Today I am at the home of Earl and Janice Sims in Kosciusko, Mississippi, where they have turned a woodland setting into their corner of paradise.
As you approach the home you are welcomed by drifts of colorful impatiens partnered with lush, tropical-looking hostas and ferns. The front door and trim show that red is a favorite color here. It’s a color that evokes passion and excitement.
In the backyard there are comfortable, fiery-red Adirondack chairs, beckoning you to sit and relax. Nearby is an equally colorful playhouse built by Earl for his granddaughter, Angel.
Lounge chairs also offer red in a tropical motif and seem to be the perfect partner for the pool, with its Caribbean-like, clear, blue water. Nearby are the cabana and pool house.
The red theme is also carried out in containers with colorful Mississippi Medallion award winning Dragon Wing Red begonias.
Impatiens also play a prominent role in the backyard. At one end of the pool there is a long sweeping bed of white impatiens. In another area, you’ll find the new Sunpatiens with coral flowers and variegated foliage.
In several places Janice has made use of mirrors that reflect light into the garden. They give the illusion of looking through a window, when you are actually looking at the scenery behind you.
Janice and Earl have planned for winter landscape interest as well, with tall crepe myrtles that feature incredible, rusty-red bark.
The home of Earl and Janice Sims in Kosciusko, Mississippi is certainly welcoming with its colorful flowers and great use of the color red. And they will be quick to tell you, you can do it too. I’m Norman Winter for Southern Gardening.