By Kimberly Toscano
Paint your garden with the rich hues and lush texture of Obsession™ Nandina. With dense layers of deep red foliage and a sturdy upright form, Obsession™ provides the structural foundation for building your garden scene. Add strokes of color through red and blue flowers or foliage for a vivid garden vignette.
Studies in Red
Set the mood with flowering perennials in shades of red to echo Obsession™ Nandina’s foliage. Every bloom has its own unique character, from the lively trumpets of red daylilies to the sassy spikes of Saucy™ Red Salvia. Select flowers that match the tone you are striving to achieve. For a touch of class, plant a layer of Red Garden Jewels™ Gerbera Daisy in front of Obsession™ or soften the ground with a carpet of Red Endurascape™ Verbena. A natural complement to the garden’s many shades of green, red blooms provide a pop of color to the landscape.
Shades of Blue
Broaden the color palette with sprays of soft blue. The warm-cool color combination provides visual balance to a planting. Incorporate textural contrast as well by selecting plants with ultra-fine or extremely bold foliage like the powder blue blades of Beyond Blue™ Festuca. In warmer regions, plant clumps of Clarity Blue™ Dianella alongside Obsession™. The wide blades of blue stand upright, adding contrasting form as well as texture.
The playful, buoyant blooms and strappy foliage of agapanthus shine against a backdrop of nandina. This pairing looks as much at home along a woodland border as it does in a tropical planting. For sharp contrast, choose the deep blue blooms of Ever Sapphire™ Agapanthus. The bi-color flowers of Indigo Frost™ Agapanthus offer a gentler counterpart to Obsession™ with blue petals fading to white along the edge.
Pretty with Pink
For a softer look, turn to lighter tints of red with subtle hues like blush and rose. The pink-tinged flower clusters of White Blush EnduraScape™ Verbena brighten the ground layer while providing a graceful bed beneath Obsession™. In the shrub layer, Little Bonnie™ Dwarf Spiraea adds hints of blue in its foliage and a profusion of rosy blooms. For periodic bursts of color, tuck clumps of Habranthus Pink Rain Lily around the feet of Obsession™. The grass-like foliage adds texture, while showy blooms erupt several times each season.
Complete the Canvas
At three to four feet tall, Obsession™ Nandina creates a beautiful accent or backdrop in the garden. Accentuate the ruby hues by adding layers of lush foliage. The compact Burning Love™ Leucothoe carries the red tones earthward, while ‘Buttered Rum’ Heucherella adds contrasting texture and yearlong color. Finish the planting with tufts of blue flowers or foliage, and you have a garden masterpiece. No matter how you pair it, Obsession™ Nandina provides the perfect starting point for your next garden creation.
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