Avoiding the Technicolor Yawn

Red Hibiscus Flower

One of my horticulturally oriented friends used to say “those annual beds look like Mickey Mouse threw up”. You know the ones; the aptly named “Cocktail Mix” Begonias backed up by Multi colored Caladiums. A kaleidoscope of red, pink, white and green so variegated you can’t focus and then start feeling queasy.

I realized the bed I was trying to use my entire assorted collection of plants waiting to be planted (that I bought because they were interesting or a great bargain or I had never seen one before or..) in was headed in that direction and decided to settle the colors down before I planted something ghastly. Colors were edited to this:

: Clerodendrum

: Pink Penta

: American Agave

: Purple Oxalis

Then I added two green textures:

Sedum

Pringles Dwarf Podocarpus

There is an ancient Red Hibiscus at the end of the bed (the top photo) it doesn’t bloom often, so I am hopeful no one ends up nauseated. My problem is I still have 10 or 15 assorted plants around and I just bought two more.

3 comments on “Avoiding the Technicolor Yawn”

Chloris says:

May 6, 2015 at 9:21 pm

No one will feel nauseated by your lovely choice of plants. I do love that phrase the ‘annual beds look like Mickey Mouse threw up’ though, it is so evocative. Of course you have plants waiting to be planted, we all do. I call them ‘my maids in waiting’. They are impulse buys that you bring home and then haven’ t the faintest idea where to plant them and how to fit them in. Eventually they find a home but by then there are more waiting.

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