The Heat is On: Hot Colors in the Garden

I guess you could say my garden is cottage style. Nothing is really neat or organized about it. I have things paired up with good companions, I'm careful about height, I don't like weeds, but mostly, its pretty chaotic. The colors are explosive, and sporadic. There's no denying I'm drawn to every shade of color, and I find place for both the pastels, the bolds, the brights, and the whites. Sometimes they are even side by side... and that's alright, too. But if I had to pick one hue as a favorite, it would be sunset. Anything orangey red, corally, with splashes of yellow or burgandy, I'm sold. Have the words hot, papaya, sunset, sunrise, fire, tomato in the title? Want, want, want. I love how you can see these hues from far away- they create impact that cannot be ignored. So, with the heat wave we're experiencing I pulled together my favorite hot colors in the garden this month.

Without a doubt, 'Hot Papaya' Echinacea is one of my favorite plants in the garden. It is a bloom factory! The color is to-die-for. The flowers are huge! Its the first coneflower to bloom in my yard. I can't find a damn thing bad to say about it.

This year it made two wonky flowers- this is not a shadow or sunlight, the flower is really half and half. Very fun.

This is rose 'Playboy'- even the name is hot.

 

And there are few hotter roses than 'Disneyland'.

I have quite a few hot colored asiatic lilies.

Royal Sunset

'Stones'

'Tiny Dino'

My neighbor gave me some snapdragon seedlings, and these little red guys are awesome. I love how the bell faces upward.

But this orangey one, like a mango color? OMG. I love it!

Fabulous little mini dahlias-dahlinova Oregon Red in this plater just blooming their little heads off. These were a steal at $.50 a piece on clearance one year... and here they are years later.

The Monarda is just starting to bloom, and two bright hot flowers caught my eye this evening:

I picked up this 'Secret Desire' coneflower last spring, and she's trucking along now. Last year was kinda slow, but I love her coloring this year. Very hot.

But the hottest coneflower of all? Tomato Soup. Yow!

Stay cool everyone!

Spring Teaser

I never posted some of my favorite garden shots from last spring! How dare me!
I thought I'd do it now, as we're all sitting and waiting for our first blooms of 2011 (well, atleast here in Wisconsin). I looked at the forecast for the town I'm moving to in Minnesota this week, and they still have lows around 12F. Yikes. I can't imagine spring coming any later than it already does in Southern Wisconsin. Come next year, I won't have to. I've already warned my husband- I'm gonna need a green house and cold frame. For sure.
Hyacinth:

Daffodils:

I may be taking some of this pink charm with me, because I love her!

Primrose. I always find them all pooped out in late winter on some clearance shelves in home depot, and they turn into this the following year. I have blues and whites, too...

Bleeding Heart. I moved her last fall, and I have not seen her coming up yet... worried. Perhaps I'm remembering wrong where I put her?

And my tulips. I'm going to miss all of my Darwin Tulips, especially Apricot Impression. Look at those curling flower petals. Poetry.

Perfect over muscari:

Apricot Beauty, with her fringed silvery foliage.

Above a blue groundcover veronica.

Red Impression.

Daydream seemed to change colors overnight.

Happy Spring!