While putting together a container garden this past summer, I tested out a new color combination that I liked a lot. It was a mixture of trailing petunias in white and pink, mixed with tricolor sage and dusty miller. As the plants grew, the colors were a nice, subtle blend of pale colors.
Here are the plants that composed this container garden foundation.
Dusty Miller (Senecio cineraria)
This is an annual, though I’ve had some overwinter underneath trees. It prefers full sun, but will grow in part shade. It grows to be about a foot to a foot and a half in my experience, but much shorter and more compact in full sun. It is drought tolerant and deer resistant. It’s pretty much a plant it and forget it type of plant.
Pink and White Trailing Petunias
Another annual, petunias provide a show of color in summer and early fall. They prefer full sun and will produce the most flowers in that light condition. They are heat tolerant and don’t require frequent watering. Again, these are pretty easy to grow which makes them a great container plant.
Tricolor Sage (Salvia officinalis ‘Tricolor’)
The leaves of this plant start out a pale pink/purple and then transform to a variegated white and green. The colors of the leaves are more vivid when grown in full sun. This sage has a lovely aroma and the leaves can be used in cooking. It requires weekly watering (more in the high heat of summer).
Although for this particular container, the tall plant that was the show of the center of the container was pineapple sage, the red wasn’t a good combination with the silvers, whites, and pink of the other plants. I think that a beautiful white hydrangea would be a great centerpiece to this container garden.