The urn along our walkway still had the pansies and violas I planted back in early April. They had filled out to an impressive width and height that it didn’t look attractive anymore, and the heat has been a little hard on them, so something fun and summery was needed.
I strolled the local garden centre up and down, grabbing all sorts of plants, then putting some back, picking up new ones, putting others back… I couldn’t picture how well any of the plants would look together in the urn. Some days my mind can’t get into the creative groove. I must have spent 2 hours there and this isn’t a big garden centre like the nursery in the next town over where I normally go.
I had read rave reviews recently about fan flower and found some Whirlwind White from Proven Winners. Without having much of a plan in mind I grabbed 2 of those, 2 Supertunia Mini Purple, 2 deep red geraniums, and a sweet potato vine. Here is the urn all put together –
It doesn’t look too bad I suppose.
I also have to rave about fan flower. I love it. Its trailing habit is a great feature. It is now in with my favourite annuals and I will be adding this to my containers every year.
Scaveola aemula [fan flower], which is an Australian native, has rounded basal leaves and narrower stem leaves on prostrate stems that reach only 6 to 8 inches high but grow 2 or more feet long. The flowers appear on only one side which gives it a fan-like appearance. There were also some pretty blues and purples available, but the white I found very striking. It is definitely a trailing annual that will add lots of character to those planters.
Gardening in the Lines 
Sweet potato vine is one of my favorites until the weather gets hot. Then it wilts every day and perks back up over night. (It was 110 degrees F. here yesterday.)
I’m not familiar with the fan flower. That’s a new one to me. Did you get it from seed or did you buy a plant. I see you have some nice purple petunias in your tub. I’ve got those this year too but mine are in the borders.
Ooh! This is pretty. I love that you did an asymmetrical arrangement – I’ll have to remember how good it looks. I always end up wanting perfectly symmetrical containers and this year I’m not too thrilled with where I’ve ended up! 🙂
I love the white trailing plant in combination with the fresh green vine and the deep red geranium. I stuck mainly with geraniums this year as they are so reliable.
Pretty! and refreshed!
It looks lovely – a real statement!
Looks great! Love the chartreuse sweet potato vine with the purple petunias. One of my favorite color combinations. Great job!
Today I nominated you for the “One Lovely Blogger” award. You can check at my post for more information. Congratulations, Sally
Love the fan flower. I’ll put it in my notes for next year. There is a small flowered, trailing petunia I plant every year, letting it wind it’s way along my ground covers, adding color all summer. This fan flower looks like a great addition for that purpose. Hopefully, it comes from the hot and dry parts of Australia, so it will do well here in Wyoming.
Just an update on the Fan Flower. According to the Proven Winners site it is heat and drought tolerant and loves full sun. Yeah!