May 18, 2010Angela England
Creating dramatic container combinations means using a variety of plants – some that are calming to the eye, and some that are dramatic accent plantings to catch and excite the eye. These annuals provide “pop” to an otherwise routine garden landscape.
‘Black Magic’ Taro (Colocasia) for Dark Foliage Beauty
Often called an Elephant Ear, this Taro plant has large, broad foliage and grows 3-6 feet tall in a container. The leaves are a dark purple, almost a true black in appearance, and stand out against lighter green plants in the garden.
Gardeners should provide the Black Magic Elephant Ear with plenty of moisture in full sun to part shade. While sun seems to deepen the color more, full sun in very dry or hot areas will burn the leaves so gardeners in those climates will want to provide this colocasia with afternoon shade.
The taro plant gives a tropical flare to any garden space. Other varieties of elephant ear with dramatic foliage include Black Ruffles, Black Runner, Diamond Head, Midnight and a bi-colored cultivar named Illustris.
Sunset Hyssop for Bright, Heat-Tolerant Container Color
Agastache plants are perennials that bloom from seed in the first year and will tolerate cold winters through zone 5. Sometimes called hummingbird mint, the agastache blooms are magnets for attracting butterflies to the garden. Since the gray, fragrant foliage and bright, tubular flowers continue looking great even in drought, hyssop is an excellent choice for drought-tolerant container combinations in full sun. The Sunset hyssop has bright orange-red flowers that look like flames in the garden landscape, catching the eye.
Other agastache plants that gardeners may choose to feature in the garden include the Acapulco series which only grow to two feet tall but are available in a variety of colors including orange, red, rose, salmon and others. ‘Apricot Sunrise’ is a light salmon colored blooming hummingbird mint, while ‘Heather Queen’ is a rosier mauve toned flower. ‘Pink Panther’ is a bright, neon pink agastache, and is a gardener wants a lighter color ‘Summer Glow’ is a pale, golden yellow color.
The Keys to Accent Plants in the Container Garden Landscape
These are only two options to create an eye-catching container planting. When gardeners are looking for an accent piece to catch the eye and stand-out in the landscape, they should look for a plant large enough, like the elephant ear, or with bright colored foliage or flowers, like the agastache. Look around a discount nursery or garden center to find reasonably priced plants that fit the bill, tolerate life in a container, and will serve as accent pieces in the garden!
All photos used by permission.
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