The sweet signs of summer are all around us! The daylight is growing longer, the temps are warming up, it’s just what the flowers need. With Memorial Day coming up and the Fourth of July not far behind, it’s the perfect time to think about patriotic colors to your landscape.
Red, white, and blue blooms swaying in the breeze can create a patriotic display and isn’t just about showing national pride; it’s about the abundance of color to your porch, patio, or garden beds, and setting the tone for memorable summer gatherings.
Whether you’re a seasoned gardener or just starting with plants, crafting a red, white, and blue theme is easily achievable with our help. Think of it as painting with plants! To create truly dynamic and eye-catching arrangements, especially in containers, we often use the “Thriller, Filler, Spiller” technique.
- Thrillers: These are your taller, upright plants that create a focal point and add height and dramatic shapes to your planting.
- Fillers: These are the body of your design, mounding or bushy plants that fill in the space around the thriller and add fullness.
- Spillers: These are the cascades! Plants that trail over the edges of pots or the front of beds, softening the hard edges.
Here are some great plant options to help you in creating your own stunning red, white, and blue mosaic!
Reds: Bursting with Energy!
Red in the garden draws the eye and can create a feeling of warmth and celebration.
- Spillers: For that cascading splash of scarlet, you can’t go wrong with Red Calibrachoa (often called ‘Million Bells’). These plants produce small, petunia-like flowers all season long. Red Wave Petunias are another classic choice, known for their vigorous trailing habit and continuous blooms.
- Thrillers: To stand tall and proud, consider a Scarlet or a Dark Red Geranium. Their sturdy form and vibrant flower heads are instantly recognizable and reliable. Red Salvia offers striking upright flower spikes that attract hummingbirds and pollinators, a bonus for the garden! For something a little different, Cherryred Angelonia (sometimes called ‘Summer Snapdragon’) creates spires of colorful red blooms, while Celosia brings unique, feathery flowers in brilliant red.
- Fillers: To fill in around your thrillers, Dark leaf Red Begonias offer rich foliage and cheerful blooms, thriving even in shaded spots. Dallas Red Lantana is a sun-lover that provides clusters of red-orange flowers, attracting butterflies and tolerating heat beautifully.
Whites: Crisp, and Clean
White in the garden highlights the other colors, and seems to glow in the low light. It’s the perfect patriotic counterpart to reds and blues.
- Spillers: White Wave Petunias are just as fantastic as their red counterparts for trailing, offering a clean, bright cascade. White Bacopa is another spiller, covered in white flowers. And yes, White Calibrachoa also comes in a crisp white, perfect for spilling over the edges.
- Thrillers: For an intriguing texture and silvery-white foliage that stands out, Dusty Miller is a superb choice. Its unique leaves make it a fantastic non-blooming thriller. Profusion White Zinnia offers continuous blooms in a lovely bright white, with excellent disease resistance. White Angelonia provides those same graceful spires as the red variety, but in pure, luminous white.
- Fillers: White Begonias are a fantastic mounding filler, offering clusters of small white flowers.
Blues: Cool, and Rare
Blue in the garden is a bit rare and always feels special.
- Spillers: Lobelia is a favorite for trailing blue, producing masses of tiny blue flowers. Creeping Speedwell ‘Georgia Blue’ is a fantastic ground cover that also works beautifully spilling over edges, with lovely blue flowers in spring and often reblooming.
- Fillers: Balloon Flower gets its name from its buds, which swell up like tiny balloons before opening into blue, star-shaped flowers. Creeping Speedwell ‘Georgia Blue’ can also act as a filler, spreading to create a carpet of blue. For a softer blue filler with a trailing tendency that can spill, the Sky Blue Wave Petunia is a wonderful option.
- Thrillers: For a native grass with stunning blue foliage that provides texture and height, Little Bluestem, ‘The Blues’ is an excellent, low-maintenance choice. Blue Salvia offers those same attractive upright spikes as the red, but in blue.
Plants with Patriotic Names!
Beyond the classic colors, you can also select plants with names that wonderfully fit the theme. Hostas are loved for their lush foliage, and you can find varieties like Patriot, Liberty, or Independence. And let’s not forget the national flower of the USA, including roses in your patriotic display can also be a truly symbolic act. Look at perhaps the hybrid tea roses, such as Veterans Honor or Miss All American, for their large fragrant blooms and patriotic name.
Adding Those DIY Touches!
If you want to amplify your patriotic theme, consider painting plain terra cotta pots in red, white, and blue stripes or solid colors. You could even create a festive patriotic-colored wreath using some clippings from your garden. And of course for a quick and easy solution that instantly says “patriotism,” simply tuck small American flags into your container plantings or garden beds. It’s a quick touch that adds impact!
Creating a red, white, and blue garden display is a thoughtful way to decorate while we honor the sacrifice of those who gave their lives. These garden displays will add more life to your surroundings. It’s a project that’s rewarding by inviting pollinators, bringing smiles to faces, and making your home feel more festive. Let’s grab some plants, and get growing! Happy Planting!