annuals provide the perfect hues for Independence Day decoration in the garden, on a deck, porch, balcony or tabletop. The reds, whites and blues can be mixed in one container or used as single colors in pots to create a holiday vignette.
You may think it’s too late to find red, white and blue plants, but you’d be wrong. Garden centers would be thrilled to sell summer annuals this time of year. Look for healthy plants that have been well groomed.Plants should not look scraggily.
If the pot can be seen from all sides, use a tall plant in the middle. If it can be seen only from three sides, put the height toward the back.
Even though you plant the pot now, it should do fine through the rest of the season. Change out the pot with fall annuals, mums, grasses and other cool-season flowers. Summer annuals to consider for a holiday planter:
- Victoria blue or white salvia ( farinacea). Good for center of container or in the back.
- Angle Face white or blue angelonia, Serena blue or white angelonia. Taller ones add height and shorter ones can be fillers.
- Summer Wave Blue torenia. A wonderful trailing plant for shade. Also comes in other colors.
- Probably the easiest to find, plant and grow are petunias and they come in all the right colors for the holiday. A naturally trailing plant and filler. Supertunia Royal Velvet, Red or White petunias are good selections.
- Red or white verbena or calibrachoa. These are good trailing plants and fillers. Red or white geraniums or impatiens add bulk and filler.
- White lantana. Can be used as a trailer or at the center of a container.