Don't Neglect Orange!

Today was fairly quiet at the Horticulture Center and out in the gardens. Both Big John and Larry H. were here to tweak elements of the Holiday Lights Show (HLS) which we'll turn on tonight for a rental. The drizzle isn't helping much but at least they are not predicting sleet or icy conditions through the evening hours. Alan M. was out collecting more leaves while Jim D. and Ron Y. worked on carpentry projects. We also saw Dr. Gredler, Rollie, Marv, Dave T., Gary S., Maury F., Kay, Paul T. and many others today.

"There is no blue without yellow and orange." Vincent Van Gogh

I've been pulling together many of the images I took this year and was impressed by the amount of plants that can offer a wide range of orange shades out in the gardens. In 2013, our Entrance Garden theme (see last couple of photos) was primarily orange as was the terrace garden that same year. We had people looking at orange in a big way and it was very well received. The warmth provided by orange can't be understated and with so many plants offering this color with foliage and/or flower, the selections continue to increase for this exciting color range. The photo above (and directly below) is the new coleus (Solenostemon scutellarioides) variety called 'Campfire'. Wow! Most of my images here are annuals but there are many perennials and even some woody plants (beyond fall color) that will over orange. Keep orange in mind for your gardening "palate".