Dec 12, 2018

Living Coral in the Garden By Jasmina Dolce

As the final weeks of 2018 are here, it’s the perfect time to reflect on the past 365 days and also plan for the next 365. Our industry is all about color, so I always wait to hear the news of Pantone’s latest pick for Color of the Year. The color authority aims to choose a color that is trending and will continue to trend at various levels of the marketplace.

For 2019, Pantone has chosen Living Coral as the Color of the Year. According to Pantone, Living Coral is both vibrant and mellow and “embraces us with warmth and nourishment to provide comfort and buoyancy in our continually shifting environment.” Exactly how a plant should make any gardener feel!

So back to planning for the coming year … have you made your final decisions about which plants to offer your customers? Are there any in particular that you really want to promote? This year’s Color of the Year is perfect for our industry. There is an abundance of coral-colored blooms from all the breeders. I flipped through all my new variety photos from the past couple of years, and sure enough, coral was one of the most recurring colors.

If you need some inspiration, here are some recent introductions that embody Living Coral.

Lewisia ‘Constant Coral’
Terra Nova Nurseries

Argyranthemum ‘Aramis Apricot’
Benary+

Petunia ‘Potunia Coral’
Dümmen Orange

Begonia ‘RiseUp Coral Reef’
Westhoff

Dianthus ‘Flow Bondi Beach’
HilverdaKooij

Heuchera ‘Primo Peachberry Ice’
Walters Gardens

Zinnia ‘Double Zahara Salmon’
PanAmerican Seed

Begonia ‘Sprint Plus Orange Bicolor’
Benary

Are you growing any of the above varieties? What are some of your favorites, and most successful, coral-colored plants? Do you plan to promote the Pantone Color of the Year in your business? Shoot me an email at jdolce@greatamericanpublish.com, and let me know. I’d love to hear from you.

— Jasmina