Apr 28, 2015

Color Trending: Orange By Jasmina Dolce

Now that I’m fully (ok, somewhat) recovered from our annual trek down the California coast for the 2015 Spring Trials, I have finally had some time to sit down and rummage through the thousands of photos taken and dozens of pages of notes written.

There were plenty of notable trends that we picked up along the way, and I’ll be sharing all of them with you in upcoming newsletters. But one trend that seems to stand out the most is all the eye-catching hues of orange presented on so many of the new introductions. I know over the past year or so we’ve been seeing orange used more, but at this year’s Spring Trials, this bright and uplifting splash of color was everywhere!

From soft salmon to rusty bronze to neon red-orange, breeders made a statement at each stop along the coast and it was hard not to notice. There’s no way I could show you every beautiful orange flower displayed, but I’ll do my best to pick a sampling to share with you.

Here are some of my favorite orange varieties:

Chyrysanthemum ‘Beverly Bronze’ (Syngenta)

This medium vigor garden mum features a sphere-shaped habit with flower color that stays bronze and will not yellow with age.

Marigold ‘Amber Glow’ (Thompson & Morgan)

A compact and floriferous plant, ‘Amber Glow’ boasts bright amber flowers with yellow edging.

Geranium ‘Glitter Orange’ (Westhoff)

Exceptional in containers, the new Glitter series delivers unique, speckled flowers with vigorous performance.

Calla ‘Morning Sun’ (Flamingo Holland)

It can be difficult to find a good orange calla, but this beauty has a ton of potential with its yellow-to-red flower color and speckled leaves.

Diascia ‘MyDarling Clementine’ (Dümmen Orange)

Perfect for early spring hanging baskets, new MyDarling diascia loves the cold.

Coleus ‘Campfire’ (Ball FloraPlant)

This coleus presents bright, eye-catching orange foliage that will stand out in landscapes and patios.

Impatiens ‘SunPatiens Spreading Tropical Orange’ (Sakata)

Sakata continues to expand and improve the SunPatiens offering with this standout with bright blooms, an interesting variegated leaf and a lovely mounded habit.

Lantana ‘Esperanta Orange’ (Volmary)

A first-time exhibitor this year, Volmary showcased some of its most popular genetics, including the stunning Esperanta series, which will perform well in pots and window boxes.

What do you think of these new firey varieties? Have you noticed an upward trend in the use of orange in gardens? Let me know! Shoot me an email at jdolce@greatamericanpublish.com.

Speaking of orange, have you heard DNA Green Group has a new name… Dümmen Orange! The company announced the big news today. You can read more about it here.

– Jasmina