We connected with Sandra of “Sandra’s Urban Garden,” a Zone 10b gardener whose vibrant garden is packed with edibles and ornamentals in a charming collection of raised beds.
Sandra artfully infuses the color into her garden with a varied palette ranging from deep magentas, bold reds, vivid greens, yellows, and oranges. A multicolor palette in the garden can enhance your mood while attracting pollinators into your space. In addition, the energy of a biodiverse, brightly covered garden radiates and creates an exciting atmosphere where you can engage and take in nature’s beauty.
This season, Sandra has incorporated several Encore Azalea varieties into her garden. Autumn Lily® has robust white blooms with an intermittent single purple stripe that contrasts beautifully against deep evergreen foliage. As a perfect complement, Autumn Majesty® glows with masses of petite, ruffled dark purple blooms for three seasons of the year. Autumn Rouge® is the original Encore Azalea with deep pink flowers against lustrous foliage. A lovely addition to any space, Autumn Carnation® is covered in ruffled pink blooms resting atop glossy leaves that turn from deep green in spring and summer to purple in fall and winter.
Encore Azaleas are ideal for a color garden because they flower across three seasons while providing year-round color with their evergreen foliage. They prefer 4 – 6 hours of direct sunlight to produce optimal flushes of blooms. These evergreen shrubs tolerate stresses once established and perform best in Zones 6 – 9. With blooms available in 33 shades, Encore Azaleas are an excellent choice for any color palette.
Sandra looks forward to the upcoming gardening season and says, “I am so excited to welcome spring this year because I have added a lot of new additions of flowers and plants.”
Love the look of Sandra’s bright and cheery garden? Here are three top tips to use in your own space:
- Pair your edibles and ornamentals. Sandra grows vegetables in a spectacular spectrum of colors, from yellow squash to purple (yes, purple!) beans. Play up the colors of these tasty growing treats by growing them near an ornamental bloom, such as an azalea, in a complementary color. Pair yellow vegetables like squashes with purple blooms. Deep greens like bell peppers, jalapeños, and kale look incredible next to flowers with pink blooms. And finally, pair red tomatoes with red blooms for a truly saturated effect.
- Craft creative containers. Much of Sandra’s gardening takes place in raised beds. We like anchoring a container arrangement with a dwarf shrub such as Autumn Majesty® Encore Azalea to give the container a sense of height and anchor its color scheme with a high-visibility bloom.
- Keep shining, Keep growing! Sandra’s excitement for gardening is infectious, and a little enthusiasm as a budding gardener can go a long way! As you begin to see your plants grow and flourish, you’ll feel a sense of pride and accomplishment as you harvest your first vegetables or pick your first bouquet of flowers.
Make your garden a space that you look forward to enjoying by choosing a harmonious blend of color through various edibles or flowering ornamentals.
