Brighten your garden with this showstopping plant combination

The vibrant flower color combinations of purple, lilac, blue, magenta, crimson, and yellow resonate with many people. Bright colors make us happy. Imagine them singing in gorgeous floral hues all summer in your garden.

We appreciate plants that really give that burst of color and also bloom for a long time and require little upkeep to keep them looking their best. The challenge for many of us is finding a group of plants that look great together, bloom for a long time and have the same cultural needs.

Plants need differing amounts of water, soil fertility, sun or shade. Some are at their best on well-drained soil. Others prefer clay. For plants to give their best, these plant cultural requirements are important to address.

A winning, very long-blooming group of plants with bright colors for full-sun, drought-resistant garden spots are the new dwarf butterfly bush (Buddleia) BUZZ Series, Mexican sage (Salvia leucantha), California fuchsia (Epilobium cana ssp.), the native Verbena ‘Verbena lilacina De La Mina,’ the seaside daisy (Erigeron glaucus) and bidens (Bidens ferulfolia), a short-lived frost sensitive perennial.

Used together, these plants will provide a show-stopping scene and attract hummingbirds, butterflies and bees. All these plants prefer well-drained soil, but are tolerant of clay soils as long as water doesn’t sit. Enrich the soil with compost when planting, and mulch with compost, not wood chips.

Butterfly bushes (Buddleia) tend to be awkward shrubs that require a lot of pruning. After the main bloom is over, there is not much to recommend them. The new dwarf selections, particularly the Buzz Series, are much easier to care for and have huge, very fragrant flowers all summer. The flowers are composed of many clustered flowers held in large terminal panicles that offer butterflies and hummingbirds extensive nectar resources. The Buzz Series come in gorgeous shades of white, two in magenta, and a sky blue selection. The two magenta colors, ‘Buzz Velvet’ and Buzz Magenta’ are particularly vibrant. These butterfly bushes grow to between 3to 5 feet tall. Prune plants in winter to about 8 inches for smaller plants in summer, and to about 2 feet or less for larger plants. The plants benefit from deadheading in late June to stimulate more bloom.

An herbaceous perennial that looks fabulous with the butterfly bush is the Mexican sage, Salvia leucantha ‘Santa Barbara’.

The velvety, purple and magenta blooms look especially good with the magenta color selections. Its short size (up to 2-3 feet) and the horizontal, form make it the perfect plant to put in front of the upright butterfly bush.

In coastal conditions, the Mexican sage blooms all summer. It is drought, gopher and deer resistant. The Mexican sage should be cut nearly to the ground in winter.

Another bold plant to add to this combination is the hummingbird favorite, California fuchsia (Epilobium ssp.). It is not a fuchsia, but has fuchsia-like crimson blooms. It is a groundcover and can spread over time under the right conditions. Some varieties are only 6 inches tall, while others are almost 3 feet tall. Some have bright white or silver foliage and others are more gray/green. It prefers well-drained soil, but also grows well in clay.

Some varieties begin their bloom in late June, and others don’t start until August, but continue until November. All have a very long season. It is an important plant for hummingbirds.

The native Verbena ‘Lilacina de la Mina’ is a native, lilac-colored verbena that blooms all summer. It is about 2 feet tall, fragrant, and a bee and butterfly favorite. It has lacy foliage and blooms almost year-round on the coast. Freezing temperatures may kill it in colder areas, but its profuse bloom makes it worth growing as an annual.

Another plant for the ensemble is the seaside daisy, Erigeron glaucus. It is a low growing daisy that blooms all summer with dense, glaucus foliage. Flower colors range from white to shades of lavender-blue. The cultivar, ‘Wayne Roderick’ does very well in hot, inland gardens. It requires minimal care and butterflies and small bees flock to the abundant flowers.

The short-lived perennial, bidens (Bidens ferulifolia), an annual in cold climates, completes the color composition. This small flowered daisy covers itself with cheerful yellow blooms all summer. It blooms almost year-round on the coast. Butterflies and small native bees are frequent visitors.

Kate Frey’s column appears every other week in Sonoma Home. Contact Kate at: katebfrey@gmail.com, freygardens.com, Twitter @katebfrey, Instagram @americangardenschool.