Every year, Pantone’s Color of the Year announcement is eagerly anticipated by interior designers as a prediction of decorative trends ahead. This year, however, the color is equally exciting for gardeners and landscape designers. Peach Fuzz, as it’s been dubbed by Pantone, captures a color that’s been recently trending in plant breeding—a pastel pinkish orange that’s equal parts romantic, unexpected, and versatile. Here are some of our BHG Test Garden picks for bringing peach-colored flowers and foliage into your garden year-round.
'Alabama Slammer' Avens
'Alabama Slammer' is "a late spring bloomer that adds charm to the front of the border," says BHG Test Garden manager Sandra Gerdes. This newer avens (Geum spp.) variety reaches only 10-14 inches tall by 10-12 inches wide, but produces a whopping 150-plus flowers per plant, ranging from gold to peach colored. This perennial grows best in part shade to full sun and Hardiness Zones 5-7.
'Peach Julep' Coleus
Brightening up shady areas can be a challenge, but it's one that this coleus from Terra Nova rises to without much fuss. The easy-care coleus's peach-colored leaves are strikingly outlined in red and green. Reaching 14 inches tall and 12 inches wide, this coleus works best as an annual plant in containers or planting beds in full sun.
'Itsy Bitsy Peach' Rose
A brand-new hybrid from Monrovia, this miniature rose is a boon to small space gardeners. 'Itsy Bitsy Peach' reaches only 18 inch tall and 24 inches wide. It flowers prolifically, producing blooms in a mix of yellow, pink, and peach from spring into fall. It's hardy in Zones 5-9.
'Fresco Apricot' Coneflower
From late spring to frost, the frilly flowers of 'Fresco Apricot' coneflower (Echinacea purpurea) bring tons of color—and butterflies—to garden beds. They also make stunning cut flowers. The pollinator-friendly plant gets about 2 feet tall and prefers a sunny spot in Zones 4-9.
'Apricot Sparkles' Daylily
This unusually colored daylily (Hemerocallis sp.), part of Oakes's Rebloom Collection, blooms early in summer and continues putting on a show for several weeks. Its 4-inch flowers on 18-inch-tall plants always grab attention in the BHG Test Garden. "It adds a soft glow to any sunny garden spot," says Gerdes. 'Apricot Sparkles' is hardy in Zones 2-8.
'Northern Exposure Amber' Coral Bells
Bring on the heat, cold, and rain, full shade or full sun: 'Northern Exposure Amber'coral bells (Heuchera sp.) from Terra Nova can stand up to it all. Its foliage adds unexpected color to the garden on plants that grow about 14 inches tall and 18 inches wide in Zones 3-10. In late spring and early summer, it sends up small, greenish-yellow flowers.
'QIS Apricot' Limonium
Add a little English garden charm to your yard with this delicate-looking, sun-loving annual statice (Limonium sinuatum). Plants grow 21-30 inches tall and begin blooming in summer. The papery flowers make long-lasting fillers in homemade bouquets.
'Queeny Lime Orange' Zinnia
Each flower is fascinatingly different on 'Queeny Lime Orange,' an All-America Selections–winning zinnia that features streaks of lime and yellow on peach-toned petals. Easy to grow from seed in full sun, these annual plants reach about 30 inches tall.
'Indigo Pearl' New Zealand Flax
'Indigo Pearl' New Zealand flax (Phormium spp.) from Monrovia is as sturdy as it is striking, doing well even in drought conditions once established. The sword-like leaves are edged in a peachy-pink color. It grows an impressive 3-4 feet tall and wide in full sun. It's hardy in Zones 8-11.
'Creamsicle' Red Hot Poker
'Creamsicle' is a hybrid red hot poker plant (Kniphofia sp.) from Terra Nova that was bred for smaller spaces and longer bloom times; the stunning spikes of pale peach and sherbet-orange flowers keep on coming all summer and into fall. The plant reaches 18 inches tall and 16 inches wide, and is hardy in Zones 6-9.
'Sienna Sunset' Coreopsis
From summer through fall, daisy-like flowers on this coreopsis start out a burnt sienna color and then fade to lighter orange, with shades of peach in between. This perennial plant does best in full sun and is hardy in Zones 5-9. 'Sienna Sunset' grows 16-20 inches tall and 20-24 inches wide.
'Rainbow Marcella' Coneflower
These coneflowers look like they've been painted, with petals in sunset hues of peach, orange, and pink. Plants reach 20 inches tall and produce abundant flowers throughout the summer, drawing all kinds of pollinators. 'Rainbow Marcella' is hardy in Zones 4-9.
'At Last' Rose
This Proven Winners hybrid delivers all the fragrance of an old-fashioned hybrid tea rose, but also boasts exceptional disease resistance. Large, petal-packed, peachy flowers bloom from late spring through fall. 'At Last' grows 30-36 inches tall and wide, and is hardy in Zones 5-9.
'Terracotta Star' Amaryllis
A pretty departure from the usual red or white amaryllis, 'Terracotta Star' features peachy petals with dark veining. Each bulb produces 2-3 stems and blooms for 7-9 weeks indoors through the colder months.