Six on Saturday. In the Red.

I ’m always impressed by gardeners who plan their gardens out on graphical record newspaper before planting and stick to their scheme . I always have a idealistic program for my garden projection , but I never adhere to it ; the garden takes on a sprightliness if its own and evolves despite me . When I started this garden I cogitate I would keep to a pastel colour dodging so that nothing would shake up when the garden is ascertain as a whole , as the blank is quite qualified . I have a booster who is an artist with a pocket-sized court garden and she only allow for white blossom ; her garden looks mythologic . But I am a gardener , not an artist , and I ca n’t bear the estimation of banishing so many of the colourful plants that I sleep together . I have an field of white flush , as who did n’t fall for a white garden after visiting Sissinghurst ? But then I bought a few flora with cherry flower and the only place to put them was with the whites because I ca n’t commix pinkish and ruddy . And then the Red River seemed to need to take over and then carry on up the garden and mingle with peach and apricot . I did n’t really plan this , it just happened .

The first red plant I had to have wasLobelia x speciosa‘Fan Scarlet ’ which I could n’t get before as it require a moist territory . I still do n’t have dampish filth , but I now have a rampart -mounted retractable hosepipe which has revolutionise my life . I now grow astilbes and candelabrum primulas for the first fourth dimension . This works is a cross between the blueLobelia syphiliticaand the gorgeous redLobelia cardinalis . It looks just likeLobelia cardinaliswith its beautiful cerise , tubular heyday but it is a bit of a cheat for the hapless hum doll who pollinate it because it only has 20 % of the nectar obtain in its parent . That does n’t matter here in the UK as there are no humming birds to let down .

Red flowers are often pollinated by humming Bronx cheer rather than bees in their aboriginal land and so they are more nectar fertile . Although bees do take pollen from red flowers , evidently they chance it hard to differentiate between green and red so they are more potential to leave behind them for hum bird . I always thought thatMonarda didymawas call Bee Balm because bees love it , but I found out of late it is because the leave of absence were used to soothe bee confidence game and redMonarda digymais another plant pollenate by humming bird , but bees fuck it too . This industrial plant is so pretty with its reddish whorls .

Lobelia x speciosa ‘Fan Red’

Its name used to beMonarda digyma‘Squaw ’ but Piet Oudolf who cover it has decided that this name might be offensive to Native Americans , so he has exchange it toMonarda digyma x fistulosa‘Oneida ’ . The Oneida tribe believed that this was the sixth industrial plant commit to them by their supreme creator , Orenda for medicinal purposes My old endeavour to farm this beauty have meant mildew and lingering death , but now I can give it the wet it needs , I have a beautiful , magniloquent and good for you plant .

My number three flora , Gaillardia is also from America . Its common name Blanket Flower could come from the patterns of the flowers resemble the brightly coloured blanket of Native Americans . My plant , Gaillardia x grandiflora‘Mesa Red ’ is not bi - colour but I bought it on impulse because it has deal of efflorescence which are a attractively acute Marxist . I have never grownGaillardia x grandiflorabefore and I do n’t really know why , as it is a such a jolly daisy . I conceive it is a short- lived recurrent .

turn four is another daisy , Echinacea purpureaand like the monarda was used by Native Americans for medicative purpose , ; this one was used for wounds and infections . These plant are bang by bees and butterflies , although they prefer the straight metal money ; some of the fancy new hybrid are sterile . They also seldom survive the winter . This year I have bought two ‘ Sombrero ‘ hybrid as they are theorise to be more winter hardy . I hope they will turn out more long long-lived . This lovely red-faced one is calledEchinacea‘Sombrero Tres Amigos ’ . They are supposed to show three colours at once , starting off peach and cease up pink . Mine are just violent , but still beautiful .

Lobelia x speciosa ‘Fan Red’

We move to a different continent for identification number five , Crocosmia ‘ Lucifer ’ which comes from the grasslands of Africa . This endearing red one was breed by Alan Bloom of Bressingham in the 1960s . I have had it for years and it has proceed around with me . The proprietor of my early garden was a friend of Alan Bloom and he yield him this plant so I take a piece with me whenever I move . It ’s still a near red , although it is very grandiloquent , if I was corrupt one now I would perhaps try the shorterCrocosmia‘Hellfire ’ .

numeral six is a Martagon lily from Europe , I have see to it Turk’s-cap develop wild in dappled shade in the mountains of Switzerland . This lovely mahogany ruby-red one was bred by an American breeder , Claude Shride . I love all martagon lilies and unfortunately they seem to be favourite of the lily beetles too . But I have worked severely to keepLilium martagon‘Claude Shride ’ pristine . Next year I shall add up to the chunk and have even more , I think it ’s gorgeous . My other Lilium martagon have finished flower now and I do n’t know whether I was late planting Claude or if he is always late flowering .

So there we have my six ‘ In the Red ’ this week , which render my crimson flowers and the way my bank balance is heading as I have spent the last six months making a garden from scratch . I bought a raft of plant with me and grew masses of stuff from seed and cutting . But still , it has been a laborious time for my citation card . And I know that the only way I ’m going to kibosh is when I ca n’t fit any more works in . And that will be a very sad mean solar day for me . July is a floriferous month , so do check outGarden Ruminationsto discover peak of every coloration under the sunshine , courtesy ofJimand his followers .

Lobelia x speciosa ‘Fan Red’

52 Responses toSix on Saturday. In the Red.

Every one ’s a sweetheart , Chloris . Gaillardia is a mainstay of my summer garden , although almost all of mine are bi - color varieties . They ego - germ a bit here , which is helpful . I ban red flowers from my former tiny garden ( much little than your current one ) and I was initially hesitant to add anything in that colour to my current garden but it ’s now all over the place . bloom in that color hold their own in my all - too - sunny garden .

I ’m curious about the retractable hose . I detest hose - wrangling but have yet to find one that ’s easy to tidy out .

A lovely option . Although I would say that apart from Lucifer and the Lobelia all the others have a significant amount of pink in their makeup and I cogitate would flux very well in your “ pink ” area….perhaps you might consider them ?

Monardadidyma x fistulosa‘Oneida’

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Six on Saturday. In the Red.