Hi GPODers!

It’s been a very colorful week here at Garden Photo of the Day, and the theme continues with Robert Walsh’s vibrant blooms in Lenexa, Kansas. Robert has lots of big hibiscus blooms on display, a classic for fabulous summer container displays and perfect for what looks like a very sunny garden!

Jiminy Cricket! Or rather, Grasshopper! Though the two often get confused, especially when seen in this bright green color, there are some key differences that help me ID this chirper as a grasshopper. This first indicator is always antennae, with crickets having much longer antennae than the little guy here. Grasshoppers also tend to have larger, sturdy-looking bodies and heads, a cricket would look a little smaller. But the dead give away? Crickets are nocturnal, and often won’t be seen bathing in the sun during the day like our green grasshopper enjoying a sit on a beautiful flower.

A sloped garden bed can be a real garden challenge, particularly when it’s exposed and full-sun like this one Robert’s managing. But as he proves here, given the right hardy plants, beauty can be planted anywhere.

This planting is hot hot hot! A vibrant yellow and pink hibiscus is like the colorful crown on what I’m assuming is a funky container arrangement with the multi-colored marvel that Bandana® Cherry Sunrise lantana (Lantana camara ‘Bante Cheriasun’, Zones 9–11 or as an annual) and a coleus that matches this color scheme to a T.

However, a more subdued color palette can be just as exciting and successful. The white trailing begonias pair perfectly with the bright white hibiscus, while the bright pink impatiens help to drew out the pink centers in those same hibiscus blooms. A lovely variegated foliage plant ties is all together.

Lastly, one final hibiscus from Robert’s collection, an incredible multi-colored hibiscus. While hibiscus are known for their variation in flower color, and one plant can certainly produce blooms of different colors due to environmental factors or the age of a plant, this combination was likely created through grafting multiple different varieties onto one bush.

Thank you for sharing your colorful garden with us, Robert!

 

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