A floriferous afternoon at Erie Basin Marina
It’s not often that I would be on my way to anything with the words “All-America” in it (I’m not terribly patriotic and I hate watching most sports). But I can’t believe this is the first year I’ve visited the All America Selections Display Gardens at the Erie Basin Marina.
This is a truly impressive public garden site and all the better that it’s almost exclusively annuals—late August is not the time for perennials or bulbs. There were unfamiliar varieties of most of the annuals I use and quite a few annuals I never use and had barely heard of before. Unfortunately, I had not brought writing materials and the labels did not come out well in photos. Not to worry. I’ll be amazed if more than a few of these are available locally next growing season. Seed geeks, rejoice. Still—it was cool to see them.
Now, here’s a plant I usually HATE. But this variety seemed to have a lot more oomph. My husband noticed it immediately. Is it a guy thing? It’s celosia, surrounded by “pearls of opar.” (Well that what the label seemed to say.)
Loved this rudbeckia (prairie sunset).
Nobody gets too excited over impatiens. But very few of us can live without it. These had delicate spurs, and came in many shades.
We must have foliage and there were some great examples, including perilla, ornamental pepper, and a really cool coleus. Didn’t get variety names on any of it, but I’ll know it when I see it in the stores. Which I probably won’t.
Also some red and pink vincas—great looking varieties of another plant I normally couldn’t care less about.
There were many, many pentas. I have never bought these—apparently they’re sometimes called star flowers. They were there in every possible color, including red.
My beloved lobelia, with argyrantheum (daisy-like) and some angelonia behind. This is one of the many urns filled with mixed annuals.
Here's those freaky pearls of opar again, by themselves.
And so much more.
This is a truly impressive public garden site and all the better that it’s almost exclusively annuals—late August is not the time for perennials or bulbs. There were unfamiliar varieties of most of the annuals I use and quite a few annuals I never use and had barely heard of before. Unfortunately, I had not brought writing materials and the labels did not come out well in photos. Not to worry. I’ll be amazed if more than a few of these are available locally next growing season. Seed geeks, rejoice. Still—it was cool to see them.
Now, here’s a plant I usually HATE. But this variety seemed to have a lot more oomph. My husband noticed it immediately. Is it a guy thing? It’s celosia, surrounded by “pearls of opar.” (Well that what the label seemed to say.)
Loved this rudbeckia (prairie sunset).
Nobody gets too excited over impatiens. But very few of us can live without it. These had delicate spurs, and came in many shades.
We must have foliage and there were some great examples, including perilla, ornamental pepper, and a really cool coleus. Didn’t get variety names on any of it, but I’ll know it when I see it in the stores. Which I probably won’t.
Also some red and pink vincas—great looking varieties of another plant I normally couldn’t care less about.
There were many, many pentas. I have never bought these—apparently they’re sometimes called star flowers. They were there in every possible color, including red.
My beloved lobelia, with argyrantheum (daisy-like) and some angelonia behind. This is one of the many urns filled with mixed annuals.
Here's those freaky pearls of opar again, by themselves.
And so much more.
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