Flowers of Every Hue

(Page 3 of 3)

March/April 2008
Mike Lang 
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Fibrous begonias also do a super job in annual plantings because of their glossy foliage; the blooms are a bonus. ‘Vodka’ has red foliage and small pink flowers on a 10-inch-tall plant. It looks great when combined with a green foliage begonia such as ‘Olympia White,’ which also has white flowers. These two begonias will grow in sun or shade; in a sunny situation, make sure they are watered regularly.

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Commonly known by its genus name Celosia, both plume- and cockscomb-flowered varieties are generally valued for their blossoms, but I also like the foliage. ‘New Look’ Celosia is a recently introduced plume type celosia, but the reason it’s in my garden is the foliage. ‘New Look’ has red-burgundy foliage that looks magnificent all season long. It is a small plant that grows to 12 inches tall with a similar width, and presents little threat of pest problems or disease exposure to other plants in your landscape. And here is one other nice tidbit about this plant. There is no need to deadhead the spent plumes as you do with other plume-type celosia; they tend to disappear amongst the growing foliage.

Even if you don’t have a green thumb, simply purchase a few containers, some quality potting soil and a few of these annual plants, and enjoy some easy landscaping in your favorite part of the yard.


A lifelong Kansan, Mike Lang is landscape manager for a 1,000-acre university campus by day and caretaker of his own quarter-acre piece of the world the rest of the time.

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