Public gardens are among the best places to discover fresh ideas and inspiration. Their horticulturists continually experiment with new combinations, displays, and educational experiences that help visitors see plants in exciting ways.
One of my favorite examples is the storied Longwood Gardens in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania. Its two grand conservatories feature breathtaking displays that change four to five times a year, while the surrounding grounds burst with color from spring through fall. I was there in July and plan to return for Christmas.
Fired Up For Dipladenias
As we approached the main conservatory, the entrance was surrounded by very large urns featuring banana plants (musa) and slender dark-leaved trees. The understory surrounding each was packed with brightly colored, heat-loving annuals – vinca, angelonia, lantana and our brand-new Sun Parasol FiredUp Coral dipladenias!
FiredUp varieties grow upright and don’t require the staking or support that classic mandevilla need. They make a fabulous taller bedding plant and are loaded with bright coral pinwheel shaped blooms with golden yellow throats. Plant them as a thriller in containers or as a knee-high bedding plant in full sun.
Longwood’s color choices were interesting, too. Bright green banana plants were flanked by a sunny triad – yellow lantana, pink Angelonia and our FiredUp Coral.
But the tree planter scheme was more analogous with similar colors – rich red vinca below our bright coral dipladenias under the burgundy chocolate tree leaves. What’s nice about coral is it’s in between red, orange and pink. It goes with everything.
A Formal Classic
Longwood also plants classic vining mandevillas and trains them to obelisks. You can’t get more formal than Sun Parasol Giant White paired with a skirt of white scaevola. Mixing white varieties creates instant elegance. Enjoy the ease of care all summer in full sun.
The best part about scaevolas is no deadheading. Plants are loaded with fan-shaped flowers, which also attract bees. You wouldn’t think scaevolas would be fragrant or provide nectar, since the flowers are flatter, but they do.
Superb for Shade
Our go-to summer plant for partial shade conditions is Summer Wave torenia. Longwood planted it as a spiller with more tropicals in shades of chartreuse and magenta.
Summer Wave Trailing varieties come in shades of purple and blue. While Large Amethyst is a warmer purple, Large Violet is cooler. Summer Wave Large Blue is the top seller in the series. They have been part of the Proven Winners brand for more than 20 years in addition to being widely available under the Suntory Flowers brand.
Double Bubble Basket
One thing that sets Longwood apart from other conservatories is very large hanging baskets that create spheres of color. Behind the scenes, we were pleased to see them create one with our Soiree Double Pink vincas. Maybe it would look better mixed with another plant to create a more solid ball of color and texture. The only way to find out is to grow it!
Although the garden feels like it’s winding down, there is an opportunity to begin something new: next season’s flowers. For an interesting article on the topic, click here .
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