Gardener Bought Candy Corn Spirea By Mail And Locally And The Colors Came Out So Different She Wonders If It Is Too Much Of A Pop

Gardeners love a surprise, but not always the kind that arrives in a box. Samantha Miller, who shares her Tennessee garden on Samantha Miller Diaries, bought Candy Corn spirea two ways, by mail and from a local nursery. The two plants came out so different in color that she is now wondering whether the brighter one is too much of a pop for her calm garden.

Gardener in a flower garden on a video cover about candy corn spirea, beside white spirea blooms

It happened on the chilliest day of the fall so far. She ran to a local nursery and picked up four more Candy Corn spireas for the area by the goat house, then decided to set them around the garden before planting to see how they looked in other spots.

Two Spireas, Two Very Different Colors

Holding the two plants side by side, she points out that the one bought locally is so much more vibrant, with red popping out all over it. The one that came in the mail looks far more subdued. She says the local plant had been sitting outside in the Tennessee sun, while the mail order plant came from up north and may have spent time in a greenhouse. More sun, she guesses, may bring out the deeper color.

The pots were different sizes too. The mail order plant came in a one gallon container, and the nursery plant is in what she believes is a three gallon, so the fuller size adds to the contrast. She says the colors range from the paler version to the fiery one, so anyone planning to order them should expect some variation.

When she planned her garden, she was going off the first color and vibrancy. Now that she has the brighter plants, she calls them absolutely gorgeous, crazy vibrant and in your face. Her garden has been calm and soothing with a similar color palette throughout, so she asks aloud if she is making the right call. She still plans to plant them and see how they look as spring and summer come, and she wonders whether the color is simply their fall growth.

Layers Of Color In The Cottage Garden

She tests the spirea in the area leading out to the cottage garden across the driveway. Vinca filled the ground this year, but she wants more permanent plants so she does not have to rely on annuals. Layering is the plan. She describes the icy blue of lamb’s ear in front, then vinca, then the purple of Jazz Hands mini loropetalum, then the chartreuse of the spirea, with a Tater Tot arborvitae adding evergreen. She thinks it looks really pretty.

Even if the spirea does not go there, she says she may still use the loropetalum. The Jazz Hands stay around a foot and a half tall, while the Purple Pixie variety reaches two to three feet and might layer better in the back.

Rescued Roses And A Holding Zone

Elsewhere she shows off Morden Blush roses that she dug up from the courtyard garden, chopped way back and stuck in containers. They bloomed anyway, and she says they acted like they did not miss a beat. She has four in all and plans to plant them behind white wedding hydrangeas, near a Sting arborvitae, and next to Kaleidoscope abelia and compact Soft Touch hollies.

She also plans a Hottie hydrangea and a Spring Sizzle hydrangea in the mix. Her thinking is that the hydrangeas will eventually cover the base of the roses and bloom when the roses are fading from Japanese beetles, so the two can take turns showing off.

A Boxwood Hedge Behind The Greenhouse

The bigger project sits behind the greenhouse, where Doug has installed a stone wall over two years. Heavy rains flooded the area this summer, so a French drain is planned. Doug will bring his tractor to scrape the grass, then the area will be covered with contractor’s paper.

She will plant a hedge of Skylight Better Boxwoods, which are meant to be highly resistant to boxwood blight. They grow 3 to 8 feet tall and 3 to 4 feet wide and do well in full sun to part shade. Her goal is for them to top off at about 6 to 7 feet behind her Incrediball hydrangeas, which reach about 5 feet. She has 20 boxwoods and figures she needs about 40 to finish the hedge, so she will begin with 20 and add more. Tonight’s low is 36 degrees, though she expects it to warm back up.

A garden arbor at the top of the stairs is also planned. She says she is thrilled about the grand entrance it will make along with the hedge.

Tips For Buying Plants By Mail And Locally

Her experience offers some lessons for any gardener shopping around this fall:

Expect color to vary. The same variety can look different depending on growing conditions, sun exposure and pot size.
Check container size. A three gallon plant will look fuller and more mature than a one gallon plant.
Set plants out before digging. Placing pots around the garden shows how a color fits, much like she did.
Give new plants a full season. She plans to judge the spirea again in spring and summer before deciding on its final home.
Think about height. Layering short, medium and tall plants gives a bed depth.

Whether the fiery spirea wins a place in her calm garden, she is having fun asking her viewers. For anyone planning a fall planting, the lesson is to look closely at the plants in front of you, because two plants with the same name can bring very different color to a bed.

Willow and Hearth