New 'hot colour' border

Hi Everyone, hope you are all well during lockdown and enjoying your gardens.

I'm creating a new hot flower border with lots of clashing yellows, oranges, purples and reds. I really love the hot garden in Rosemoor so I'm trying to recreate a small one! My border is 3m X 1m and I've grown a load of dahlias, salvia, coreopsis and achillea from seed (first time for me ).

I'm looking for suggestions of medium sized shrubs which could add a bit more structure, perhaps with dark purple leaves, that won't get too huge as the border itself isn't that big.

If anyone else has anything similar I'd love to see photos.

Thanks very much

 

Hi Nessa,

Samabucas Nigras ‘Black Lace’ has very dark purple leaves and has pink flowers. Might be worth looking at.
Rusty

 

Good luck!

Same for me based on the Hot Border at Hidcote (only Reds)

Nightmare to actually get plants the right colour, online descriptions and photos are often miles off I have found planting plants for Hidcote maybe similar exists for Rosemoor?


Hidcote Hot Border







Mine:

Blue


Cerise


Pink


Not red


Lavender - my fault!

 

Hi @NessaJ70 ,

Not shrubs, but will add height and come in glorious hot colours and red/purple leaves , have you thought about Lobelia.

Theres are Species such as ~ L. Cardinalis , L. Tupa, L. Laxiflora var. Angustifolia.

There are loads of Cultivars such as ~ Fan Scarlet, Queen Victoria, Starship, Vulcan, Black Truffle ( This one has almost black leaves with fiery red flowers).

Also have you thought of Delphinium Nudicaule and it"s Cultivars such as " Redcap " .

 

Thanks Rusty, looks great, love the colours. I'm concerned that may end up getting too big? I know I could keep it pruned but not sure if constantly pruning a plant that wants to be so much bigger would lead to problems. Any ideas?

 

I cut mine right down each year ("Stooled"). Grows back strongly and foliage is more dramatic, but flowers will be diminished. Its great for a backdrop

 

Those look great, I had no idea that lobelias came in so many different types. My previous experience of them was my grandmother who used to plant blue and white lobelia and red geraniums in symetrical formal lines all around her garden

I'll see if I can get hold of some. Thanks again

 

Thanks Kristen, and also for the fab photos. Your border looks amazing, one that I can aspire to! Rosemoor sent me their planting plan for their hot garden but a lot of the plants I liked would fill my little border. Perhaps cutting it down each year as you suggest is the way to go.

 

Any chance of a copy? I'd be very interested in the specific varieties they are using - its a blinking long way from me so negligible chance I will get to see it in person.

 

Sure, here you go. The ones in bold are shrubs and grasses as they are the ones I specifically asked about. If you ever do come to Devon, Rosemooor is well worth a visit. The Hot Garden in particular is stunning, and they've just opened a lovely Cool Garden too.

 

Fantastic, thanks very much

 

Your borders look great @Kristen even with the mishap . I were going to ask you if you had any herbaceous borders

 

The nicest type of small/medium sized purple shrub in my garden is this type of pittosporum and it is particularly good because it is evergreen. I also have a purple leaved variety of hebe that might work but mine is only planted a few months so not sure how it will look when it settles in yet. It is visible at the start of this video clip. There is also a purple variety of myrtle I have planted but again it is only just starting to settle so not sure how it will do in the long run. The coprosma I have planted are really badly effected by winters here so not sure they would be hardy enough to recommend but the colours of the leaves do get very nice.

 

I have a hot bed Yellow - red - orange - strong magenta / purple colours - dark foliage, well been trying for a good few years now , I tend to change my mind and keep trying different plants , its only small 2m by 1.5 ish. Last year I tried mainly dahlias for the main show but the slugs were keeping me awake at night. This year I am going with achillea Terracotta with some kniphofia mango I bought late last year.

I have a problem of trying to fit in more type of plants than what can really fit in the space. The plants which are in permanently are Sambucus Black lace - phomrium black velevet a white buddelia - red climbing rose on the fence, herbaceous plants Lobelia tanna / tanna sister - crocosmia lucifer - coeripsis zagreb - crocosmia george davieson - Heuchea purple palace / red cola - sedum touchdown teak - Rudbeckia herbstonne - Solidago fireworks - iris sultran supreme , bulbs Crown imperial fritillaria - orange tulips - lots of allium globemaster . Far to many plants for that little plot

I dont have many pictures from last year mustn't of been to happy with it .
I remember now I grow some tithonia which were useless 2019, barely flowered with a mass of foliage.

I found a older picture 2017, I've had to remove some f these plants couldn't keep the slugs off them in this bed

 

Originally planted a mixed colours herbaceous border, with a mix of coloured shrubs behind. Went to Hidcot, saw and liked the Hot Border there, decided we should have one here ... but we are stuck with all the Non-Hot Colours we already had which were, by then, mature.

Over on the other side we planted a mix shrub border, with a narrow strip along the front for predominantly bulbs, and a few herbaceous. As they got to maturity we decided that should be a Blue and White border ... some snags on that one too!

I blame Planning (as in Lack Of!!)