This is a garden where annuals and tropicals add seasonal flair, and hardier specimens persist as anchors throughout the year

See plant life IDs fromTaming a High Impact Design , from Issue # 189 of Fine Gardening Magazine .

I have been a plantsman long enough ( and have made enough mistakes ) that I always ­begin my design process by look at with the osseous tissue of the entire garden . This holds rightful in small spaces such as the patio garden , where figuring out the location for larger plant or radical of plant come first , before I place smaller individual or group .

This is a garden where annuals and tropicals add seasonal flair , and hardier specimens persist as anchor throughout the year . I make love the stiff vertical accents provided by ‘ Green ­Arrow ’ Alaskan cedar tree ( Chamaecyparis nootkatensis ‘ Green Arrow ’ , Zones 4–8 ) and ‘ Degroot ’s Spire ’ arborvitae ( Thuja occidentalis ‘ Degroot ’s Spire ’ , Zones 3–8 ) . These evergreen blind and maintain the ocular space of the garden throughout the year . They add height and dissent sharply with the general flatness of the surrounding area . translate more .

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1 ‘ Degroot ’s Spire ’ arborvitae ( Thuja occidentalis‘Degroot ’s Spire ’ , zone 3 - 8)2 Tall vervain ( Verbena bonariensis , zone 7 - 10)3 Coleus cultivar ( Plectranthus scutellarioidescv . , Zones 10 - 11)4 Salvia cultivar ( Salviacv.)5 Colocasia cultivar ( Colocasiacv . , perhaps ‘ Tea Cup ’ , Zones 7 - 11)6 Tropical smokebush ( Euphorbia cotinifolia , Zones 10 - 11)7 ‘ Skylands ’ oriental spruce ( Picea orientalis‘Skylands ’ , Zones 4 - 7)8 Hyacinth bean ( Lablab purpureus , Zone 10 - 11)9 Taiwanese dwarf banana tree ( Musella lasiocarpa , Zones 7 - 10)10 Nipponese banana tree ( Musa basjoo , Zones 5 - 10)11 Chinese parasol tree ( Firmiana simplex , Zones 7 - 9)12 Popcorn cassia ( Senna didymobotrya , Zones 10 - 11)13 ‘ Gays Delight ’ flame nettle ( Plectranthus scutellarioides‘Gays Delight ’ , Zones 10 - 11)14 SEÑORITA ROSALITA cleome ( Cleome‘Inncleosr ’ , Zones 9 - 10 )

1 Red banana ( Ensete ventricosum‘Maurelii ’ , geographical zone 10 - 11)2 SEÑORITA ROSALITA cleome ( Cleome‘Inncleosr ’ , Zones 9 - 10)3 Nipponese blood grass ( Imperata cylindrica‘Rubra ’ , Zones 5 - 9)4 Cosmic Flare ’ gomphrena ( Gomphrena‘Cosmic Flare ’ , annual)5 ‘ Wendy ’s Wish ’ salvia ( Salvia hybrida‘Wendy ’s indirect request , Zones 9 - 11)6 ‘ Love and Wishes ’ salvia ( Salvia‘Love and Wishes , Zones 9 - 10 )

1 ‘ Sparkling Burgundy ’ pineapple plant lily ( Eucomis‘Sparkling Burgundy’—might be ‘ Oakhurst’—Zones 6 - 9)2 Giant Pineapple Lily ( Eucomis pallidiflorassp.pole - evansii , Zones 7 - 9)3 Ehemann ’s canna ( Cannaxehemanii , Zones 7 - 11)4 Taiwanese dwarf banana tree ( Musella lasiocarpa , Zones 7 - 10)5 Tropical smokebush ( Euphorbia cotinifolia , Zones 10 - 11 )

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1 ‘ Degroot ’s Spire ’ arborvitae ( Thuja occidentalis‘Degroot ’s Spire ’ , Zones 3 - 8)2 Coleus cultivar ( Plectranthus scutellarioidescv . , Zones 10 - 11)3 Colocasia cultivar ( Colocasiacv . , Zones 7 - 11)4 Tall verbena ( Verbena bonariensis , Zones 7 - 10)5 Barberry cultivar ( Berberiscv.)6 ‘ Green Arrow ’ Alaskan jaundiced cedar ( Chamaecyparis nootkatensis‘Green Arrow ’ , Zones 4 - 8)

1 Chinese dwarf banana ( Musella lasiocarpa , Zones 7 - 10)2 tropic smokebush ( Euphorbia cotinifolia , Zones 10 - 11)3 ‘ Gays Delight ’ flame nettle ( Plectranthus scutellarioides‘Gays Delight ’ , Zones 10 - 11)4 ‘ Dreadlocks ’ amaranth ( Amaranthus‘Dreadlocks ’ , annual)5 ‘ Thailand Giant ’ colocasia ( Colocasia gigantea‘Thailand Giant Strain ’ , Zones 8 - 10)6 Formosan pistache ( Pistacia chinensis , zona 6 - 9)7 ‘ Golden Chain ’ giant reed grass ( Arundo donax‘Golden strand ’ , zona 7 - 9)8 ‘ Green Arrow ’ Alaskan yellow cedar ( Chamaecyparis nootkatensis‘Green Arrow ’ , zone 4 - 8)9 Coleus cultivar ( Plectranthus scutellarioidescv . , Zones 10 - 11 )

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That’s a lot of color! The effective use of focal points, massing, and a limited color palette keep this vibrant garden from feeling unkempt or unruly. Photo: Carol Collins

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