Purple and Gold
As I came down the steps at the First United Methodist Church in downtown McKinney this past Sunday morning, I noticed that Elizabeth Smidt (Great Gardens, McKinney) had filled them with purples and golds. She does absolutely fabulous garden design, and there’s almost always something lovely outside those east doors. You’ve seen photos of those gardens’ flowers many times here over the past several years.
Photo: Goldsturm gloriosa daisies bloom in profusion for many weeks each spring and into every summer.
Photo: Monarda, or bee balm, produces its glowing bright maroon blooms. Bees come from far and near to attend our church!
Photo: Dahlberg daisy tumbles over the wall toward the walk. Its cheerful little gold daisies will bloom all summer. It’s a great border plant.
Photo: Purpleheart is a winter-hardy perennial sister to wandering Jew. It dies to the ground, then comes roaring back in the spring. It seems like everyone loves this handsome trailer.
On a different front…
Lynn and I were in Richardson for an appointment this past Monday morning. I invited her to a mid-morning brunch date at the Café at North Haven Gardens in Dallas.
From the moment we pulled into the parking lot it seemed like everything we saw was purple and gold.
Photo: First sight was the wildflower bed along North Haven Road where the nursery has planted monardas and rudbeckias. We parked looking right at this bed.
Photo: Golden-orange daylilies bordered the wildflowers, flanked to the left by a beautiful little Indian blanket (gaillardia).
Photo: View from our outdoor table at the Café at North Haven Gardens just as it opened the day after Mother’s Day. Give it a try. You’ll love it!
Photo: My wife commented several times about how much she liked the purple-blue blooms of fanflower that were there by our table.
Photo: Purple coleus bring rich colors and textures to their parts of the garden.
Photo: Purple angelonias are great in both pots and flowerbeds. Their vertical habit adds drama to their environment.
Photo: Ornamental sweet potatoes are some of the most popular summer color plants of the past 20 years, and North Haven has all the new types.
So, to sum it all up…
Purple and gold plants are certainly not new, but it’s obvious that they’re really in style. Watch around you the next couple of weeks as you shop for summertime color. You’ll see how plentiful they are, and maybe now you’ll be tempted to give them a try in your own gardens as well.