The Barrington Hills Observer

Salvia comes in red, white, and blue. (RJ Carlson/Chicago Botanic Garden)

By Tim Johnson | For the Chicago Tribune

I saw an article recently suggesting that we plant our gardens or pots in red, white, and blue this year to pay tribute to the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

I love that idea and am trying to embrace it. However, I lean toward pinks and purples and whites as my favored color scheme. I am struggling with red geraniums and canna lilies. Are there burgundy geraniums or other selections?

Do you have any tips regarding the red, white, and blue theme?

— Angela Pinto, Hawthorn Woods

The red, white, and blue theme is an interesting idea. There are lots of annuals to choose from now in the garden centers. One option is to go to your local garden center, walk through the sales racks, and pick colorful plants. I suggest going early, as soon as they open. Choosing the right plant for your garden’s sun exposure and using a high-quality growing medium designed for containers is also important for success. Keep in mind that your containers must have a drainage hole in the bottom, too. Generally, if the annuals are under a shade structure in a garden center, they’re best grown in shade at home. There may be exceptions if a garden center keeps them under shade to help reduce watering; a short holding period under shade for sun plants won’t be an issue. The annuals on display on sunny racks, on the other hand, will typically be best in full sun.

One of the Garden’s horticulturists has been using one annual variety per pot in a grouping of pots with a different annual in each one with great success. The simplicity of the display is dramatic.

For the shade garden, blue is going to be the more challenging color to find. I would be content with lavender. You can get very close to the red, white and blue theme using selections of impatiens from the Beacon series or the New Guinea impatiens. You can use white caladiums and red coleus for coarse texture. It’s easy to find white and red wax leaf begonias, too, which can grow well in the sun. Lobelia is another blue option for lightly shaded areas.

There are many more options for your annual theme colors that grow in direct sun. There are burgundy geraniums, which you may be able to find with some shopping around. You should be able to get close to the theme colors with varieties of Angelonia, verbena and petunias. There are nice blues and whites with salvia and ageratum. White, blue, and rose colors in alyssum. Celosia for a strong red accent. I think you’ll get the best results from visiting a couple of garden centers and letting the plants for sale fuel your creativity.

For more plant advice, contact the Plant Information Service at the Chicago Botanic Garden at plantinfo@chicagobotanic.org. Tim Johnson is senior director of horticulture at the Chicago Botanic Garden.