Design with Solar Power

The Total Eclipse is today

Today’s Total Eclipse got us to thinking about autumn designs for sun. We’re coming up on that transition phase of late summer to fall, and we have a lot of color choices to get the creative wheels turning. Of course, we’ll have a full sun bed to show you here at Field Day, but you’ll have to wait and see on that one. 

Fall fun in the sun

Here are some ideas for sun, based on what we have on hand this week:

Bidens ‘Bee Alive’

HEIGHT/VERTICAL INTEREST

• Angelonia ‘AngelFace Blue’
• Millet
• Pennisetum grasses
• Sunfinity sunflowers

FILLERS

• Bidens ‘Bee Alive’
• Calibrachoa ‘Superbells Dreamsicle’
• Petunia ‘Famous Purple’
• Rudbeckia ‘Toto Rustic’
• Snapshot snapdragons
• Profusion zinnia

Creeping jenny

FOLIAGE

• Lysimachia ‘Goldilocks’ (creeping jenny)
• Muehlenbeckia (creeping wirevine)
• Variegated vinca vine

Ornamental cabbages for texture

TEXTURE

• Celosia: ‘Intenz’; ‘Twisted Orange’; ‘First Flame Yellow’

ORNAMENTALS

• Osaka cabbage
• Nagoya kale
• ‘Masquerade’ pepper
• Zea ‘Field of Dreams’ (ornamental corn)

‘SolarPower Lime’ ipomoea

Now, last year for Field Day we planted up some actual SolarPower ipomoea to see how it got along with other plants, and how it held up to the hot summer temps. We were happy with it on both counts, so you can add it to the list above under FOLIAGE—we’re growing it in Lime and Black in the 4.5-inch pot. Please visit the Availability section of our web site for the complete selection.

If you have questions about using any of the plants I’ve mentioned, jot them down for Field Day on Wednesday. See you then!