Pack A Punch In Your Garden With Pantone’s 2012 Color Of The Year

Download the news release in Microsoft Word format: NR_Tesselaar_Using Pantone Color of Year 2012.doc.

Dec. 16, 2011 – Sometimes life calls for a little attitude. And you’ll definitely find it in “Tangerine Tango” – the Pantone Color Institute’s^®2012 Color of the Year. This “spirited reddish-orange,” just dubbed the new “it” hue by global color authority Pantone, is sure to burn up any of the fog left over from a gloomy economy and – as Pantone says – “provide the energy boost we need to recharge and move forward.”

“Sophisticated but at the same time dramatic and seductive, Tangerine Tango is an orange with a lot of depth to it,” says Leatrice Eiseman, Pantone’s executive director. “Reminiscent of the radiant shadings of a sunset, Tangerine Tango marries the vivaciousness and adrenaline rush of red with the friendliness and warmth of yellow, to form a high-visibility, magnetic hue that emanates heat and energy.”

So what plants can bring this hot, exciting color to our gardens? And how do we use it in our landscapes to its fullest? Here are just a few ideas:

Tropicanna Black^®cannas

“The reddish-orange blooms of the dark-foliaged Tropicanna^®Black canna certainly match Pantone’s Tangerine Tango,” says Anthony Tesselaar, cofounder and president of Tesselaar Plants, developer of the colorfully foliaged Tropicanna line of cannas. “What’s more, the backdrop of black, broad leaves makes its hot, bright blooms pop out at you even more.”

Tesselaar suggests using red-orange with other plants featuring subtle echoes of the same color: “Not too much of this fiery hue,” he says. “A little goes a long way.”

For example, he suggests this sizzling “thriller-filler-spiller” combo: Tropicanna Black as the thriller, red-orange ornamental peppers as the filler and thread-leaved croton (with reddish-orange streaks) as the spiller.  

Or, since reddish orange is opposite of greenish blue on the color wheel, he suggests grouping it with plants like the frosty, cool-hued Dichondra argentea ‘Silver Falls’ and the blue-bloomed Salvia farinacea.

“Don’t forget the pot, adds Tesselaar.

“Containers look just as good in Tangerine Tango as the plants!”

On her North Coast Gardening blog, California garden designer Genevieve Schmidt suggests a more analogous color grouping: Tropicanna Black cannas with other sizzling-hot reds like Helianthemum (sunrose) ‘Henfield Brilliant’ and Clianthus puniceus (parrot’s beak) ‘Red’.

Similarly, Tropicanna Black canna blooms add sizzling red-hot color to your landscape – even in the shade! – when paired with the red-orange blooms of Bonfire^® begonias, which

can also handle shade (see more on Bonfire below). In fact, Tropicanna Black’s foliage actually turns blacker in the

shade, heightening the drama and color contrast of this combo.

Hi-res images & fact sheets

Tropicanna^®Black bloom (close-up)

Container combo: Tropicanna Black, ornamental peppers and croton

Helianthemum ‘Henfield Brilliant’

Clianthus puniceus (parrot’s beak) ‘Red’

Tropicanna Black, Dichondra ‘Silver Falls’ and Salvia farinacea in a red-orange pot

Tropicanna Black cannas and Bonfire begonias

Tropicanna Black cannas fact sheet

Bonfire begonias

“Bonfire begonias’ fiery, red-orange blooms are surprisingly versatile,” says Tesselaar. “They’re able to make a strong statement by themselves or serve as the exclamation point on any palette of colors.”

Again, a tone-on-tone color scheme with other reds is sure to bring on the drama, says Tesselaar. He suggests grouping Bonfire begonias with scarlet Next Generation Flower Carpet roses (drought, heat and humidity tolerant).

“I’ve found that the reddish-orange of Bonfire looks most provocative when paired or grouped with deep burgundies, true purples or silver foliage,” says Sabina Reiner, brand manager of Selecta First Class. (Bonfire begonia is sold through the Ball Horticultural Co. network as part of the Selecta First Class catalog of products).

Hi-res images & fact sheets

Bonfire begonias – a color statement by themselves in hanging baskets

Bonfire begonias with silver and burgundy foliage

Bonfire begonias adding a punch of hot color to the landscape

Next Generation Flower Carpet Scarlet roses

Bonfire begonias fact sheet

Next Generation Flower Carpet roses fact sheet

About Tesselaar

Tesselaar Plants searches the world and introduces new plants for the home garden, landscape, home décor and gift markets. Tesselaar Plants undertakes extensive research and development of its varieties and, once selected for introduction, provides marketing and promotional support for its plant brands through its grower and retail network. Tesselaar’s portfolio of plants is small by design, given rigorous standards that result in high-quality, dramatic, prolific plants that are also environmentally friendly and exceptionally easy to grow.

The Tesselaar philosophy is to introduce exceptional plants while “making gardening easy” for everyone, so it makes them widely available as possible. Tesselaar believes that the more gardeners there are, the better it is for everyone.

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