Dappled Pansy Gardens

A dappled garden of ‘WonderFall Rose Shades with Face’

PANSIES AS PAINTING

One of the roles Pansies perform in the landscape is to paint the ground with color. They do this job well because they have bright shades, thick coverage, frost tolerance, and a low cost. Clear Pansies combine all these factors to create big beacons of color at the start of the season.

However, a single blast of color is not the only trick Pansies can play. They also do stained, watercolor, morphing, shimmering, swirls, fire—pick your adjective. Certain Pansies deploy all sorts of color effects, and these effects become amplified when you deploy a single variety as a mass planting. We've picked out 13 Pansy cultivars that do the dappled garden effect well, so let's see how it all works.

‘Bee Alive’ has a yellow halo that fades in and out on the same plant

Bidens ‘Bee Alive’ brings two interesting features to the garden. First is the yellow halo in the center of the orange flower. That eye fades in and out on the same plant, ranging from a strong central circle with a ring of orange to nearly solid orange. It’s a fun effect, and this photo gives you an idea of how it works.

As the season progresses the mix of colors also shifts. This is because color intensity changes with ultraviolet exposure. Longer summer days produce more yellow halos, whereas the shorter spring and fall days lead to nearly solid orange ones.

Decorate a path or bed with unexpected orange gumdrops

GUMDROP SHAPE

A tight gumdrop-shaped habit is the second feature ‘Bee Alive’ brings to the garden. Other Bidens create a mass planting but this variety doesn’t spread much at all. BallFlora bred the plant last decade to address the southern market like Texas and Florida, two states where Bidens tends to get lanky in the heat and humidity. As a result, ‘Bee Alive’ stays tight and compact anywhere northwards. It found a steady market in containers like small crockery, narrow window boxes, and the portable landscapes of color bowls. Its restrained habit means an excellent shelf life on the bench and a long lifespan in the home.

We enjoy using ‘Bee Alive’ in unexpected ways in the landscape. If you think of the gumdrops as buttons for a gingerbread man, you understand the plant’s sweet spot. Just as we’d trim a birthday cake with dit-dot-dit frosting on the top edges, we can create a similar effect with a line of ‘Bee Alive’ along the edge of a path. Likewise, a bed of black mulch turns into a fun surprise when decorated with orange gumdrops organized into lines or patterns. A lot of gardens can benefit from a light touch of frosting, and that’s the job ‘Bee Alive’ does on the ground.