Fun and Flirty Bicolors
Here are 43 new annuals and I want to give you a quick introduction to each of them. However, with 43 plants I am going to break them into three different groups based loosely on color. The first group features Cool Hues and Tonal Greens, the second group we are talking about today is Fun and Flirty Bicolors and in our next newsletter will be our third group—Bright, Bold and Hot Colors. Since a picture is worth a thousand words, I am going to include tons of pictures with ideas to inspire your own creativity.
Now for the necessary disclaimer, these plants are brand new, appearing for the first time ever at garden centers and they are likely to be a bit hard to find. It can take 3 years, or more, for a plant to really get a good foothold in garden centers and become easier to find. If you can’t locate them locally, we do offer most of them for sale on our website.
Combination planters have been popular with gardeners for years, at least partially because of the endless array of options and the play of colors you can get when combining plants. bicolor blossoms give you a head start on colorful containers since they are already showcasing more than one hue with each flower. When creating combination planters with bicolored blooms you need to be a little more aware of the potential for the different flowers to clash.
Some of my favorite plants to use in combinations are the “Supers” – Superbells® Calibrachoa, Supertunia® Petunia and our Superbena® Verbena and this year we are excited to say we have great new bicolored plants in all three of these series.
Superbells®
Let’s start at the beginning with Superbells®, which as a category are best used in containers unless you have excellent drainage in your landscape. These plants do not like consistently wet soils, so water management is important. But these varieties are worth the extra attention because of their wide range of colors, all summer blooming and ease of care. There’s a Superbells® for every mood and color palette you might be considering. The sunset lavender base of Superbells® Evening Star flowers are highlighted by dark purple that surrounds a bright yellow star. The plant is lovely all by itself and is also a wonderful combination component. |
One way to utilize the wonderful color of this flower is to combine solid flowers in each of those component colors. Afternoon Tea uses deep purple Supertunia® Royal Velvet and soft yellow Supertunia® Limoncello to call attention to the beautiful bicolor flowers! |
Planters in a range of hues in a single color palette is one of the easiest types of combination to design. The deep purple tones of Supertunia® Royal Velvet and the plummy-burgundy shade of Superbena® Royale Plum Wine create a dark background for the lighter amethyst lavender of Superbells® Evening Star to pop against. It’s the perfect way to show off the pattern. |
The most striking bicolor this year has got to be Superbells® Holy Moly!™, the dappled yellow and cherry flowers are as bright and cheery as can be and totally fun! Plant them alone or in combinations. |
 Swinging in the SunThis is a simple combination, and one of the best ways to balance the chaos of the color pattern in Superbells® Holy Moly!™. |
While simple might be the easiest route to combo success with Superbells® Holy Moly!™, don’t be fooled into thinking that a complex combination won’t work. This combination stays strong because all three plants have a base of red that unifies them. |
Here solid yellow flowers and black foliage also work when combined with the brightly colored Superbells® Holy Moly!™ flowers. These three very different looks should give you some direction for creating your own combinations for this fun and flirty flower. |
Ada
Supertunia®
Supertunia® Latte has a coffee and cream-colored flower with distinct veins adding the bicolor effect. |
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Enchanted Garden
Mocha Magic
Country MorningSupertunia® Charm
They are also fun to play with in combinations, although I haven’t seen the combination I really want to try—Supertunia® Violet Star Mini Vista™ combined with Supertunia® ‘Lavender Skies’. I think the soft lavender blooms would really showcase the pattern of Violet Star Charm. Here’s four ideas that we have tried!
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Bellatrix
Glacier Skies
Pink-A-Boo
Superbena®
 The last of our “Supers” are the Superbena® verbena. This year we are adding two new ones Superbena® Sparkling Amethyst and Superbena® Sparkling Ruby and both have flowers that appear to be splattered by paint in totally random patterns. They’re fun and different and truly lovely. |
Luscious®
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When it comes to super heat tolerant plants, I turn to our 
Bright LightsIt can sometimes seem as if there are millions of plants to choose from when planting a sunny spot and three options for shade – which might possibly be a slight exaggeration. While sun lovers undoubtedly outnumber shade lovers when it comes to annuals, that doesn’t mean you can’t have gorgeous, creative containers in the shade and we have three great new annuals that work for shade.
ColorBlaze®
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I had ColorBlaze® Apple Brandy™ to trial last summer and I fell in love! While photos often make it look bronze and chartreuse, I grew it in full sun and it was an almost brilliant red and chartreuse. It was so very eye-catching, with great branching and just the perfect coleus, from my point of view anyway. While my photos are all for sunny spots, it will do just as well in shade. |
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ColorBlaze® Velveteen™ is hot pink and deep burgundy and is super versatile for mixing in combinations. |
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Coleus are some of the most versatile plants you can get. Our 
Simple Luxury
Scarlet’s Dream
Baked Cinnamon Apples
Around the World
Caramel Truffles
Rockapulco®
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Rockapulco® Wisteria
Off the Beaten PathSee Cool Hues and Tonal Greens and Bright and Bold Hot Colors.
