Big, bold color

Bold seasonal color that thrives in the summer heat.

This estate property in the heart of Sandy Springs has close to 1500 square feet of annual beds throughout its four acres of land. The property was installed with a lush landscape design theme with many varieties of trees, evergreens, conifers and blooming plant material and the homeowner wanted this same kind of unique variety with their seasonal color designs as well. The finished product had to have flower power by designing with spectacular hot colors and big, bold accents that would  compliment the existing landscape throughout.

The homeowner wanted me to use a variety of bold, hot, colorful plant material that would thrive all summer in full sun and require minimal maintenance since they did not want this additional service. Also, the property was irrigated with drip irrigation only, so I designed with annuals that required comparable sun and water needs. The combination of Whopper Begonias, Lucky Pot of Gold Lantana and Burgundy  Sun Coleus along with Sky Rocket Grass, Persian Palm and Diamond Head Elephant Ears were used in the beds to make a bold statement  as you enter the property.

As you go up the driveway, I paired Cora Mix Vinca, Lucky Flame Lantana and Serena Purple Angelonia in the border beds. This combination thrived all season, even dealing with the reflective heat coming off the concrete.

New containers were added to the pool area, designed with tropical foliage thriller accents such as Bamboo Palm, Red Hibiscus, Pink Diplodemia and added fillers and spillers such as Whopper Begonias, Lucky Flame Lantana, Wave Petunias and Margarita Potato Vine.

The  main challenge was to pair plant material that would thrive all season long and require minimal maintenance and water. Adding water retention product to the container installation was necessary for success as well as applying organic deer deterrent in bed areas due to the small population of deer surrounding the home.

The backyard is the customers’ sanctuary complete with a “man cave” building and they really wanted me to use colorful mixes throughout this area. So I incorporated Profusion Mix Zinnias, and Whopper Begonias accented with Serena Blue Angelonia. Elephant Ears are the customers’ favorite plant, so I accented the flower beds with big, bold  foliage of Burgundy Sun Coleus and Elephant Ears such as Persian Palm, Illustrus and Diamond Head which were instrumental in completing the customer’s vision of this area.

The end result was a bold and flowerful design which thrived all season, meeting and exceeding the customer’s expectations. Although the customer did not pay for flower maintenance, I did check in occasionally to make sure all was well during the summer season.