Celebrating With Patriotic Landscapes

Tip of the Week: Patriotic Plantings!

Spruce up and prepare your landscape for July 4th celebrations! Insert patriotic colors into your landscape and containers.

July 4th is “THE” holiday of the summer. As a quintessential colonial town, Old Town Alexandria shines on this holiday with the streets dotted with patriotic displays of flags, flowers, and bunting. Why not bring some of that excitement and nostalgia to your own home this Fourth of July? Patriotic plantings of red, white, and blue are not only easy to put in and maintain, but by Labor Day they will be bold and bursting with color.

Before plant anything be sure to weed, turn over the soil, and edge your flower bed. Try to work in a little organic fertilizer or potting soil to help your new plantings take root and succeed in their new home.  If you are using pots or containers – depending on size, 1 large bag of potting soil will fill 1 large pot, 2 medium sized pots, or 4-6 small pots. 

Here are a few red, white, and blue combinations that will give your landscape a patriotic theme and will carry you through to Labor Day, and in some cases some of the flowers will come back next year!

• Full Sun Patriotic Garden: Red Geraniums, White Alyssum, Blue Ageratum

This combination loves the sun and is perfect for both flower beds and containers. Plant in the following order back to front – Red Geranium, White Alyssum, Blue Ageratum. White Alyssum is considered a perennial and may (depending on winter) come back again next year.

• Part Sun Patriotic Garden: Red Salvia, White Petunia, Blue Lobelia

This combination appreciates a little relief from the sun. Plant in the following order back to front: Red Salvia, White Petunia, Blue Lobeila. Red Salvia has a very impressive red plume and will come back again next year. 

• Partial Shade Patriotic Garden: Heuchera Brizoides “Firefly”, White Begonias, Blue / Purple Petunia

This combination is a great partial shade combo which puts up flowers and bright foliage. It appreciates a little shade from the hot summer sun, but like a little early morning sun. Plant in the following order back to front: Heuchera Brizoides “Firefly”, White Begonias, Blue Lobeila. Heuchera Brizoides is a beautiful low maintenance green leafed perennial that puts up delicate red bells / flowers, and will come back next year.

I hope you enjoy your patriotic garden and be sure to put up a flag for an extra touch of patriotism.

Question of the Week: What does it mean to deadhead a plant and how do I do it? Deadheading sounds a little intimidating, but it’s really quite easy and your some of your flowers will appreciate it. Flowers like roses, geraniums, pansies, petunias, and marigolds enjoy a good pruning. Deadheading these plants simply means cutting spent / dead flowers off the plant. Be sure to water the plant well before doing this to make sure the stems are nice and firm. Take a small pair of scissors and cut the stem near the bottom or base. This will help the plant to direct its energy to producing new blooms. That’s it – that’s all there is to it!

Happy 4th of July!

Aaron Gorski

Owner, The Greener Side Lawn & Landscaping, LLC

We’d love to see pictures of your patriotic garden! Send your pictures to PatchQuestions@GreenerSideLLC.com and they may appear on our Facebook Page. You can also follow us each week on Facebook and Twitter.