You don't have to be a master gardener to have the most beautiful flowers in your neighborhood. If you're like me, you love how bright, colorful flowers dress up your home, but you don't want to spend a lot of time laboring over them. The process of choosing, planting and maintaining plants can be overwhelming. I've discovered a collection of flowering plants called 'Simply Beautiful' that can make even a lazy homeowner look like a professional gardener. Simply Beautiful is a new national brand of the most beautiful, consumer-friendly flowers ever to be found in stores and gardens. These plants are unique not only because they are proven performers, but also because they come with a special "all-you-need-to-know" support system. This includes plant tags with simple, easy-to-understand growing tips, and an interactive web site -- all designed to give you confidence and ensure your gardening success. Among the elite is the new 'Tidal Wave' Petunia. Believe it or not, it's bigger than a Wave Petunia and has actually launched a whole new class of petunias: 'Hedgiflora' because of its hedge like quality. Whether in beds or large patio containers, phenomenal is a good way to describe Tidal Wave and the way it grows and changes almost before your eyes. The one-of-a-kind 'Tidal Wave' can fill in a full square yard of garden space and explodes with color all season long. For your gardens, hanging baskets, and planters that will be in the sun, choose the intense color of 'Periwinkle Blue' Lobelia. Large white centers and cascades of blossoms highlight these blue-purple flowers all summer long. And unlike standard lobelia varieties, 'Periwinkle Blue' shows great tolerance to the heat. Another heat-loving winner is the 'Butterfly' Penta. Hundreds of small starry flowers adorn each flower head and although they look tropical, they can take anything Mother Nature can dish out in the North. You'll enjoy watching the parade of butterflies, hummingbirds and bees that are attracted to these plants too. For your shady garden spots, I can't say enough about 'Fiesta' double impatiens. These vibrant flowers are foolproof, and will add masses of bright blooms to any shaded container or bed. They are heat-tolerant and bloom continuously until the first frost. Speaking of heat-tolerant, don't forget 'AngleMist' summer snapdragons, sort of a poor man's orchid that thrives in both dry and wet conditions. You will find all of these and dozens of other Simply Beautiful plants at fine garden centers. You can also learn more about the collection by visiting www.simplybeautifulgardens.com. Courtesy of ARA Content, www.aracontent.com, e-mail: info@aracontent.com
