Gardening colour trends. This seems to be the buzz of conversation amongst gardeners right now. What will this year bring? I was recently discussing this topic with fellow writers, Jennifer Reynolds and Karen York, editorial writers with Gardening Life magazine, and we all came to the same conclusion that 2003 was going to be the year of hot, vibrant colours, the brighter and bolder the better. No half measures, anything goes, oranges and reds are definitely in – ‘hot’ colours are ‘cool’!
Although I expect to see many exciting new annuals taking on shades of blazing hot colours, I thought it would be interesting to explore some of the more unusual orange perennials and share them with you. You will be surprised how many there are, and what’s more, many are North American natives. Although there are many tried and tested ‘hot’ colour perennials such as Asclepias (Butterfly Weed), Gallardia (Blanket Flower), Helenium (Helen’s Flower), Kniphofia (Red Hot Poker), Lycnus (Maltese Cross) and Papaver (Poppy), here are a few from the new arrivals on the scene I suggest you try.
Visualize some of these beauties planted throughout your garden, or simply plant a few in their own ‘hot’ bed. This is the time to start planning; perennials will be arriving at the garden center before you know it. Others can be started from seed and the seed racks are in and full to the brim. For the best selection of perennial and annual flower seeds, there is no better time than the present to stock up.
I expect that all of the ‘hot’ colours will sell fast in 2003!
Hibiscus moscheutos ‘Kopper King’ (Rose Mallow)
You will love these shrub-like, tropical-looking hibiscus. This is the cultivar that dies down to the ground in the fall and comes back late each spring – a perennial hibiscus that produces such huge flowers that they border on being classified as ‘novel’. With dinner-plate sized blooms in late summer ‘Kopper King’ is a winner. The huge (30cm) white blooms that appear in August-September have a bright red center that streaks out through the venation. However, the crowning glory is the 3-5-lobed, maple-shaped leaves of copper-red with orange-red undersides. I feel this is certain to become a staple among Hibiscus enthusiasts for many years. Like all Hibiscus, plant in full sun/part shade in fertile, moist soil and, be patient, this is a late arrival in the spring garden, but well worth the wait. Hardy to Zone 4 (Sudbury).
Hemerocallis ‘Pardon Me’ (Daylily)
If you have an addiction to daylilies (as I do), this is one you will love. They are a wonderful, long-lived perennial and from over 30,000 named varieties you can’t fail to have a few in your garden. These lily-like flowers enjoy being planted in a sunny, well-drained location, with at least six hours of sun per day. ‘Pardon Me’ is not only an excellent dwarf, repeat-blooming variety with cranberry-red flowers but also has fragrance and is one of the few daylilies to remain open at night. Only 45cm tall but definitely a plant to be noticed. Hardy to Zone 2 (Thunder Bay).
If you are still unsure, and perhaps not quite ready to allow your garden to explode into a firework display of kaleidoscopic colours, you can still stay with the trends in a more subtle fashion by incorporating these colours into your shade garden. For example:
Astilbe chinensis ‘Visions in Red’
This is an ideal plant for the shade garden, for although it shows far greater sun tolerance and drought resistance than any other Astilbe, ‘‘Visions in Red’ is a brand new introduction that prefers moist, rich soil in partial shade to render star-billing performance. The extremely long-lasting true red-purple blooms will provide colour from July to September and an application of fertilizer in early spring and again after blooming will be beneficial. A compact plant reaching to 35cm and hardy to Zone 3 (North Bay).
Athyrium felix forma (‘Lady in Red’ (Fern)
This is an exciting new selection from the
