Spring 2015
Rio Grande™ Portulaca
For hanging baskets that last through the hot days of high summer, go with the big, bold blooms of the Rio Grande™ series. These vivid, tropical-looking flowers reach up to 2 inches across, covering the plants with a mass of color. As you can see, the contrasting bright yellow centers make them all the more eye-catching.
Summer Peppers Are Shipping
Our ornamental peppers have colored up nicely and are shipping now. For a quick splash of bright orange, red, or purple, consider adding peppers to combinations and window boxes. They are also effective in the center of low autumn landscape designs, or dressing up the front of taller material. You will find that we have a unique assortment—every one is an eye-catcher:
‘Chilly Chili’ (4.5, 6, and 8-inch pot): Long, slender greenish-yellow fruit changes to orange, then dark red; these peppers are not hot.
Coleus ‘Dipt in Wine’
If you design with coleus, we have another unique variety for you—‘Dipt in Wine’. Take a look at the rich burgundy-colored leaves—how do you like the lime green scalloped edging? We think it’s a striking color combination—and the pattern is pretty cool, too.
‘Dipt in Wine’ performs well in full sun to full shade, though in full sun the lime green portions of the leaves can sometimes appear bright gold. Like most coleus it retains its vivid color throughout the season. As a bonus, this summer-friendly variety loves the heat.
Summer Repair and Replace
We’re looking forward to the All-Star game on Tuesday—have you gotten your commercial accounts spruced up yet? Get a move on—there will be lots of visiting baseball fans to impress during the week. This is the time of year when landscape beds and planters need freshening, holes need to be patched, and some hanging baskets need to get swapped out for more heat-friendly choices.
At Diefenbacher we grow fresh material at the beginning of summer specifically for July and August—leftovers will not do. We pride ourselves on being your resource for new summer plants that look great right on through to the end of the season. Our high-summer crops are ready to go—play ball!
Here are some heavy hitters from our own all-star line-up:
Elephant Ears for Summer
We like tropicals for summer—they quickly turn an ordinary landscape into an island paradise. Our last newsletter featured Ensete ‘Maurelii’, an African ornamental banana with striking red leaves. This week we have two alocasia selections that are equally impressive in the landscape.
