Red – A passionate color for a vibrant garden
Even though variety is said to be the spice of life, sometimes you want to make a powerful statement by using just one color. In this series of blogs, we’ll look at how you can create a beautiful garden using one single color as your guide and inspiration.
Range of reds
Ah, there are so many reds: The juicy dark red of a pomegranate, the happy red of a clown’s nose, the gleaming red of a fire engine. British mailboxes, traffic lights, the blood in your veins and the stripes on our flag. And all of them have the same message: Hello I’m here! Red refuses to be missed and is all about being noticed.
Love and danger
But noticed for what? Clearly not for its meekness and reticence. Red wants to tell you about grand emotions: love, passion, the joy of being alive. And maybe also a bit about danger and mystery: Don’t go here, you might get hurt. But that’s also part of the appeal: What mystery lies beyond this red door? Who is that enigmatic lady in the wine-red dress standing alone at the party?
Velvet and vacation
All our red flowers carry these messages (and more) in abundance. Some, like Jumbo Amaryllis Royal Velvet have dark, velvety blooms that speak of seduction, while others, like Anemone De Caen Hollandia sport a bright red that brings to mind the joyful shouts of a child running out of school to greet a long-awaited summer holiday.
Tulip time
But the queen of red is the tulip. So many juicy reds to choose from, all with their own special beauty. And if you want to, they can ensure a red garden all the way from early spring to the end of May. Here’s how:
- Early spring
One of the first tulips to bloom is Red Emperor. This tulip starts out with its very long petals standing upright, for an almost tropical effect. After a while the petals fan outwards, giving you full view of its yellow hart and stamen.
Red Impression is the absolute archetype of a tulip. It’s a Darwin Hybrid, which are famous for their size: extra long stems ending in large blooms that will truly stand out in your garden.
- Mid spring
Moving into the height of tulip season, we meet two double tulips: Abba and Red Pomponette look like fire-y peonies and to make things extra sweet, they’re fragrant as well.
In this period we also find beautiful tulip Red Power, which is very popular for bouquets and vases because of the interesting shape of its blooms: the semi-pointy petals allow you to see all the layers of the bloom.
- Late spring
As the tulip season winds to an end, nature still has a few reds in store, like absolute stunner Red Shine. This lily flowering tulip has petals that are claret colored at the base, gradually changing to bright crimson at the edges. Truly a tulip to behold.
To let the red tulip show go out with a bang, none could be more suitable than tulip Kingsblood. It has the color of cherry-red lipstick with just as much luster and shine, and blooms that look a bit like upside down hearts.
Vermillion variation
If you’re ready for red but also want something different, we have two wild cards for you as well: Alliums normally come in white and purple but they do have one redhead in the family, Allium Red Mohican. Another unusual bulb is Dicholostemma Ida Maia, with its funny elongated wine-red blooms hanging from tall, thin stems.
