A customer comes into the nursery and questions me about plants.  I need some plants for a container.  Check. I need color. Check. I need something great for my entryway. Check.
We excitedly start heading towards the annual area where the flowers are bursting with color. But then come the fatal words….and there is no sun. Nothing!  Not even a glimmer or a ray.  Most plants appreciate a little light , it keeps them doing their job.  But people want what they want, so we get imaginative. We take a sharp turn away from the glittering annuals and head toward the shade plants. Towards the land of ferns and fuchsias. Impatiens and begonias. There are some great plants for the shade, but it takes a bit more creativity. In this shade planter I mixed begonia, astilbe, gartenmeister fuchsia, impatiens and baby tears.

The other option is to make a mixed planting.  Sun? Shade?  Who cares?  This one at Redmond Town Center looks great and tosses in petunias with begonias.  Maybe if something is unsuccessful they just replace it with a fresh plant.  If you’ve got the time and money, why not?

This sun container has bold foliage from a banana tree and spiky New Zealand Flax. The super-sized dahlias and sunshine bright gerber daisies add pop, along with the golden barberry which adds a warm glow.  And finally a few smaller planters  with a conifer, which will look great all winter, and another with a delicate fuchsia.  Have you tried something new this summer?