The Tattoo Vincas

The dark-eyed look of Vinca ‘Tattoo Papaya’

New to the market is the Tattoo series of Vinca from the breeding program at PanAmerican. These plants have been bred for a specific goal—flower pizzazz—but are built on the durable chassis of a Vinca. It’s a simple chocolate in my peanut butter idea that opens up possibilities once we explore what it actually means.

We must admit that the Vinca color selection has been stable for many years. Since Impatiens offers the same flower in the same colors, Vinca’s main role has been the preferred replacement in locations where Impatiens doesn’t work very well. When the look is an important part of the discussion Vinca hasn’t been our go-to, but the Tattoos are stepping out from the shadow of the Impatiens.

 
This dwarf Rush provides short vertical interest for both combos and gardens

‘Blue Arrows’ is an industry workhorse to deploy when you need a short vertical component for containers. We use it a lot, especially in winter and early spring work where cool weather tolerance is a must. This grass has stiff upright blue-green foliage that makes it a perfect counterpoint to the broadly rounded decor plants paired with it.

There’s also a second job in the garden landscape for ‘Blue Arrows’—it provides short vertical emphasis in front borders or lining walkways. Juncus is a cool-season grass, and this cultivar is hardy in the Cincinnati area so it just loves those first garden plantings of the season. Heck—we have some in our beds right now. The plants are still green and doing fine, despite several bouts of snow, ice, and sub-freezing weather. It will take an Alberta clipper to turn the foliage brown, but it will come back in the spring.

Although a tough plant, the blades have a fine texture and soft feel

‘Blue Arrows’ is a dwarf Rush, so don’t expect it to get anywhere near the size of its larger cousin. It has a relaxed attitude toward vigor, taking a couple of years to mature to its full height of three feet. In the landscape, keep this Juncus away from dense shade, but most other places are fine. Sun, partial shade, dense clay, sandy berms, streamside, pool gardens, peaty hillside, and standard garden soil are all perfectly legitimate sites.

That general toughness brings us back to component work. It’s the reason why ‘Blue Arrows’ is the Juncus to get for boxes, planters, pottery, or any other decor purpose. You can count on it, plus it will outlast anything else in the container—indoor or outdoor.

Come to us if you need ‘Blue Arrows’ for your March or April projects. It is a very flexible design tool for combinations or containers, and can also be planted directly in the soil for early spring gardens. We grow a lot of it for our internal work, but we always grow extra for our buyers as well.