Seeing Red. (My comeback post)

Eddie Lee May, 1941-2014. This post is dedicated to Lee May, author of Lee May’s Gardening Life blog. In my life, Lee was a blogging buddy, writing mentor, and fearless gardener. I was never so proud as when I appeared on his blogroll. He is greatly missed. 

I once read that one was never to use red in the landscape because it interrupted the visual flow too much. For that reason, I’ve refused red blooms for years and still observe this rule today. That goes for annuals too- not in my pots. It is indeed a powerful color which has an interesting set of associations –heated emotions, passion, violence, communism, a sign of warning (traffic lights etc), and of course blood. I’m just not a fan, but admittedly have purchased a few red geraniums in my day. Other than that, I easily ignore the other red flowers at the garden centers… until this year.

My personal container designs have become a testing and trial exercise on how to exploit the virtues of a particular color. For several years, I have chosen a specific color theme to adhere to. The intent of this self-imposed constraint is to force myself to use new colors and new plants that would otherwise go ignored due to my finicky color prejudices which I developed some time ago. New plants mean new plant combinations, and new combinations mean better design savvy (hopefully). So this is where my stance on red takes a turn. This year I would work in red.

It took a while to amass enough plant material to begin. Many of the reds are just too fiery and off-putting. If I were to commit to red, it would have to meet me half way. I needed lovely sumptuous reds that would pull you in instead of agitate the eye and make you want to look away. I’m pleased with most of the results. Would I ever enter the red zone again? Not by choice, but the point of my exercise is simply to expand my knowledge of plants and use of color. Armed with this year’s experience, I’m confident I can create something beautiful with reds if I am ever called upon to do so. As I reflect on the past year, I am reminded that life is short. Try everything. Even red.

Please enjoy this visual survey and notes from my containers. Hover over the bottom left of an image to reveal my notes.

The large petals on Geranium Calliope Dark Red make them very showy, even from a distance. I love the deep dark color of this semi-trailing geranium.

The Calliope Geraniums were paired with variegated ivy. Two urns welcome visitors as they step up onto the front porch. I love the traditional feel of geraniums paired with ivies.

One of my favorite combos used only two plants: Lemon Twist Plectranthus (top) and Bat Plant (trailing). This pot just got bigger and better throughout the season.

Each flower on this peculiar annual resembles a bat’s face, hence the name Bat Faced Cuphea. The dark purple faces have electric orange-red ears. A great plant for a child’s garden.

Bat Faced Cuphea has a strong arching habit but can be pinched back to maintain a dense shape. This was my first time growing this annual. The tiny blooms pack alot of bright punch.

Shady spots near the back patio did not escape the red motif. Several pots were filled with Caladium Red Ruffles. Repetition of a singular plant in pots is no different than planting en masse in the landscape. It is calming to the eye and creates a strong unified look.

The red color of the foliage is intensified by the small green band of green around each leaf. Colors directly across each other on a color wheel, such as red and green, are known as Complimentary Colors. They create the strongest contrast for those particular two colors. Other popular pairs include yellow & purple, and blue & orange.

The north stoop was the perfect place to create a vertical gesture with vining Cissus Discolor. I was drawn to the dramatic foliage with subtle red hues. Even the vines are red and that little bit allows it to relate to the overall red theme.

The Dahlias were outstanding this year. Their red color held dark blue undertones and that’s exactly the red shade I prefer. Dark and dramatic. This is Dahlia xxl Taxco. In the background: Red Splash Plant.

The Dahlia color lies somewhere between the dark purple and orange-red of the Bat Plant in the background. Reds are hard to match up, but careful selections will give you a pleasing spectrum. Always look for strong color relationships to tie things together.

The focal point of my patio containers use five different plants: Cordyline, Dipladenia, Coleus, Sweet Potato Vine, and Hankonechloa Aureola. Nothing fancy. All were purchased at a local garden center. On their own they are lovely, but combined together they create a sensational display.

I love the range of sumptuous reds in the Cordyline Florica Red. The foliage held so many different shades and that encouraged me to combine different reds in the containers. This sole plant became my guiding spirit.

In the front center of the large pots is Dipladenia Rio. This non-stop blooming tropical has very soothing dark red velvety flowers- perfect for this setting. The last thing you want is a fire engine with lights on sitting next to you as you try to unwind.

The Lava Rose Coleus serves two purposes. First, it trails nicely out of the pot and gently intertwines with the other plants. Second, the color supports the red theme in a sly way. Red is a main component of burgundy and magenta, and that links this Coleus perfectly to the color theme.

A matching combo pot sits on the other side of a teak bench. Purple Sweet Potato Vine coaxes dark shades out of the flowers and foliage. The bright green grass is Golden Variegated Hakone ‘Aureola’. It’s there for texture and color contrast. It is a shade loving grass and will be relocated to a bed once the pots are disassembled.

I repeated the Geranium and Ivy combo in two urns which flank the stairs to the back lawn. This zonal Geranium is much more intense in color than the Calliope Geranium used in the front of the house. By end of season, the Ivy was trailing halfway down the urns.

I do not remember the name of this zonal Geranium. It favors the red-orange tones. Not my favorite shade of red, but I had to explore everything to fully understand the merits of each red shade. Good old fashioned Geraniums are tough plants and can be overwintered.

It’s just Lantana. Very common and very everywhere, just like McDonald’s. I specifically chose this because of the yellow. Just wanted to see how long I could stand it.

The Lantana and Geraniums were the last annuals to get discarded. The Lantana hung in there through some cold temps, but once we hit the frost stage, it was a goner. Some days it was nice to see the yellow combined with red, but was never really enthralled. If actors in a movie, I put them in the ‘Extra’ category.

Of course I had a Red Mandevilla (Sun Parasol Pretty Crimson). This is a plant I am familiar with and it is usually foolproof. However, I had one decline and had to replace it mid summer. The vine is a climber and had many blooms for the remainder of the season.

A beautiful tropical that looked great all season was Pseuderanthemum Rubrum. This plant was a gift from a close friend. I was drawn to the dark foliage and the red tones under the leaves.

Pseuderanthemum is sometimes known as Black Varnish Plant. Although small when I received it, it grew to at least 48” tall. This pot was underplanted with Red Splash Plant.

Hypoestes is known as Splash Plant in garden centers. I had never grown this plant, but gave it a try since one of them is splashed in red. It is great as an accent foliage plant and I understand how people can be drawn to it for containers.

Begonias are a nice foliage plant for areas without direct sunlight. I had several on the front porch and loved the subtle red shades of the otherwise dark mysterious foliage. Look at those red stems. They are magnificent.