Colour Trends 2009

[gardn'gurl]

What colours shall I choose this year for our deck containers? Will they be bright and vibrant , or safe and cool? Gold, crimson, orange, yellow & fushia with a splash of lime green are all of the rage this season. When the economy is down, the colours get brighter!
I've discovered these rich and playful hues are "on trend " this year for everything fashion, be it clothes, interiors, or outside spaces, but they frighten me!
Typically, I lean towards cooler shades, purples/whites & sharp greens with a touch of pink, and shy away from the hot tones. But this year I think I'll jump off of the deep end and right onto the colour trend band wagon to try them on for a change.(who am I kidding, I hate yellow, orange & crimson combos...... I'm scared!) After all, they're only flowers, and I can change them again next year right?

What will you be planting? Will you be safe and plant your fav's ,or try out this new HOT trend in colour?

[Laura]

I was planning on planters of fushia impatients and orange marigolds with some ivy.

BUT . . . since I have hacked up my Patriot Salmon gerainium and have fourteen cuttings now I think I will have mulitple pots of these with ivy and maybe somthing white as accent.

Never being one too follow what the "trends" are I just plant what I like. . . this year since I have pink gerainiums that's what I am having . . .

[gardn'gurl]

love your idea of fushia impatients with marigolds and ivy, thanks for the idea!
I also love the pink geraniums that you'll plant, they are in my safe zone and they are gorgeous combined with white and varigated greens. Hope your cuttings do well!

[Laura]

If you make the planters please post a picture if you can.I hope they work out.

Varigated ivy would be nice ,but the one I have is plain green . . I might get some varigated IF the price is right......

[haili]

I like bright blue lobelia with salmon pink geraniums and maybe something lime green hanging down. I have red geraniums and want to get dark blue wave petunias to use with some variegated lamium that hangs down which I already have and the little yellow violas for accent. This year, I will try to use more of what I already have and buy less of the expensive European annuals. Of course I say that every year.

[gardn'gurl]

Planning my containers each year is like selecting what to put in our christmas stockings, whatever I choose is always delightful with a bit of surprise! I went to our garden center today and looked at the bright orange, red and yellow dahlias....should I.....could I? There were some interesting duo coloured red/yellow ones that the women in front of me at the checkout said sold out last year, very unique but I'm still debating. Does anyone know if dahlias grow well in containers?
I left with a lovely basket of violet and pale yellow pansies that I placed in our front urn. They look so fresh and established, already cascading over the sides...ahhhhh, spring is here.

[Laura]

This year, I will try to use more of what I already have and buy less of the expensive European annuals. Of course I say that every year.

That is what I am doing,I am trying to use up seeds that I have too...some annuals and also some veggie seeds . . . I really wanted some nice big orange marigolds though.I looked for seeds but all the large ones available are mixed yellow and orange or just yellow and that is not my color.

[B_BQ]

Last year I used mainly pink and purple, with touches of white and yellow. I was happy with it.
This year I'm going back to red/white/blue for most of my containers.
My window planters this year will be scarlet geraniums, with lots of dark blue lobelia and touches of white, with a bit of perennial creeping jenny/lime green leaves with yellow flowers, hanging over the front.
~BBQ

[flowernut]

I've grown dahlias in containers for years...they grow magnificently!

[gardn'gurl]

Thanks for the info about dahlias - I know that there are so many different ones available, are there any particular types that fair better than others in containers?

I'm afraid that I'll have to forgo my thoughts of what to plant in our main containers as we had to host a post funeral reception here on Friday and just couldn't bear to have empty pots. My husband went out and purchased 3 gorgeous hanging baskets that I sunk into the containers, pot and all, after snipping off the hangers. They look lovely and established, red, yellow,purple with a bit of white and greenery. I feel like I cheated this year! I wonder how they will look by August. I plan on leaving them in the pots they came in and then just dig them out if they start to look tired.
Has anyone tried doing this before?