April Gardening with Red, White and Blue

April 4, 2025

Spring has arrived! Local garden centers are unloading trucks filled with outrageously colorful plant material every day. My trips to each of these nurseries is too numerous to count while staying within a carefully drawn plan is an idea that has “fallen apart”. However, as boundaries are being pushed, the original plan of creating a monthly patriotic infusion of red, white and blue is “falling into place”.

A small bed in our backyard was the starting point for my in-ground approach to the theme. As that colorful little spot transitioned from cool, spring days and chilly nighttime temperatures to a blast of extreme highs in the lower 90’s, a few tweaks were needed. The blue bonnets were spectacular until their bloom time ended. Ranuculus pouted when hit with the heat wave. Mystic Spires blue salvia along with Autumn Red salvia powered through it all and are preforming beautifully. So, out with the ranunculus and in with a few red Pentas.

Next on the master plan was to create a gentle wave of red, white and blue flowers in what we loving to refer to as our “cross bed”. It was an anniversary gift over 15 years ago and is still the focal point for that bed. As the existing “Autumn Sunburst” azaleas were completing their bloom cycle, colorful new selections that would take us well into fall were next on the agenda.

As you can see from the photos, once again, the taller Mystic Spires blue salvia provides a strong curving line to define the area. Spunky little ‘Compact Red’ Sunpatiens are serving as “fillers” while Magadi Compact Dark Blue Lobelia creates a colorful border, (the abundant flowers invite butterflies). A new white Drift Rose was planted at the base of the cross with Easter lilies and Foxglove surrounding it temporarily. Hopefully, most of the newly planted flowers will gift us with three seasons of bold color, or more!

We are grateful for the neighborhood garden centers that have graciously offered to partner with us in creating spectacular, patriotic pots. First on the list is the Nicholson Hardie garden center on west Lover’s Lane. Their manager, Samantha, used her botanical talents to create something special.

She chose to fill a 15” x 15” white acrylic pot with the following: Blue Ageratum (butterflies love it), White Dianthus (great for filler and loaded with blooms for full sun), Red Profusion Zinnias (heat loving plant), Blue Lobelia (a filler that loves the sun) and Red Calibrachoa as a spiller. And for a touch of “sparkle”, she filled the center with White Diamond Frost Euphorbia, which will bloom all summer.

This stunning power-packed patriotic pot will be for sale at the Raincatcher’s Garden Plant Sale on Saturday, May 2^nd. Sale starts at 10:00am. Thank you to Nicholson Hardie for making this such an enjoyable experience!

May you find joy this season as we move into another month of great gardening adventures!

Instead of sharing a monthly “red, white and blue” recipe with our readers, our culinary experience this time comes straight from my garden. It is a creation of fresh edible gifts that were ready to be harvested on the same day. This lovely salad is compliments of the following: vibrant green romaine lettuce as the base for cradling ruby red strawberries, blue borage blossoms and a sprinkling of white caraway blossoms. Just a light splash of honey balsamic vinegar provided a simple and refreshing uniting of flavors. Bon Appetit!