We had several fabulous, fine-textured annuals this past summer at Reiman Gardens. Here are a few you might want to take note of for your next season’s containers.
With its dense and slight trailing habit, White Delight bidens (Bidens ferulifolia) served as a good filler in our containers. Its yellow-centered white blooms continue throughout the summer with small, fine leaves providing unique texture. Other notable features include drought and heat tolerance, rabbit resistance, and attracting pollinators.
If you’re wanting to experiment with a different thriller for your containers, consider Elegant Feather dogfennel (Eupatorium capillifolium). While dogfennel often spreads like a weed, this cultivar is sterile so does not reproduce. Though it may reach six feet, in our containers, it got to around three or four. Its lacy leaves were captivating to watch in the wind, and many people admired its gently arcing tops. Note that this plant is poisonous.
For a more moody-colored thriller, try Bronze fennel (Foeniculum vulgare). It can reach a similar height to dogfennel, especially when planted early in the season. Unlike Elegant Feather, it spreads prolifically, but a simple solution is removing its yellow flowers before seeds form. Bronze fennel is a pollinator magnet, and by planting it, you can help support swallowtail butterfly caterpillars.
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