Hundreds of new plants are introduced each year that are meant to woo a gardener’s affections away from familiar favorites. But with 650 beds to plant, the Denver Department of Parks and Recreation can’t afford to pick just any flower.
“The beds represent a lot of care and expertise of the gardeners,” says Gary Douglas, City Park Greenhouse superintendent. “We try to grow as large a variety as possible and come up with new designs and colors every year.” More than 300,000 plants are grown in the greenhouse annually.
Gardeners can re-create the city’s stunning flower displays by planting these well-known but trustworthy performers:
Geraniums
Seed geraniums and cutting geraniums are perennial favorites in all colors, and hot pink shows up best, Douglas says. Ivy geraniums grow best in hanging containers, and some fancy geraniums, like Martha Washington, can’t take the heat and aren’t a good summer plant.
Petunias
“The new spreading petunias are incredible,” says Douglas, who prefers the Wave series because plants can spread 3 feet and grow over a foot tall. “We like them because they smother out the weeds.” The Tidal Wave Silver is the best, he says.
Cannas
These spiky blooms add a vertical dimension to flower beds. Douglas likes them for the varied leaf colors, from bronze to green to a Tropicana-striped leaf. Purple fountain grass is planted with cannas to add texture and fill in the gaps.
Dianthus
A bedding plant that can grow to 1½ feet tall, dianthus blooms all summer long. Supra Purple was the All-America Selections bedding-plant winner in 2006.
Zinnias
Old-fashioned zinnias are making a comeback in solid colors like pink, red and white. Perfect for the border are two new zinnias in the Profusion series, Fire and Apricot.
Although Denver Parks doesn’t plant many shaded flower beds, Douglas recommends these shade-tolerant flowers:
Impatiens
The Dazzler series performs well in partial shade with early morning or late afternoon sun. These produce masses of single flowers that bloom all season in deep pink, salmon and violet.
Coleus
The colorful foliage of coleus add texture to the shade garden. Two new varieties by Proven Winners feature bright and novel colors. Royal Glissade has burgundy-tinged green leaves, and Twist and Twirl is a multicolored plant with finely textured foliage.
Tuberous begonia
The best tuberous begonia for 2006 at CSU’s annual trial garden in Fort Collins was the Solenia Salmon Coral. Continuous bloom of salmon-colored flowers is one of its winning attributes.
Lamium (dead nettle)
Lamium is a groundcover that adds texture to the garden with its silvery foliage and small flowers. Pink Chablis has a dense growth habit and light pink flowers. Purple Dragon features snapdragon-like flowers over variegated foliage.
Vinca minor
Vinca is a groundcover and varieties include Green Carpet, with shiny, dense foliage; Periwinkle, with lavender-blue blooms; or Sunny Skies, with bright blue flowers.
To duplicate the professional look of the city’ flower beds, plant borders of dusty miller, alyssum, shorter marigolds and petunias for a finished look.
Photos of best performers courtesy of All-America Selections
