Viva Magenta - Pantone Colour of the Year 2023

"Pantones Color of the Year, Viva Magenta 18-1750, vibrates with vim and vigor. It is a shade rooted in nature descending from the red family and expressive of a new signal of strength."

- Leatrice Eiseman, Pantone Color Institute

The Pantone Colour of the Year is Viva Magenta, a great hue for gardeners to incorporate into their plantings for 2023 (and beyond!).

For those of you looking to work this vibrant shade into your pots, planters and landscapes for this coming season, we have picked a few of our favourite plants...

Gladiolus 'Lumiere' is a Dutch Novelty Glad that is great for borders and cut flowers.  'Lumiere' grows to 100 cm (40") and is best in a sunny location.  Glads are not winter hardy so dig them up in the fall and store in a frost-free area.

Calla (Zantedeschia) 'Captain Romance' is a tropical plant that produces lush foliage and long-lasting blooms.  Callas grow best in sun to part sun and can be used in containers or in the garden.  'Captain Romance' grows to 40cm (16").  To save bulbs over winter, dig in fall before frost and store above freezing.

Petunia 'Supertunia Vista Fuchsia' is very vigorous, with a mounding habit that can reach up to 2 feet in height in the landscape and will trail over the edges of baskets and containers up to 3 feet by the end of the season.  It is a fantastic landscape plant and is also great in large containers, where they function as both fillers and spillers in mixed plantings.  In garden beds, they will work either in the front or middle of the bed. 

Dianthus 'Paint the Town Magenta' is a brightly coloured perennial that produces single, vibrant magenta pink flowers atop a low mound of glaucous blue foliage. Use it to edge sunny borders and pathways.  Blooms in spring to summer reach 20 cm (8").

Hibiscus 'Evening Rose' produces huge 8”, puckered hot pink flowers in summer that cover a round, dense habit of near black foliage. A must have statement piece for your garden!  This perennial Hibiscus grows best in part sun to sun with consistent moisture.  It can reach 4 ft in height and 5 ft  spread.

Rosa 'Oso Easy Peasy' has already been decorated with a prestigious Award of Excellence in the No Spray division from the American Rose Society. Its apple-green foliage resists powdery mildew and black spot, and its abundant magenta flowers appear in endless profusion from early summer through frost. The size and scale of this rose and its blooms is perfect for incorporating into flower gardens - about 3 ft height and spread.  Like most roses, it performs best in a sunny location.

Weigela 'Spilled Wine'  shares the fabulous deep purple foliage and bright pink flowers of the classic Wine & Roses^® weigela but in a smaller size. This useful plant grows wider than tall, making it the perfect choice for edging beds or walkways and for incorporating under windows in your landscaping. Like all weigela, it is deer resistant and very easy to care for.

 Photos courtesy of Proven Winners, Walters Gardens and VanNoort Bulbs