Garden Tips Newsletter
Cool Whites for Hot Days
August 24, 2009
It is 58 degrees this early Sunday morning in north Mississippi. What a nice change from the hot weather—I know I better enjoy it because as sure as we have to pay taxes the hot weather will return!
Because the Mississippi garden in August is typically a scorcher, with
most of us hiding in the shade, it’s time to think about ways to cool
down the garden. One great way to do that is to downplay the hot plant
hues of yellow, red and orange and emphasize or add the cooling whites,
silvers and creams.
It’s amazing how refreshing a dab of white can be. When late summer has extinguished the fire of reds and yellows—and even hot pink seems faded—it’s a good idea to have a few variegated plants strategically placed in your garden.
Boasting two-tone foliage, variegated plants are the garden’s salvation. Pair them with dark green shrubs for maximum impact. Remember, a little variegation goes a long way. Too much of a good thing leads to confusion. A single clump of striped grass such as Morning Light or Zebrinus or one dappled shrub makes a bright accent.
Below is a small sampling of
plants with variegated foliage.
Phlox paniculata ‘Norah Leigh’
Pycnanthemum albescens Mountain Mint
Hydrangea macrophylla ‘Gold Nugget’, ‘Snowcap’, or ‘Gold Strike’
Osmanthus heterophyllus ‘Variegatus’
Miscanthus sinensis ‘Goldfeder’, ‘Gold Bar’, ‘Zebrinus’ or ‘Morning Light’
Aucuba japonica ‘Golddust’, or ‘Picturata’
Yucca filamentosa ‘Golden Sword’
Hostas—Many variegated cultivars
Lelia Scott Kelly, Ph.D., writes Garden Tips weekly and is a Horticulture Specialist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service. Her office is in the North Mississippi Research & Extension Center, Verona.