Now that color giant Pantone has released its Fashion Color Report for 2014, you can turn to Tesselaar Plants to find the hottest hues for the garden.
“The blooms of Blue Storm agapanthus exactly match Violet Tulip – the second-most-popular color chosen by designers nationwide for next spring,” says Anthony Tesselaar, cofounder and president of Tesselaar Plants. “And if you look closely, each petal is striped down the middle with the Number One color – ‘Dazzling Blue.’” The color, he adds, fades to No. 7 color pick Placid Blue.
Color aside – Tesselaar thinks agapanthus is the next big “it” plant because of its bold, modern, architectural form. “You can’t look at a design magazine, California landscape or IKEA catalog these days without seeing its long, sturdy stalks and rounded flower clusters.”
Tesselaar’s brand-new Sweet Spot line of decorator roses, meanwhile, features three of Pantone’s top color picks for 2014: No. 4’s Celosia Orange, No. 5’s Freesia Yellow and No. 6’s Cayenne. “What’s even better,” says Tesselaar, “is that all four of the line’s flower color combos change in their variation of shades over time. “It’s like a season-long kaleidoscope.”
This completely new category of compact shrub roses also reflects the latest design trend of mixing and matching colors, says Tesselaar: “Color – and mixed colors – are hot everywhere. The shoes no longer have to match the bag.” Similarly, he says, Sweet Spot’s designer color combos are each at least two different hues or a dazzling contrast of shades, the petal colors punctuated by deep, dark centers. “And the great part is, all the color combinations can be used with each other.”
Sweet Spot color combinations include Calypso (pinkish red and yellow with red/pink center), Peach (soft peach with red/pink center), Ruby (ruby pink with red/pink center) and Yellow (golden yellow with orange/red center).
Two other Tesselaar plants also have flowers matching top Pantone colors for 2014, continues Tesselaar: Volcano® Phlox Purple (the exact shade of Pantone’s No. 3 pick – Radiant Orchid) and Blueberries & Cream™ gift hydrangeas (No. 7’s Placid Blue and No. 2’s Violet Tulip).
And finally, notes Tesselaar, you can see Pantone colors in the leaves and blooms of Tropicanna® cannas – Tesselaar’s line of colorfully foliaged cannas. The original Tropicanna cannas’ rainbow-striped leaves boast striations of Freesia Yellow and Celosia Orange, with the latter echoed in tangerine-colored blooms. The flowers and leaf striping of Tropicanna Gold, meanwhile, are the shade of Freesia Yellow, with flowers accented a perfect Celosia Orange. And Tropicanna Black’s purplish-black leaves get an extra boost of drama from the spicy, reddish-orange flowers the color of Cayenne.
“Mother Nature, after all, is the best designer when it comes to color,” says Tesselaar. “But we think our plants wear them particularly well.”
More information
- Pantone 2014 Fashion Color Report news release
- Sweet Spot roses news release
- Blue Storm agapanthus fact sheet
- Sweet Spot roses fact sheets
- Volcano Phlox Purple fact sheet
- Blueberries & Cream hydrangea fact sheet
- Tropicanna cannas fact sheets
Images
- Blue Storm agapanthus – images on Flickr
- Sweet Spot roses – images on Flickr
- Volcano Phlox Purple – images on Flickr
- Blueberries & Cream gift hydrangeas – images on Flickr
- Tropicanna cannas – images on Flickr
About Tesselaar
Tesselaar Plants searches the world and introduces new plants for the home garden, landscape, home décor and gift markets. Tesselaar undertakes extensive research and development of its varieties and, once they’re selected for introduction, provides marketing and promotional support through its grower and retail network. The Tesselaar philosophy is to introduce exceptional plants while “making gardening easy” for everyone, so it makes its products as widely available as possible. Tesselaar believes the more gardeners there are, the better it is for everyone.
Source: Tesselaar
