Spring has been playing with us, coming and going at random. Gardens seem to be taking it in stride and coming alive daily. Nurseries and garden centers are getting new plants daily, and the choices can be overwhelming. The Arkansas Diamonds program can help you make some great all-seasons color choices.
The Arkansas Diamonds program is in its eighth year of promoting annual plants that grow well throughout our state and that are available from Arkansas growers.
The marketing program is a collaboration of Arkansas Green Industry Association in partnership with the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture Cooperative Extension Service, local growers and independent garden centers. A committee meets annually to discuss what plants are working and what plants aren't before choosing options that should grow well statewide.
In addition to adding some new summer annual plants this year, the committee also added some ideas for your fall planting of winter annuals.
New for summer 2022 are the caladium Postman Joiner; and the ColorBlast series of portulaca.
Coral Reef Mix is one of the vibrant offerings in the ColorBlast series of portulaca. The Arkansas Diamonds marketing program has added the ColorBlast series of portulaca to its summer 2022 recommendations. (Photo courtesy of PAC Elsner/Westhoff — www.pac-elsner.com/www.westflowers.de)
PORTULACA SERIES
The portulaca series includes many vivid options, some with single blooms and some with double blooms, in a wide array of colors. The committee chose the whole series rather than a specific variety, because it gives gardeners more options to find a color palette that could work with any landscape.
Portulaca is known for being drought tolerant, and the ColorBlast series brings new meaning to drought tolerance. In addition to solid colors, the series offers some interesting stripes and mixed color options.
While portulaca does bloom best in full sun, in plant trials the ColorBlast series continued to bloom even in partial sun.
Portulaca flowers close at night and open in the morning when the light hits them. The plants will stay fairly low at no more than 10 inches tall by 20 inches wide. They make a great border or edging plant, can be used in hanging baskets, and they are effective as a creeper in containers.
THE CALADIUM
Caladiums add color to a shade garden, but some will do equally well as foliage color in the sun. Postman Joiner is a sun-tolerant caladium. It will also do well in a shadier location.
The large, velvety leaves are bright red bordered in green.
STILL DESIRABLE
While there are only two new options for summer 2022, there is still the host of earlier Arkansas Diamond plants, including 2021's Cuphea Honeybells, lemongrass and the Flame Thrower series of Coleus.
Other great options for full sun include two lantana varieties — Bandana White and Lantana Trailing New Gold, both nonstop bloomers in hot, sunny places. In a mild winter, they can return in Central and southern Arkansas.
Sunpatiens Compact Royal Magenta are large-flowering impatiens that can stand up to full sun or partial sun.
Pachystachys lutea or golden shrimp plant has showy yellow and white flowers.
Dragon's Breath Celosia, Big or Whopper begonia, Vista Bubblegum pink petunia, Vermillionaire cuphea, Graffiti Red Pentas, Cora Cascade Polka Dot vinca, Angelonia Serena Purple, and Scaevola Bombay Blue and Blue Brilliance are all outstanding summer-flowering annuals for gardens throughout Arkansas.
COLORFUL FOLIAGE
Foliage plants for full sun include one of the more compact ornamental sweet potato vines, Solar Power Black Heart Ipomoea. And Dichondra Silver Falls is a great silver-foliaged groundcover or hanging basket plant.
Coleus continue to rank as popular foliage plants, with varieties for sun and shade. Along with the Flame Thrower series, several other coleus plants made the list in past years. They include Lava Rose, Redhead coleus and Wasabi coleus.
FOR SHADE
For shade, try Persian Shield, an outstanding foliage plant for the summer garden. The leaves are a combination of green, iridescent purple and silver.
Other shade options are the Lava Rose coleus, Bouquet Deep Blue Torenia, White Christmas caladium and Velvet Elvis plectranthus.
PARTLY SUNNY
For morning sun/afternoon shade (partial sun) Pachystachys lutea or golden shrimp plant, Sunpatiens Compact Royal Magenta, Coleus Lava Rose, Dichondra Silver Falls, Wasabi coleus, Bouquet Deep Blue Torenia, Big or Whopper begonia, Red Dragonwing Begonia, White Christmas caladium and Velvet Elvis plectranthus.
COMING IN THE FALL
When you think about fall and winter annuals in September, look for the 2022 recommendations of Dusty Miller Silverdust and the Osaka series of kale.
Other past performers include the Cool Wave series of Pansies, along with the Pansy-Rose Pink Nature Series. Foliage cool-season color plants include Glamour Red Kale and Bright Lights Swiss Chard.
Arkansas Diamonds are Arkansas tough. To find a list of local retailers who are participating in the program visit the website at argia.org/?page=ARDiamondsPartners.
Look for the Arkansas Diamonds logo when shopping and feel confident that you are supporting local businesses and buying plants that will be successful in your garden. While you will find these same plants sold without the Arkansas Diamonds logo, that simply means that they were not grown by a local grower or the nursery is not a member of the Arkansas Green Industry Association. To find out more about the program you can visit the website at: argia.site-ym.com/?ARDiamonds.
Janet Carson's blog is at arkansasonline.com/planitjanet.