Wednesday, January 22, 2014

Red in the Garden


The colour RED is a power house. It can dominate and take over if used too much in a garden but it can also perk up a bland, pale garden with a solid shot of colour.

There are many shades of red: lots of yellow is found in scarlet and crimson. Others have more blue which then make red more of a burgundy wine colour.

Reds can be tamed by placing them closer to silver but if you put them close to white - you get a razor sharp contrast.

Red berries and bark stand out fabulously in winter against the white of snow.


The first red that will show up in my garden will be the small tulip "Red Riding Hood"


Many tulips are red, the most famous being the Darwin tulip. Above are some frilled red tulips that I received on Mother's Day.



The most successful annual I grew last summer was a red fibrous begonia. In the top picture, you see it paired with white and just as they said - it provides a sharp contrast.


The sharpness of Celosia is toned down by the silvery-gray of Dusty Miller behind it.


Climbing rose 'Blaze' is a deep rich true red. An added bonus is its velvet soft leaves.


One year a surprise white cluster rose grew beside the climbing red rose - don't they look lovely together?



Red lilies make quite a statement, especially when they are massed like this.


Maltese Cross self seeds and provides a terrific scarlet shot of colour among yellow Helenium.



Bee Balm or Bergamot is such an interesting red flower with its fountain-like blooms.



My Dad's front yard full of red dahlias in late summer are nothing short of WOW!



These "Burning Bushes" live up to their common name - they look like they are on fire!


Red berries are gorgeous against a backdrop of white snow


And if all else fails, add red cushions in your sitting area. Nice, bright and cheerful!

Please take a look at my other blog, Astrid's Home - no recipe this time but some wardrobe shopping ideas.

12 comments:

Nadezda said...

Hi, Astrid!
I enjoy seeing your red garden after your blue one. Love Celosia and your dad's Dahlias, nice bright red color.
Have you covered your plants for wintering, I saw on TV you had -30C.

DH said...

It was great to see the Blaze rose. I think I have one, but I am not completely sure so looking at yours I am more sure. it grows beautifully anyway.

Jennifer said...

Red and green are my two favourite colors. I love to wear red, but I also love it in the garden. You have lots of great garden reds in this post Astrid. I like the red and white roses together. Very Canadian eh? I have lots of pink roses and could use to add some red ones and maybe a few more white ones as well.

Gardens at Waters East said...

Thanks for posting all the "reds". I have a number of the same plants here and it was nice to see the collection put together. JC

Astrid said...

Hi Nadezda
I don't tend to cover my plants. Most of them I don't even mulch. the majority live through the frigid winter and survive (thank goodness!)
Astrid

Welcome Singing Gardener
Blaze is a beauty! I have it in several places in the garden.
Astrid

Hi Jennifer
I really should add more roses too but I am running out of room. Aren't you just DONE with this frigid weather? Brrr!
Astrid

Hi Jack
Glad you liked the reds. Did you see the blues? More colours coming soon.
Astrid

Lee@A Guide to Northeastern Gardening said...

Hi Astrid. I am enjoying your colors in the garden posts! Red is a powerful color. I enjoy it on my red Double Knock Out Roses, especially when next to something blue! I hope it gets warmer soon for both of us. It has been frigid out there!

Astrid said...

Hi Lee
Red and blue are a lovely combo - strong and eye-catching. Be sure to feature them in later posts if you have them together in your garden.
Yes - enough already of this polar vortex. Go home and bother Santa. Leave us alone!
Astrid

Indie said...

I love red flowers! I think a lot of people think that red is too strong and bright in the garden, but I think that even a pastel garden looks quite good with a pop of wine red or rose red. And I love a bright, cheerful garden with oranges and reds in it!

HELENE said...

Hi Astrid, I just love red flowers – I actually made a similar post last year, with all the red flowers in my garden. Of all the red shades I can think of, crimson red is the lovelies – that deep red, almost blackish red colour, just like my rose Crimson cascade :-) But I like my red poppies too, mine are 'Beauty of Livermere' are yours the same?

debsgarden said...

Your red blooms are lovely! I love red in small doses. I was amazed at how beautiful a red amaryllis looks in my garden amidst all the greenery.

Astrid said...

Hi Indie
Nice to hear from you! I like orange and red together in small doses as well. Bet you are starting to get lots of ideas for your new garden.
Astrid

Hi Helene
I'll have to backtrack through your blog to see your red post. You always show such interesting flowers plus you always remember the names of plants!
Astrid

Hi Deb
How wonderful to be able to put an amaryllis in the garden. For us it's just a special flower grown in a pot at Christmas.
Astrid

HELENE said...

Astrid, I will save you the work of looking through all my posts, it was back in July 2012 I wrote the post ‘I just love red things!’ You can find it here: http://graphicality-uk.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/i-just-love-red-things.html
I have just red through that post again, funny how it seems so long ago, and yet almost like I wrote it last week…anyway, my kitchen has had its final update since then so it was a bit strange to see what it looked like back then. Now I got new cupboard doors with new modern handles, more wall storage and a new fridge. My kitchen looks great now – still same red colour!
And here is another post about red colours – plus some other colours.
http://graphicality-uk.blogspot.co.uk/2013/07/hot-colours-for-hot-july.html

I don’t have a super memory, far from it, I remember the names of my plants because I have them all written down.
http://graphicality-uk.blogspot.co.uk/p/plants.html

Hope you have a great week –and far better weather than we have, it’s stormy weather with pouring rain again, horizontal rain today. My poor fuchsias (still in flower) were really taking a beating!