A Delight on my Deck

Day 223
The Daily DuBrule 

I have just put together a delightful fall planter and every time I look out my kitchen window it makes me smile. When I was in Vermont a few weeks ago we went to the Stowe Farmer's Market, an annual tradition on the last day of our vacation. One organic farmer was selling perennials along with vegetables. Agastache aruantiaca 'Navajo Sunrise' caught my eye immediately. The orange color was unlike any I had ever seen in the anise hyssops that have come and gone in my retail store. I snapped it up.

When I got home I played one of my favorite design games for a few days. I tried to figure out what I could pair this plant with. I decided to go with perennial plumbago, Ceratostigma plumbaginoides, as I have been wanting to introduce this plant to my garden for a while now. The true blue, intense color is so unusual at this time of year. Plus, it blooms for months and as the weather gets colder, the leaves and the calyxes of the flowers turn burgundy red. I included a fascinating dwarf Acorus grass that smells like licorice, figuring it will love my heavy clay soil. I sat with this combination for a while and realized it needed one more element...orange pansies.

The pansies are not exactly the same color as the Agastache but they pull the whole thing together. Later in the fall I can plant all four of these plants in my garden. If I put the pansy on the south side of my house, I betcha it will come back. Everything else is a zone 5 hardy perennial. What a fun way to do a fall container garden!