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Firey red tipped Obsession Nandina foliage changes to green at the base sits before the dark chocolate foliage of Black Ripple Colocasia

Obsession Nandina: Pairing Red and Blue

  1. Home
  2. Obsession Nandina: Pairing Red and Blue
  • By Kim Toscano
  • September 6, 2020
Work magic in the garden by combining plants with blooms and foliage in primary colors

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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Kim Toscano

Kimberly Toscano is a freelance writer, gardening expert and traveler with an eye on design. Kimberly blends her formal training in horticulture and entomology with her passion for design to educate and inspire gardeners.
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Plants Featured In The article

Agapanthus

Indigo Frost™ Agapanthus

Agapanthus hybrid ‘AMBIC001’ PP25519
Festuca

Beyond Blue™ Fescue

Festuca glauca ‘Casca11’ PP23307
Garden Jewels™ Gerbera Daisy

Gerbera Daisy Garden Jewels™ Red

Gerbera Daisy hybrid ‘Garswlove’
Spiraea

Little Bonnie™ Dwarf Spiraea

Spiraea bumalda ‘BI0601’ PP24553
Nandina
Red and green layered foliage of Obsession Nandina

Obsession™ Nandina

Nandina domestica ‘Seika’ PP21891
Agapanthus

Ever Sapphire™ Agapanthus

Agapanthus hybrid ‘ANDBIN’ PP26336
Dianella

Clarity Blue™ Dianella

Dianella hybrid ‘DP401’ PP27348
Leucothoe

Burning Love™ Leucothoe

Leucothoe keiskei ‘Opstal 50’ PP27132

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