Annual Plant Sale
Orchard Park Train Depot
Images shown may be digitally or AI-generated for illustrative purposes only and are intended to inspire, not to represent exact inventory. Actual plants will vary in size, bloom color, and form based on maturity and growing conditions. Please refer to plant labels at time of purchase for accurate care information.
Container Garden Recipes for Full Sun
These are planting recipes — curated combinations for you to recreate in your own containers at home. Each recipe is designed for sun compatibility, matching light, water, and seasonal needs. Individual plants are available for purchase at the sale.
- Gerbera daisy — orange/tangerine
- Senecio cineraria (Dusty Miller) — silver foliage
- Calibrachoa — mixed warm tones (orange, yellow, magenta) trailing
A sun-drenched Mediterranean palette inspired by the Italian countryside. Gerbera daisies are magnificent but prefer excellent drainage — plant in a quality potting mix and never let the container sit in standing water. The silvery dusty miller bridges all the warm tones beautifully.
- Antirrhinum (Snapdragon) — mixed red, yellow, white
- Calibrachoa — pink bi-color
- Lobularia maritima (Sweet Alyssum) — white trailing
A cheerful cottage-garden confection of bold snapdragon spires rising above a frothy cloud of white alyssum. The alyssum is subtly fragrant and a magnet for beneficial pollinators. Snapdragons thrive in cool weather and make excellent cut flowers.
- Pelargonium (Geranium) — salmon/peach upright
- Gomphrena globosa — deep purple globe amaranth
- Diascia or Bacopa — pink/white trailing
Globe amaranth (Gomphrena) is one of the most underused annuals — long-lasting, deer resistant, and beloved by bees and butterflies. Its clover-like purple globes create a beautiful complement to the warm salmon geraniums. Excellent heat and drought tolerance once established.
- Tagetes erecta (African Marigold) — tall yellow
- Zinnia — orange/coral mix
- Calibrachoa — yellow trailing
A warm golden arrangement that repels garden pests naturally — marigolds are well-known for deterring aphids and other insects. Long-blooming through summer and into fall, this combination glows like a harvest lantern. Perfect for front porches and entry containers.
- Salvia farinacea (Blue Victoria)
- Cuphea (Vermillionaire or similar)
- Lobularia / Lobelia — trailing purple
A stunning monochromatic purple arrangement with three distinct textures — upright salvia spikes, mounded mid-level cuphea, and cascading lobelia create a layered ‘thriller-filler-spiller’ effect. The cool purple palette attracts butterflies and hummingbirds all season long.
- Zinnia — mixed jewel tones (orange, magenta, yellow)
- Rudbeckia hirta (Black-eyed Susan)
- Ipomoea batatas ‘Blackie’ (Sweet Potato Vine) — burgundy trailing
Zinnia and Rudbeckia are both outstanding butterfly attractors. The dark burgundy sweet potato vine provides bold contrast to the vivid blooms and fills the container beautifully. Deadhead zinnias regularly for continuous color from June through frost.
- Salvia farinacea (Blue Victoria)
- Scaevola (Fan Flower) or Angelonia — purple mid-layer
- Lobelia erinus — trailing blue
Cool blues and violet tones evoke a clear summer sky over water. This combination is extremely heat-tolerant and long-blooming. The layered purple tones shift subtly in different lights — deeper in morning shade, jewel-bright in afternoon sun.
- Canna lily — bronze/dark foliage with orange blooms
- Celosia (Cockscomb/Plume) — orange-red mid-layer
- Ipomoea batatas ‘Margarita’ (Sweet Potato Vine) — chartreuse trailing
A bold tropical statement! Canna lily is a dramatic thriller with architectural foliage. Celosia plumes echo the canna’s orange tones while the electric chartreuse vine grounds the whole composition. In Western New York, treat canna as an annual or overwinter the rhizomes indoors.
- Salvia farinacea — deep purple/blue spikes
- Angelonia — white mid-spikes
- Petunia — periwinkle blue trailing
- Lobelia — sky blue accent
- Artemisia / Dusty Miller — silver foliage filler
The silver dusty miller acts as a living highlight, making the blue and white blooms appear luminous. This is a refined, cottage-style planter with an almost French country sensibility. Particularly beautiful in evening light.
- Cleome (Spider Flower) — pink and white
- Alternanthera or Lysimachia ‘Goldilocks’ — chartreuse/gold filler
- Dichondra argentea ‘Silver Falls’ — silver trailing
The extraordinary silver dichondra cascades like a waterfall of coins over the container’s edge. Cleome is a heirloom cottage garden flower with an airy, open bloom. This combination has an almost ethereal, old-world quality and is wonderfully fragrant on warm evenings.