12 October 2007

More marvelous magenta


Given that we've fallen into a dreary spell with a heavy rain and wind earlier today, I can feel the chill hand of autumn reaching for my spirits. To counter that, I present you with some more magenta moments; all of these are currently still blooming in my yard, with the exception of one photo, which I'll explain when we get to it.
To begin with, I love the juxtaposition of the vibrant flowers of this single rugosa against the startling clarity of its hips. I'm a real softy for rugosa roses--we have a number of Hansas, Roserie de la Haie, Dart's Dash, and a few that are just not known, all in various shades of fuchsia/magenta. (I have white, yellow and even soft pink ones too, but when the magenta ones start to bloom, I bury my nose in them and make happy sounds because the sultry fragrance goes so well with that voluptuous colour.


This is a surprise, or volunteer, nicotiana, because this year I didn't plant any at all, so it obviously flowered from seed cast away last year. The only drawback is the lack of scent, a problem with most of the hybrids. Next year, I plan to have species nicotiana, both in green and white, in the garden again.

Uh oh....I'm starting that talk about 'next year's garden' already!


I bought this as a not-necessarily hardy penstemon, (and I've written earlier that I wasn't crazy about penstemons til Sour Grapes. If this overwinters and comes back, terrific. If not, that's okay--I've really enjoyed its rich colour and it's still flowering its little head off in my garden. I don't know the species or cv, just that I got it at Glad Gardens and they always have interesting plants.


Here's how to get an obedient plant that really IS obedient, and doesn't try to wander all over the garden--get the variegated form, which not only features icy-white and green foliage, but leaves that develop a tint of rich rosey magenta as the season winds down. Oh, and of course those fun little florets in our featured colour, too.


This plant is just going out of bloom now--a variegated phlox, not the white and green variety other bloggers have mentioned in the past; I'm having an absent-minded moment right now because I can't remember this plant's name. It's an odd combination, perhaps, but it works for me for just that reason.


Ah, here we have one of those photos that just doesn't do the flower's colour justice. Rose campion is the deepest, richest shade of fuchsia imaginable; and with that silvery foliage it just leaps out of any planting, but it does it with class. It selfseeds around our garden, not overwhelmingly but wherever it is, I'm glad to have it. The white and white with rosey centre forms are also lovely and welcome, but this is my favourite.


My dear friend Flora dug this clump of autumn crocus, or Colchicum, for me several years ago. These plants fascinate me, coming up with great foliage in the spring that gradually melts away--then this profusion of ghostlike flowers emerge in September. They're still hanging on out there, several weeks after first emerging, too.


Now this is a fun photo. We have something like a dozen different clematis around the place, and while most are identified, this one isn't. Notice that it has both single and double flowers happening at the same time; the first time we saw this happen, three years ago, we thought there were two separate species planted by accident. But the next spring I checked when I cut the clematis back, and nope--it's all one plant. Weird, isn't it?


Anyone have any ideas what its name is? Isn't it a dandy flower?


This is a hardworking and never-troublesome false mallow, or sidalcea; I move little clumps of it occasionally and it starts up anew, but it never tries to take over the neighbourhood. The bees just LOVE it...and I love the light behind it and how it makes the flowers look so delicate. They're winding down, but there are still some out there to nourish the late bees.


An exuberant coloured aster of medium height is the New York aster 'Jenny'. She's quite different from Alma and Thyra Viking and other pink, red or magenta types, and really attractive.


To wind up today's post celebrating magenta, I leave you with this shot of a friend's garden; part of it, that is. Earlier this summer, it was awash in perennial sweet peas and heathers in rich shades of pink, purple and you guessed it, magenta. Now, the walls bordering one side are covered in Virginia Creeper, displaying itself in a host of fuchsia related shades. Behind the walls are tall, willowy clematis, purple coneflowers, perennial cranesbills also boasting this happy colour. But the main reason I post this is because Jim is recovering from very serious surgery, and this is my get-well-quickly wish to him and his wife and family. We walked around their garden yesterday, and that was good for him, and I hope that by spring, he'll be raring to get back working in this marvelous garden. So heal quickly and well, because I have plants to give you!

8 comments:

  1. I can't even tell you how much I've enjoyed these last two magenta posts! You've utterly convinced me that I need more magenta in my gardens, and given me lots of good plants to look for when I visit the nursery :-)

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  2. Oh my goodness. I have never before wished that I had virginia creeper... but I am SO there now!

    It is well known that I am not a fan of pink. At all. But you're convincing me that I could make fast friends with magenta. :)

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  3. Jodi, I think the magenta phlox with the green and gold variegation is called 'Goldmine'. I got mine at The Briar Patch in Berwick. I am also going to try to overwinter my Penstemon which I got at Glad Gardens, too.
    Tony Chaulk

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  4. Woohoo, more magenta! It is great to put your nose into an old fashioned voluptious (sp?) magenta rose and inhale deeply. Bliss doesn't begin to describe it. ;-)

    My Clematis Blue Boy also gives me double and single flowers, very strange. Love your clematis, both the single and the double flowers.

    Your NY aster Jenny looks great, rather long spiky petals and I love that colour!

    I think you have given Jim a great insentive to get well soon. ;-) Love that pic of his garden and I also hope he will make a speedy recovery.

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  5. I LOVE the photo of the false mallow. Just a gorgeous shot! And I really need to get some autumn crocus too. Great, now you've got me going as bad as Kylee is! What is wrong with us??? Thinking about next year's garden has GOT to be a sign of some serious illness or something. ;) Cindy at Rosehaven Cottage

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  6. Two possible candidates for your clematis are Andromeda and Patricia Ann Fretwell. You can look them up on Clematis on the Web to determine if it is either 1 of these. It could be something else. Whatever it is, it's special. Love that magenta!

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  7. The last two posts have been fun for me, too, Jodi - your pictures are wonderful. Although the dark blue violets are my favorites, I've loved many of the plants you grow and photograph, especially when they are tucked in as accents, rather than in overwhelming numbers, and when the green of the foliage is a larger percentage of the plant than the flowers.

    This may be a result of too many crepe myrtles in bloom since we moved to Austin - when they are at their peak you can barely look in any direction without encountering them. The individual flowers are on the hot pink side but en masse give off a magenta glow... and when they're paired with magenta bougainvillea it's just too much.

    Annie at the Transplantable Rose

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  8. Thanks for the kind words, Jodi. We are already looking forward to next spring and the surprises that it will bring.

    -Jim

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