Forget the booms! Focus on the blooms with red, white and blue flowers for your garden

The first week of July is not too late to plant some edible crops or add annuals and perennials to the garden.

Look for vegetable and flower starts at the nursery that are in large containers if possible. Tomatoes in one gallon pots, herbs and squash in 4-inch pots and flowers like geraniums, zinnias and marigolds in 4-inch pots or larger will mean the plants you buy late in the season will not be as root bound as plants in smaller containers.

Your new plants will always appreciate being transplanted or added to pots or beds in the evening or on a cloudy day. Keep the soil moist as they recover from the transplant operation and you could be harvesting before the end of summer.

In celebration of the 4th of July, here are my recommendations for flower colors in red, white and blue:

Best of the blues bloomers

Hydrangeas win the freedom award for the plant that gives the most while demanding the least. Plant a hydrangea on the east side of a fence or building where it will get only morning sun and you’ll be enjoying years of true blue blooms in the naturally acid soil of Western Washington. Upgrade or add the new hydrangea varieties with more flowers such as the “Endless Summer” hydrangeas.

Black Knight Salvia are a new perennial with blooms that start out deep purple then open to a navy blue color. Like all salvias, they are drought- and disease-resistant and the foliage, covered with fine hairs, is resistant to slugs.

I tried to over winter three different plants of this new salvia this year but the only one that survived our recent mild winter was the plant growing in a raised bed. This means in our wet climate Black Knight Salvia could just ride into the sunset next winter unless you provide excellent drainage.

Another reason this blue bloomer gets the freedom award is because it will grow up to 3 feet tall and is strong enough to support itself without the need for staking.

A really good red, and a wine

Geranium Big Red (Calliope Dark Red) is the eye-catching geranium with huge, true red blooms and deep green leaves that has been selling out in nurseries and garden centers all over the region. If you can’t find it this summer, make a note of it so you can buy it early next spring before all the plants are sold out again.

Not only is the color vivid and the foliage a lovely shade of deep green, but the upright form of this zonal geranium means it does well in both baskets and as a shrubby block of color in garden beds. This geranium loves full sun and good drainage and has been pest- and disease-free in my garden. Just one plant in a large container can make an impressive display.

The foliage of the evergreen perennial Heuchera ‘Obsidian’ is often listed as black or deep purple but in my garden the new growth and stems are a ruby red or wine color that combines well with golden foliage plants in the shade garden and bi-colored petunias in sunny container gardens.

The real reason I want this heuchera to be awarded the medal of freedom is because it is the easiest to grow heuchera you can buy. Freedom from where to plant it means it will grow in sun or shade, it attracts birds and butterflies with plumes of blooms and it is drought tolerant and provides winter color. If you have failed to grow healthy heucheras in the past, give ‘Obsidian’ a try. Did I mention it resists rust, mildew and other leaf blights?

Wonderful whites

Diamond Snow Euphorbia and Diamond Frost Euphorbia are new plants from Proven Winners. These euphorbias act as annuals in our climate but the lacy white blooms look like baby’s breath with the freedom for designers to add a white frothiness to any container garden or bed. Rock solid, heat and drought resistant I combine these white bloomers with black mondo grass or the deep red foliage of heuchera ‘Obsidian’ for a striking color contrast.

The Diamond Snow Euphorbia has a more dense shape with double-flowered blooms that look like a lacy petticoat poking from the edges of containers or beds. The Diamond Frost Euphorbia is more wispy with single blooms and it intermingles like baby’s breath among other blooming plants. Both of these annual euphorbia plants are compact without the need for pinching or pruning at 18 inches tall and wide.

Marianne Binetti has a degree in horticulture from Washington State University and is the author of several books. Reach her at binettigarden.com.

This story was originally published July 4, 2020 at 5:45 AM.