Top 10 Plants for a Red, White & Blue Garden

Flowers in shades of red, white and blue are not just for the Fourth of July. You can showcase these dazzling colors any time throughout the summer. Check out this Top 10 list of classic American hues.

Photo: Dutch Gardens, www.dutchgardens.com

Baptisia

This attractive perennial is part of the pea family and attains the size and profile of a small shrub. The blooms are pea-shaped; after they fade, the blue-green foliage continues to look fresh and appealing for the rest of the summer. Baptisia grows well in poor, gravelly soil.

• Common Names: False indigo, wild indigo.
• Botanical Name: Baptisia.
• Hardiness: Zones 3 to 9.
• Bloom Time: Late spring to early summer.
• Size: 3 to 5 feet high, about 2 feet wide.
• Flowers: Pea-like blooms, usually blue.
• Light needs: Full sun.
• Growing Advice: Plant with ample elbow room in a spot where you won't have to move it, because it develops a deep taproot.
• Prize Picks: While the blue of Baptisia australis is vivid and beautiful, also consider Baptisia alba, which blooms with white flowers and sometimes purple petals.

Photo: RDA GID

Clematis

You say "clem-aye-tis," I say "clem-aah-tis." It really doesn't matter how you pronounce it, one word best describes this vine - dazzling!

Clematis grows up more than out, which means you get more flowers in less yard space. And they're actually easy to grow and train, which makes them perfect for decorating a mailbox, lamppost, arbor or trellis.

• Common Names: Clematis.
• Botanical Name: Clematis.
• Hardiness: Zones 4 to 9.
• Bloom Time: Summer.
• Size: 4 to 30 feet high, 3 feet wide.
• Flowers: Dozens of colors including white, pink, red, purple, blue and yellow. Some have multicolored.
• Light needs: Full sun to partial shade.
• Growing Advice: Buy container-grown plants at the nursery. Provide the cooling shade the roots require with mulch or surround with sun-tolerant groundcover plants. Grow on a trellis or other structure to support the twining tendrils.
• Prize Picks: Jackmanii produces beautiful purple blooms. Those of Henryi are pure white.

Photo: RDA GID

Bee balm

If you want to start a hummingbird and butterfly garden, this easy-to-grow perennial is a good selection. Its bright colors and nectar-filled blooms attract a wide variety of "flying jewels."

The sweet and minty, citrus-scented plant isn't just for your winged friends, however. Both the leaves and the flowers are perfectly edible-add them to salads or use as garnishes. The dried leaves have been used for centuries to make tea.

• Common Names: Bee balm.
• Botanical Name: Monarda didyma.
• Hardiness: Zones 4 to 9.
• Bloom Time: Summer.
• Size: 3 to 4 feet high, 18 to 26 inches wide.
• Flowers: Clusters of tubular flowers most commonly in red, but also violet, purple, pink, and white.
• Light Needs: Full sun; tolerates afternoon shade.
• Growing Advice: Space plants at least 18 inches apart. Provide ample water. They'll quickly spread and fill in until they look like one large mass of blooms.
• Prize Picks: Jacob Cline is an outstanding dark red, powdery mildew-resistant cultivars. Violet Queen and Blue Stocking are resistant choices in the blue-purple color range. Snow White and Snow Queen are popular white selections.

Photo: Dutch Gardens, www.dutchgardens.com

Dianthus

North America has only one native dianthus from Alaska, which is surprising considering how popular it is. Dianthus was brought to North America by English, French and Dutch settlers. Known most for pinks and carnations, the large dianthus family is great for bouquets because the flowers are spicily scented and last a long time.

• Common Names: Dianthus, pink, carnation.
• Botanical Name: Dianthus.
• Hardiness: Zones 3-10, depending on cultivar.
• Bloom Time: Spring to summer.
• Size: 4 to 36 inches high and wide, depending on cultivar.
• Flowers: Single, double or semi-double blooms classified by coloring as one of the following: solid ("self"); striped or flecked in contrast ("fancy"); marginally contrasted ("picotee"); bicolor, which have a contrasting eye; and contrasting centers matching margins ("laced"). Colors include white, yellow, rose-pink, deep pink, crimson and many hues in between.
• Light Needs: Full sun.
• Growing Advice: Use stone chips, gravel or sand as mulch rather than organic material to enhance drainage and help prevent disease. These plants prefer "sweet" soil, so add lime if needed.
• Prize Picks: Desmond's deep red, rose-like beauties will make a striking addition to your patriotic garden. Itsaul White and Her Majesty are good whites.

Photo: Park Seed, www.parkseed.com

Geraniums

Some have said geraniums are known and loved by more people than any other flower in the world. And it may be true. Their vivid colors and long-lasting flowers make them a favorite for backyards. They thrive in containers and window boxes, and make colorful borders for walks, walls, and garden beds.

New plants can be started from cuttings, or the whole plant can be brought indoors for the winter and grown like a houseplant. Others have had success digging up the plants and storing them in a cool dark location for winter months.

• Common Names: Geranium.
• Botanical Name: Pelargonium x hortorum.
• Hardiness: Zone 10. Grown as annual in most areas.
• Bloom Time: Summer until frost.
• Size: 12 to 20 inches high and wide.
• Flowers: White, pink, red or purple individual flowers that appear in large round clusters.
• Light needs: Full sun.
• Growing Advice: Most home gardeners buy geraniums as budding or flowering pot-grown plants. They can be propagated from cuttings, but doing so can be a hassle for the beginner gardener.
• Prize Picks: Black Magic Rose has unique black with green edged foliage and bright rose-colored flowers with small white centers. The Orbit series are early and large-flowering types that come in white, pink, orange and red.

Photo: Park Seed, www.parkseed.com

Hydrangea

Hydrangeas conjure up memories of Grandma's garden. These showy shrubs have long been a favorite of gardeners looking for an easy-care plant that flowers even in partial shade.

• Common Names: Hydrangea.
• Botanical Name: Hydrangea.
• Hardiness: Zones 4 to 9, varies slightly by species.
• Bloom Time: Summer.
• Size: 6 to 22 feet high, 8 feet wide.
• Flowers: Shades of pink white and blue flowers, either large pompons or flattened clusters of blooms.
• Light Needs: Partial shade.
• Growing Advice: Place in a hole the same depth as the rootball, but wider. New plantings need plenty of water to get established.
• Prize Picks: Bigleaf hydrangeas (Hydrangea macrophylla) are perfect for mild climates, but usually won't flower in regions with cold winters. In these areas, try cultivars of smooth hydrangea (Hydrangea arborescens), which produce huge spheres of densely packed white blooms.

Photo:

Impatiens

Reliable impatiens are shade-garden favorites throughout North America, quickly growing to fill in bare areas with undulating mounds of color. These useful landscape plants work equally well in borders, foundation beds, and containers.

Once planted, impatiens need very little care. They bloom from spring to first frost, and unlike some other annuals, they require no deadheading to keep the flowers coming.

• Common Names: Impatiens, busy Lizzie, and patience plant.
• Botanical Name: Impatiens.
• Hardiness: Annual in most zones.
• Bloom Time: Summer to first frost.
• Size: 6 inches to 2 feet high.
• Flowers: Pink, red, orange, yellow, purple, lavender-blue, and white. Flowers may be solid-colored, striped or bicolor.
• Light needs: Partial to full shade.
• Growing Advice: Start seeds indoors 12 weeks before last frost. Set out transplants or bedding plants after danger of frost has passed, since impatiens are highly sensitive to cold.
• Prize Picks: Tried-and-true Impatiens walleriana has a short, shrubby growth habit and flat flowers. New Guinea hybrids sport the largest, showiest flowers. They often are sold as "sun impatiens," but perform best in partial shade. For window boxes or hanging baskets, try one of the new trailing types, like Fanfare or Spellbound Pink.

Photo: Park Seed, www.parkseed.com

Morning glory

As its name suggests, the morning glory is most glorious during the early hours when its trumpet-shaped flowers open to greet the new day. But its beauty is fleeting; the blossoms last only one day, withering by mid-afternoon.

These easy-to-grow annuals are probably the most popular flowering vine in North America. They climb just about anything-fences, trellises, arbors, mailboxes, lampposts. This is ideal for quickly hiding unsightly views.

• Common Name: Morning glory.
• Botanical Name: Ipomoea pupurea.
• Hardiness: Grow as an annual.
• Bloom Time: Summer to first frost.
• Size: Climbs 15 to 20 feet.
• Flowers: Purple, blue, red, pink, and white trumpet-shaped blooms; bicolors are also available.
• Light needs: Full sun.
• Growing Advice: Start from seeds indoors or in the garden. Nick the hard seed or soak it in warm water for 24 hours before planting.
• Prize Picks: An old-fashioned favorite is Heavenly Blue. For red flowers, try the glorious Scarlett O'Hara. Ipomoea alba, also known as the moonflower, is an evening version of the morning glory, with fragrant white flowers that open at dusk.

Photo: RDA GID

Shasta Daisy

Although daisies date back thousands of years, the Shasta variety is just over 100 years old. This flower is the work of California horticulturist Luther Burbank, who set out to produce the perfect daisy. It took him 17 years, but he finally introduced the Shasta variety in 1901, and it has been a garden variety ever since. He named the bloom after Mount Shasta, because he thought its pure and simple beauty mirrored that of the 14,000-foot peak.

• Common Names: Shasta daisy.
• Botanical Name: Chrysanthemum x superbum (Leucanthemum x superbum).
• Hardiness: Zones 4 to 8.
• Bloom Time: Early summer to autumn.
• Size: 10 inches to 3 feet high, 1 to 2 feet wide.
• Flowers: White with yellow centers.
• Light Needs: Full sun.
• Growing Advice: Plant in spring or early summer, spacing plants 2 feet apart. Divide every 2 to 3 years for increased hardiness in northern regions.
• Prize Picks: Becky is an outstanding tall choice (it attains 3 to 4 feet in height); Snowcap is an excellent dwarf (it gets no higher than 10 inches).

Photo: Donna Stephens

Zinnias

Old-fashioned favorites, zinnias brighten the garden with a rainbow of colors. There's a range of sizes, from 6 inches to 3 feet, so they're equally useful in the front or back of a bed or border.

Zinnias are prized for their long-lasting blooms. The flowers endure in cut arrangements and in the garden, where old blooms remain fresh as new ones open. These heat-loving plants grow slowly during cool weather, but take off as the temperature climbs.

Zinnias require minimal care, and sail through the heat of summer without complaint. With deadheading, they'll flower through fall. Zinnias attract butterflies as well as hummingbirds.

• Common Names: Zinnia.
• Botanical Name: Zinnia.
• Hardiness: Annual in most zones.
• Bloom Time: Summer to first frost.
• Size: 6 inches to 3 feet high, 18 inches to 2 feet wide.
• Flowers: White, yellow, orange, red, purple, and lilac; single or double daisy, or dahlia-like blooms.
• Light needs: Full sun.
• Growing Advice: Start seed indoors, or sow outdoors about 1/4-inch deep after threat of frost has passed. Seeds germinate in 4 to 5 days.
• Prize Picks: Often sold as mixes, zinnias may be found in individual colors if you persist. Profusion Cherry is a great red. Star White is a beautiful white.