Round About Color

Many local municipalities are installing roundabouts to help with traffic flow. These areas are also a great location for beautification. Today Southern Gardening is at the roundabout in downtown Starkville showing how to do these areas right. The begonia is a great choice for bright color. The compact growth habit with dark bronze foliage really displays the bright pinkish red flowers. This is a knockout for tough summer color. I really like the bright look provided by the Yellow Form alternanthera. This has pointed, chartreuse yellow leaves, and coupled with the plant’s fast growth habit, it quickly forms a solid mat of color. This is a great bedding plant for harsh conditions. I love the use of dwarf Red Abyssinian banana, which by the way, is a personal favorite of mine. The leaves are bright green with a red midrib. As new growth emerges it almost appears to be hand painted in shades of red, burgundy and green. Serenita Angelonia is called summer snapdragon and thrives in hot, humid and droughty conditions, perfect for this location. They are pest and maintenance free and look great in a mix of colors. Topping everything off is purple fountain grass. This is a popular and drought tolerant grass that is perfect for this round-about. The tidy clumps of purple maroon foliage are topped with rosy red inflorescences. This is a great choice for grassy color. All of these are tough, hardy, drought-tolerant plants that…. take a hint here…. will perform well in our yards too. I’m horticulturist Gary Bachman and I’ll see you next time on Southern Gardening.