Kari's Garden Plant List 2004 red and darks themed plants

Online Plant Catalogue - Reds, Oranges, Bronzes, Purples

Plants for hotter or more dramatic schemes, also read 'Anyone for Pink in the Red border' and 'The Best Laid Plans?'

Key: [P] Perennial :[A] Annual or tender perennial :[B] biennial : [Bb] Bulb/Corm etc.: [Cl] Climber/Twiner : [H] Hardy :
[HH] Half-hardy : [Sh] Shrub : [T] Tree : ** Scented

Main plant list : Later flowering : Red themed : Scented : Bees & butterflies : Common plant names

Plant name	Description
Abutilon 'Souvenir de Bonn' [Sh/T H/HH]	Often used in summer park planting schemes. White edged green leaves and orange flowers in later summer. Detail
Achillea [P] Yarrow 'Christel' - rich maroon 'Fanal' [The Beacon] - bright red 'Faust' - deepest red 'Feuerland' - red/ gold 'Marmalade' - orangey gold 'Walther Funcke' - brick red	Long stems rise up from spreading ground hugging mats of finely ferny leaves. Achilleas are one of the staples of the wilder 'prairie' planting style but also good in more formal plantings. Height 36 inches+ [90cm] in flower Detail
Amaranthus h. 'Intense Purple' [A]	Grows up to 24ins [60cm] with deep purple leaves and red stems. A very rich colour to set others off and best planted in groups. Detail
Anthriscus sylvestris 'Ravenswing' [P H]	The purple form of the otherwise maligned 'Cow Parsley'. Displays a pinkness in the white flowers. From seed, so variable depths of colour.
Anthyllis vulneraria 'Coccinea' [P H]	A red form of our native kidney vetch. Claws of red pea flowers over low mounds of crawling foliage. Flowering in June. Detail
Antirrhinum majus [A HHP] 'Black Prince'	Snapdragons are good value for flowers and much overlooked sadly. Delicious dark purple-red foliage and flowers. Detail
Aquilegia [P H] 'Roman Bronze'	Granny's Bonnets very much a 'cottage garden', plant well loved and reliable. Intense yellowy/bronze foliage topped by deep violet flowers, 24ins [60cm]
Astrantia [P H] 'Hadspen Blood' & 'Ruby Wedding'	These red 'Hattie's pincushions' are proving very popular, Maybe not haute gardenista any more but still causing a stir for both cottage gardeners and the wild prairie planters. Fairly adaptable as to soil and sun/shade.
Atriplex hortensis 'Rubra' [A]	Purple Orache, tall growing annual, like a large 'Goose Foot' or 'Good King Henry' [Chenopodium]. The purple leaves provide a good fast growing background making over 6ft [2m] in a year. Self seeds happily. In the past used as a substiute for spinach and as a purge - be warned!
Carex [P] buchananii comans 'Bronze' testacea	New Zealand Sedges are very useful foils and these one's are drought tolerant. Chocolatey bronze evergreen foliage. I use a few of these threaded through the red border to add some structure. Detail Similar to C. buchananii in colour but smaller growing. Another evergreen sedge this time with orange tinted light green foliage. It is finer and more upright in appearance than C.buchananii.
Centaurea kotschyana [P H] **	European native, Lowish growing, very dark purple waxy 'thistly' heads and a noticable sweet scent. Moistish soil in sun.
Cirsium rivulare 'Atropurpureum' [P]	Has this one also had its five minutes of fame? I hope not. A big plant at Chelsea a couple of years ago in the Oudolf/Maynard garden. Deep purple thistly flowers, spiky mats of foliage, moistish soil in sun, good for bees. Will seed around if happy.
Coleus [Solenostemon] 'Palisandra' [P HH]	An indoor plant but can be used as bedding in the summer. 'Palisandra' has the deepest red black foliage. Detail
Colquhounia coccinea var vestita [Sh H/HH]	From the Himalayas and SW China, in sheltered situations can make a somewhat fast growing large shrub. Deep orange flowers. Detail
Cosmos atrosanguineus [P H/HH] sulphureus 'Polidor mixed' [A]	What can I say? 'Chocolate Cosmos' Detail Looks like a cosmos flower but smaller and single to semi-double. Unlike C.bipinnatus it comes in shades of golden orange, adds airy accents to the middle of a late summer border. Keep deadheaded to encourage flowering.
Crocosmia [Bb H/HH] 'Emberglow' 'Emily McKenzie' 'Jackanapes' ' Meteor' 'Solfatare' 'Star of the East'	Staple of later flowering planting schemes. Detail Reddish with yellow throat - tall growing [70 - 100cm] Flared orange flowers with distinct throat markings Smallish red and yellow flowers. Large red flaring flowers Lowish growing with bronzy leaves and yellow flowers Tall growing dark green foliage and large deep orange flowers.Very striking
Dahlia [Bb H/HH] coccinea palmeri 'Bishop of Landaff' 'Bloodstone' 'Summer Night'	Tender tuberous perennial plants originally from S.America. Detail Reddish-purple foliage and single open scarlet flowers. Very dissected reddish foliage and single lush red flowers. Very intense deep scarlet decorative with green foliage. Deep red-black spider flowers over green foliage
Dianthus barbatus 'Nigricans' [B] superbus [P] 'Crimsonia'	This Sweet William really does stop you in your tracks, deepest purple foliage and very red flowers, Biennial to short lived perennial. The pink version [Large Pink] is native to France, Germany and Scandinavia in dry and sometimes shady places. 'Crimsonia' has deep red very fringed flowers. Not that many denizens of the red border carry fragrance [roses and sweetpeas spring to mind] so a pleasing addition.
Digitalis [P H] parviflora	Dense clustered spires of small purple- brown 'bells'. A native of Southern Europe makes about 2 - 3ft [60-90cm].
Erysimum [B/P] Wallflower 'Blood Red' [SOLD OUT] 'Aurora'	Who can resist one of the first really scented flowers of the year? A rich intense red. Apricot with pink and orange shading.
Eschscholzia [A] 'Inferno'	Californian Poppy - 'Inferno' is a gorgeous deep burnt orange. Very warming [and arresting!] when the flowers open their glistening funnel petals to the sun. Detail
Eucomis comosa 'Sparkling Burgundy' [Bb H/HH]	Fat strappy deep purple leaves and large purple suffused fleshy flowerheads.
Foeniculum vulgare [P] 'Purpureum'**	Purple Fennel, in time the purple-bronze feathery foliage makes a stately airy presence 6 - 7 feet tall. Lovely when the yellow seed heads contrast with the foliage in the red border.
Geranium pratense 'Purple Haze' [P]	I have a few available, variably purple to dark reddy-green leaves, intensity of colour increases through the season.
Geum [P] Avens 'Karlskaer' 'Mandarin' chiloense 'Mrs J Bradshaw'	Garden stalwarts for sun or part shade, some are gentle modest creatures others provide more immediate impact. Intense large single orange flowers Very large frilled vibrant orange flowers Another cottage garden dependable, doubled scarlet-red flowers on long stems over low neat foliage.
Gladiolus [Bb H/HH] 'Black Jack' 'Queen of Night' primulinus 'Hastings' primulinus Mrs A Rowley	Deep red flowers with black edging 3 feet [100cm] Rich blackcurrant fading to violet. Big bold glamour for the late season border Brown and orange Yellow and brown striped
Heiracium auranticum [P H]	Hawkweed - fantastic tangy orange dandelion-like heads on spreading mats of fuzzy leaves. Good ground cover in a sunny position. Detail
Helenium [P H] Sneezeweed 'Moerheim Beauty'	Heleniums are a classic 'daisy' for the late summer border and prairie style plantings. In tones of reds, golds, yellows, browns and bronzes [or combinations thereof!] They seem to go in and out of fashion. I have found that they sometimes take a while to bulk up in the rather dry and exposed position I grow them, after that they are off! I may also have some 'Indianer Sommer' and 'Waldtraut'
Helianthemum [P] 'Henfield Brilliant' 'copper'	Rock or Sun Rose - single crinkled petals to tight doubles. June flowering Rich single flame-orange over silvery mound forming foliage. Detail Came to me un-named. Small deep green shiny leaves, copper orange flowers. [One of the Ben's maybe?]
Helianthus [A] Sunflower	Velvet Queen multiheaded in rich reds
Heuchera [P H] x 'Palace Purple' x 'Emperors Cloak'	Border stalwarts - evergreen foliage in various purple combinations, good plants to show off deep reds and tangy oranges. 'Emperors Cloak' has crispier edges.
Ipomea Morning Glory tricolour [Cl A HH] 'Darks' Kniolas Black x Grandpa Otts	Bindweed look-alikes in gorgeous colours and annual, so not a problem. Fantastic sight en masse when the flowers are open on a late summer/early autumn morning. Detail
Iris [Bb H] g 'Mount Stewart Black'	Deep purple black
Kniphofia Red Hot Poker 'Nancy's Red' 'Alcazar'	One of the reddest 'red hot pokers', this is a refined lady not the thumping big red and yellow type. Willing and increases well. Taller growing and more robust in growth with glowing orange heads
Lathyrus odoratus [A] Sweet Pea 'Black Prince' - dark purple, lighter keel 'Midnight' - purple black 'Windsor'** - purple black	The epitome of summer, the scent of Sweet Peas mmmm......
Libertia peregrinans 'Gold Leaf' [P H]	Very showy stiff orange sword shaped evergreen leaves, white flowers in the summer.
Lilium [Bb H] lancifolium 'Flore Pleno' Tiger Lily 'African Queen' ]**	These are not flowering size - will take another 1 - 2 years. Eventually long stems topped with very doubled orange flowers spotted with black. Detail Scented bronzy orange trumpets flowering slightly later in July than L.regale. Height 24 - 30 inches.
Lobelia [P] tupa [Sh H/HH] laxiflora [HH]	Chunky red lobelia [nothing like the more familiar L.erinus of pot and basket fame]. Felted leaves topped in July by thick spikes of red tubular flowers. Hardy to around -10°C. Willow-like leaves with red and yellow trumpet flowers.
Lychnis [P H] arkwrightii 'Vesuvius' viscaria 'Firebird'	Green and maroon fuzzy leaves with large single orange flowers, very showy. Is perennial but not totally reliably, although the majority I planted in my garden are coming up again. 'Sticky Catchfly' - this is a selected form of the wild flower which is normally pink. 'Firebird' has red flowers over a neat green rosette of foliage.
Mina lobata [P Cl HH] Quamoclit lobata/Spanish Flag	A tender climber for later summer flowering outside. Fingered fig-like leaves and spikes of claw flowers that run from cream to red. Grow through shrubs or up canes in a pot. Can sulk early on like the Ipomea but then romps away!
Monarda [P H]** Bergamot 'Adam' 'Mahogany'	'Bee Balm' or Bergamot, originally from the US, the pleasantly scented foliage is an added bonus especially when weeding. Moist soil in sun. Cherry red. Maroon with coloured bracts.
Ophiopogon planiscapus 'Nigrescens' [P H]	'Black Grass' except it isn't [similar to Liriope]. Stiff deepest black arching leaves. Small spikes of lilac flowers in the summer. To be at its best this plant needs low growing contrasting plants around it, it is lost on its own particularly against dark soil. Sun, height 8 - 10 ins.
Papaver [P H] heldreichii [spicatum] orientalis rupifragum	Soft orange, tissuey flowers over a low mat of softly bristly leaves. These blowsy perennial poppies flower in June. The low growing hairy foliage sends up great stalks topped by big silky petals. Mixed but predominantly red. Frail, single soft orange flowers over low mounds of cut green leaves. I have it growing in gravel. Shortish lived but it is a prolific self seeder.
Pelargonium [P HH] sidoides triste lobatum	Crinkly grey green leaves sprawly growth and deep red to black umbels of flowers Softly fuzzy carroty leaves with greeny yellow and brown flowers, night scented.Tuberous roots. Another tuberous rooted night scented geranium, blackish maroon and yellow flowers. The plants should be allowed to go dormant after flowering and started back into growth in September. Main flowering March - May inside.
Penstemon [P H/HH] 'Chester Red'	Good for late summer borders.[Others will be added later] Scarlet red
Potentilla [P H] 'Etna' 'Gibson's Scarlet' 'Gloire de Nancy'	Deepest red single flowers rising up from mounds of fingered foliage. Scarlet single flowers on sprawly stems over mats of fingered foliage. Tawny maroon doubled flowers.
Roscoea scillifolia [Bb H]	An oddity, the flowers are very small and black. Lower growing than other roscoea.
Salvia aurea [africana-lutea] [P HH]	South African seed, tan flowers over grey foliage a bit unusual.
Saxifraga fortunei [P H]	A useful woodlander. Glossy reddish-green rounded scalloped leaves form a neat mound which looks fresh all summer. In October heads of many white flowers appear above the foliage giving a frilly effect. Light shade and moisture. Height 10 - 12 ins.[20-30cm]
Scabiosa atropurpurea 'Chile Black' [P H/HH]	When in flower a definite 'I want it'. Deep black cushiony heads. Generally hardy, prefers sun and good drainage.
Tropaeolum [A/P HH] Nasturtium 'Hermine Grashoff' majus 'Black Velvet' 'Empress of India' 'King Theodore'	Another favourite. I allow the trailing types to self-seed providing a riot of oranges in late summer until the first frosts. Lovely double nasturtium, shaggy orange petals probably best grown in pots to either trail down or be trained up a support. Detail Almost black flowers is the promise - non trailing At its best deep red flowers over dark foliage - non trailing From the 1890's almost maroon flowers and dark foliage - non trailing
Tulipa [Bb H] 'Phillipe de Comines' 'Queen of Night' [SOLD OUT] sprengeri	Late into flower, an old black cultivar dating from 1891 Deepest black-purple single flowers - add instant drama to planters and borders Vivid lipstick scarlet and luscious, late flowering single.
Zinnia tenuifolia 'Red Spider' [A]	Small intense red flowers over loose bushy growth, keep deadheaded. Full sun. Detail
April 2004	Top

Main plant and price list : Later flowering : Red themed : Scented : Bees & butterflies : Common plant names

@ Kari's garden 2002 - 2004