I have to give a big shout out to the parks department of Delta today. All summer I have watched the containers and hanging baskets grow and bloom in the downtown core of Ladner. This year has been the best year ever!
Down Delta Street, we have large containers filled with tropical looking foliage. Our hot summer has really helped these plants provide us an excellent show of colour. You see it's not just about flowers. Foliage can really make things pop. The container above is certainly not my best photo with the glaring sun doing it no favours. I just had to show the Canna and their flowers. The use of Ipomoea, Coleus and Artemisia really makes this container. When planting a container you want to follow the thriller, filler and spiller method. Here the Canna is the thriller taking the show as the center focal point. The Coleus is the filler and the sweet potato vine or Ipomoea and Artemisia are the spillers.
Lantana adds vibrant colour to this container and the deep red veining in the Coleus marries the dark foliage of the Canna above.
All the plantings along Delta street are a bit different. Take time to check them out before fall arrives. I love the mix of foliage in this container. The use of dark-leaved fibrous begonias adds to the contrast with the leaves of sweet potato vine.
The leaves of the begonias blend with the veining of the Coleus and the stems of the center plant. It's all about the details which we sometimes overlook in our own plantings.
When planning a container try to use a mix of foliage textures like this one. The large heart-shaped leaves of Colacasia are a dramatic contrast to the ones of Coleus nearby. All of these plants can be found at local garden centers. Some of them are considered pretty tender and will not survive our winters without bringing them inside a warm greenhouse or overwintering the tender roots in a cool garage. They are definitely worth growing just for the drama they add to the garden.
