Brighten up your next outdoor gathering by growing these blooms inspired by Viva Magenta, Pantone’s 2023 Color of the Year.

If colors had personalities, Viva Magenta, Pantone’s 2023 color of the year, would be the life of the party. This exuberant purplish crimson hue seems to pulsate with energy. According to Pantone, the color was inspired by nature—the cochineal beetle to be exact—so it’s perfect for brightening up your outdoor spaces. Tap into the “magentaverse” with the following palette of flowering annuals, perennials, and shrubs. Their color-drenched petals will add a festive element to any garden party.

Supertunia Black Cherry

Add easy-care vivaciousness to containers and flower beds with ‘Supertunia Black Cherry’ petunia. This sun-loving annual plant has a mounding habit. It will fill the nooks and crannies among more upright plants with eye-catching cherry-red color. And for a more pink variation, try ‘Supertunia Royal Magenta’ petunia.

Glimmer Burgundy Double Impatiens

The rose-like flowers of ‘Glimmer Burgundy Double’ impatiens give this hardworking, shade-loving annual an instant makeover. As if dressed for an elegant gala, this impatiens variety adds both style and sophistication to every patio, porch, or shady nook it graces. It has a vigorous, mounding habit and will quickly fill a 12-inch-wide container. Grow impatiens in full shade or an area that receives morning sun and afternoon shade.

Superbena Royale Romance Verbena

Heat and humidity won’t stop the bloom party for ‘Superbena Royale Romance’ verbena. This low-growing, trailing annual grows best in full sun and is an excellent plant for adding easy-care color to container gardens. If flowering slows in mid-summer, trim the stems back by about 3 inches. New flower clusters will appear in about 3 weeks.

Titan Cranberry Vinca

The flower party goes on and on and on with ‘Titan Cranberry’ vinca. Flowering from spring until the first frost in fall, ‘Titan Cranberry’ vinca is a reliable source of vibrant color, thanks to its velvety, dark pinkish red flowers. Grow this sun-loving annual in containers or plant 10 to 20 plants together in the garden for a wave of color that can’t be missed.

Mandala Purple Kalanchoe

Heat and dry conditions don’t stop ‘Mandala Purple’ kalanchoe from brightening up your summer garden party. Kalanchoe is known for its drought tolerance and easy care as a houseplant. Grow this succulent as an outdoor container plant in summer and use it to add color to tabletop pots. Group several plants together for a low-growing, color-drenched centerpiece at your next alfresco dinner party. ‘Mandala Purple’ kalanchoe grows best in full sun.

Purple Rooster Bee Balm

Many bee balm varieties fit in the “magentaverse” with bright pink, purple, or red flowers. For example, ‘Purple Rooster’ (shown here) is one of the most purple varieties. It grows between 3 and 4 feet tall. On the pinker and shorter end of the spectrum, try ‘Leading Lady Razzberry’ bee balm in the front of your border garden. It tops out around 14 inches tall. Plant these perennials in full sun or part shade where you can watch bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds wing in for the nectar. Hardy in Zones 4-8.

Mountain Frost Ruby Glitter Dianthus

A low-growing perennial that blooms spring through fall, ‘Mountain Frost Ruby Glitter’ dianthus is perfect for the front of a sunny border or flower garden. Its cheerful flowers stand above 6-inch-tall grass-like blue-green foliage. If dianthus stops blooming in midsummer, trim away old stems to encourage new flowers to form. Hardy in Zones 4-9.

Luminary Ultraviolet Phlox

Impress your guests with magenta-flowered garden phlox such as ‘Luminary Ultraviolet’ (shown here), which gets about 3 feet tall. For something shorter, try ‘Ka-Pow Pink’ that tops out at 18 inches tall. The bouquet-like flower clusters of this hardy perennial attract bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds. Plant phlox in full sun and well-drained soil. It grows 16 to 18 inches tall and wide and blooms in summer. Hardy in Zones 4-9.

Summer Crush Hydrangea

A hydrangea variety in the Endless Summer line known for blooming all season long, ‘Summer Crush’ features pinkish purple to bright raspberry pink flower heads (the exact color depends on your soil pH). This type of hydrangea grows best in well-drained soil and locations that receive at least 6 hours of sunlight a day. Summer Crush stays under 3 feet tall and is hardy in Zones 4-9.

Summerific Evening Rose Hardy Hibiscus

Flowering when much of the landscape is beginning to wane at the end of summer, Summerific ‘Evening Rose’ hardy hibiscus closes out the garden season in high style with 8-inch-wide, deep pink flowers and nearly black foliage. This perennial grows about 4 feet tall and is hardy in Zones 4-9.

Lil’ Raspberry Butterfly Bush

Butterflies won’t be the only visitors to this bright, long-blooming shrub; it will draw the attention of passersby too with its magenta flower clusters. A welcome low-growing, compact butterfly bush, ‘Lil’ Raspberry’ in the new Butterfly Candy collection tops out at just 2 to 3 feet tall and wide, making it perfect for edging a patio or growing near a foundation. Plant it in well-drained soil where it will receive at least 6 hours of direct sunlight per day in Zones 5-10.