Downy Mildew on Coleus

Downy mildew came in on the wind

Coleus has been one of our top selling categories for the last several years so we always make a point of planting them around the facility here. One of our favorite varieties, ‘Wasabi’, was not growing as vigorously as it should so we became concerned. Given the weather lately and looking at the display bed—particularly at the growth of the plant—we suspected downy mildew [DM] came in on the wind.

‘Double Scoop Mandarin’

Hot on the heels of National Ice Cream Day we have the Double Scoop series. A milk pail full of these festive daisies makes a suitable statement outside an ice cream shop—an establishment that gets a lot of traffic during the summer scorchers here in Cincinnati. It’s ok; echinacea can take the heat.

‘Double Scoop Raspberry’

Especially the Double Scoop series—we use these plants in full sun to make the most of the brilliant double flowers. Again, it’s ok; the intense color is non-fading so the show lasts all summer. Our two varieties, ‘Double Scoop Raspberry’ and ‘Double Scoop Mandarin’, look great together in combos or on the retail bench. They’re also very hardy and overwinter nicely.

‘Sombrero Flamenco Orange’ 

For a more traditional echinacea flower we recommend the Sombrero series. These rich, bright colors are equally eye-catching while the plants exhibit the same heat tolerance and winter hardiness as Double Scoop. You can expect similar long-lasting color, too. Both series grow about two feet tall and attract friendly pollinators to the garden.

Our Double Scoop selections are available in the 6-inch pot. ‘Sombrero Flamenco Orange’ and ‘Sombrero Lemon Yellow’ come in the 6-inch pot as well.

Huge Whopper begonias make a big splash with fewer plants

Our ‘Whopper Green Leaf Red’ begonias are looking prime, for drive-by color that gets noticed. You might remember we planted these in our roadside bed last summer and they packed a solid punch alongside other bold primary shades of blue and yellow. We’re growing them in the 8-inch pot—a good size for large displays and for standing up to the heat of the season.

Whoppers are huge in every way: flower, leaf, and height. They know how to fill a space and do so with the least number of plants. I guess you could say they’re hugely efficient, as well. We always feel we’ve gotten our money’s worth with these plants—and I’m sure I’ve told you that in the past. These are simply great summer begonias and we come back to them repeatedly.

Our roadside bed last year went from full sun into shade, and it was interesting to note that in full shade this Whopper was a green leaf red and in full sun the leaf had a nice red tinge to it.