Best plants for quick color, with some elegance?

We're in a new home with some spectacular rock work and retaining walls, some sunny spots, lots of shade/partial shade, a nice patio courtyard, lots of wine barrel planters, lots of interesting garden beds and nooks.

Over the next years, I want to fill in most of this with easy care, big colorful (but not gaudy) perennials.

But most of that will probably happen next year. For this year, what can I get in there now and quick that will fill up the empty spaces, give it some depth and color, while we're deciding on perennials and waiting for them to get big?

I'm thinking maybe just a lot of cosmos??? Anyone have suggestions for good flowers to plant in combination wtih cosmos? Will cosmos do okay in shade/partial shade?

Other ideas to get something going out there this summer?

Rachel

(Zone 5, hot and dry but lots of irrigation water, sandy loam soil)

Wave petunias would look pretty trailing over the side of your wine barrel planters. You could go ahead and start some ferns and hostas in your shady areas--they usually grow fairly fast and are, of course, perennials. Zinnas are colorful, easy and attract butterflies. Marigolds are also easy and colorful. I'm sure others will come along with lots of other good ideas.

Cosmos are supposed to planted in full sun, so I don't know how well they will do in shade/partial shade. You might not get as many flowers.

For bold (or subdued) color in the shade, you can't beat impatiens. An office complex that I drive by uses a lot of impatiens in burgundy and orange. They fill in a lot of space with nice neat mounds, and the color contrast is really stunning.

Another plant that does well in the shade is coleus. They grow pretty fast and cuttings root very easily.

I have to let you know that wave petunias were very invasive for me. They grew out of the bottom of a pot that was not sitting on the ground and took over my flower bed. It grew out of the pot and the roots went down through the landscape fabric and sent runners everywhere. It almost killed my dianthus. I sprayed it with roundup year after year and it still grew. I finally think I have killed it with Brush killer. If you try it just keep a close eye on it.

Can you grow lantana?

Even if an annual there (it will be I think) lasts from beginning season right on to fairly cold weather. Will go sideways and also trail.

Uh oh! I don't grow petunias so didn't know that about the Waves. A good replacement for those wine barrels might be dead nettle. The name always sounds very uninviting for a plant but they sure are pretty, especially when they are in bloom. I have some in a pot on my front porch. Thanks for giving the heads up Smoky!

look up "garden color wheel" to figure out what colors would look good together. i'm waiting for my azaleas to get big so i just planted a bunch of groupings of annuals around them to fill in. in my shady area i planted hostas. there aren't a lot of long flowering, eye-catching annuals to plant in the shade other than impatiens.

look at www.bluestoneperennials.com and you can enter your zone, light condition, plant type, etc. and get a bunch of pics of different flowers.

below is a pic of my new hosta garden....i'm new to all this so who knows what it'll look like when it gets bigger.

I think it will look real pretty, McChickenn. I love your rocks around the garden.

I think your plants are going to overflow that bed and look beautiful Post a pic latter so we can see how they have grown. Smokey

mcchickenn - I also like your plant arrangement.

While I do not have thick trunk tree for a similar display
- I'll be the "HonestTheif" and let you know Im going to try your idea to give several hosta areas additional depth.
(We've got big tree roots almost-woven in the shade natural area.

a raised bed on top of (or within) a larger natural area with mulch
- guess that means I should make a trough to brace the rocks that will hold the additional soil . . .

sigh - more work . . .

this picture inspired my idea to alternate the different colors of hostas...i like the blue contrasting with the light green...but then i couldn't find many blue hostas that were medium-sized at my garden center...so that is what i ended up with.

hope i dont get sued for a copyright on this picture...not sure where i found it.

For shade/semi-shade you might consider hostas (several people have given great advice there) and daylilies. Impatiens would also be pretty and fill up spaces quite nicely. Coleus, while it doesn't flower, and add a lot of color, as can polka dot plant. 4 o'clocks will grow anywhere from seed, and come in a variety of colors.
What about some grasses in the sunnier areas. Many can take partial shade.

Cosmos, zinnias, and marigolds all need full sun.

Anything perennial that you plant this year (hostas, daylilies, grasses) can always be moved later on when you decide on your final plan.

I have used Bluestone Perennials for years. They are a great company. I can also recommend Gilbert H. Wilde & Sons for great deals on daylilies and hostas. I have used them many times as well. Good people - and very inexpensive.

In my shade area under a Maple tree I planted Hostas and they are thriving. My Endless Summer Hydrangea has not bloomed for 2 years so hopefully this is the year for it. I have an iris that appeared there and has a bud that is going to bloom soon. This year the perennials I planted are white cyclamen, Starry Night Viola, a violet, columbine viola, a purple palace coral bells,and a pieris japonica "purity" I am hoping these plants will do well. I threw some mpatiens seed in the bare spots around the little plants.

This message was edited May 20, 2009 11:48 AM

I must agree with hosta hosta hosta. They will form huge clumps here (I have 2 nearly 3ft across each) if not devided regularly. They are hard to kill completely. I planted daffodills and tulips which come up and bloom first (both hardy variety) then as foliage dies the hosta cover it up quite nicely. Gives early and season long color.