We at U City in Bloom get lots of positive comments on the beds we create and maintain in University City and we love to hear your comments and questions. Often people want to know what plants are there so we decided to share some information about the bed in front of Centennial Commons.
When we walk up the ramp to the main entrance of Centennial Commons we are surrounded by a bouquet of color, texture and form. On the left we have a mixed border of perennials, shrubs and annuals. This time of the year the most visually striking perennial is the tall Phlox paniculata ‘Purple Flame.’ These tall garden phlox come in many colors with the varieties ‘Henry’, which is white and ‘Purple Flame’ performing very well in STL. Just below the phlox we have Purple Cone Flower and Black-Eyed Susan intermingling with the orange Zinnia ‘Inca’, silver Dusty Miller ‘New Look’ and the very interesting vibrant green tendrils of Foxtail Fern. Our foreground alternates with the yellow Macardonia and the creeping Aster ericoides ‘Snow Flurry’, which will be blooming white in a couple more weeks.
On the right side of the path we have all annuals. This is a hot, exciting bed that was designed to keep us warm with oranges and yellows with a little spark of red and purple here and there to grab our eyes and really pull us in. Three types of tropical Cannas (red, yellow, and orange) ground the bed and stop your eye with bold foliage and hot blossoms. The bicolored Coleus ‘Defiance’ really holds all of the colors of the bed together with red and gold leaves. Probably the most interesting plant is the Foxtail Fern with green tendrils snaking in all directions. Coleus ‘Flame’ and Zinnia ‘Inca’ bring in the oranges, and the yellows are carried by the low-growing floriferous Mecardonia and Lantana ‘Samantha’ with subtly variegated leaves. The purple foliage that stops your eye is Dahlia ‘Mystic Illusion’ which is dotted with dark centered yellow flowers. Finally our Petunia ‘Easy Wave Red Velour’ dances throughout the lower avenues of the beds to unify all of the others in a show of hot solidarity. We hope you enjoy the colors!