Monrovia Nursery
Flowers that will put gardens in the pink include Pixie Meadowbrite coneflower (Echinacea). |
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Pink is more than the name of a color. It's a common term for dianthus, those spicy scented flowers so popular in cottage gardens. Pink also means “the highest degree” as “in the pink of health.”
Today, it's also a trendy fashion statement. Ranging from soft, delicate hues to bold and brassy brights, pink is a hot color for clothing, furnishings, interior accents – and gardens.
Fashions in flowers ebb and flow, reflecting color trends on the runways and home decor. This season, it's time to think pink, for flowers and foliage.
Shades of pink are perennial favorites of women, notes Linda Guy, spokeswoman for Plants That Work by Novalis, a consortium of wholesale growers. “Men make the decisions of what plants to grow, but women make the decisions about which plants to buy. A lot of change is taking place because we girls have more input now, and we like pink.”
So does P. Allen Smith, renowned gardening expert, landscape designer and author. “Pink is an agreeable color that is easy to work with in the garden ...it makes a beautiful backdrop in the border,” he writes in his new book, “Colors for the Garden” (Clarkson Potter, $32.50).
“Pink flowers spilling over a gray urn are respectable,” he elaborated in a phone interview. “Or combine silver foliage plants like lamb's ears or artemisia with pink petunias or phlox.
“But if you want to go sassy, try pink and orange.”
Simply Beautiful
Tidal Wave Hot Pink trailing petunia
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An event in Smith's own garden sold him on that combo. At a charity plant sale, he purchased what were supposed to be choice white daylilies and planted them as companions for the salmon-pink flowers of Bright Eyes phlox. When the daylilies turned out to have bold orange flowers, Smith was initially shocked, but soon found the combination to be “satisfyingly startling.”
Nicholas Staddon, director of new plant introductions for Monrovia Nursery, wholesale growers headquartered in Azusa, also is seeing more pink pop up in landscapes. Choices popular with San Diego gardeners, he says, include New Zealand tea trees with tiny flowers in shades of pink; new Strawberry Lemonade butterfly bush with pink flowers accented by variegated foliage; compact Teenie Geenie lantana with fuchsia and yellow flower clusters; and the Forest Pansy redbud that heralds spring with its bare branches lined in rosy-pink flowers.
Beth Benjamin, horticulturist for the specialty seed company Renee's Garden, says top sellers are Watermelon and other pink sweet peas, as well as pink larkspur.
“We're branching out to include seeds for single colors, like Mulberry Rose nigella and Angel's Choir Shirley poppies, a variety of pink watercolor shades in solids, bicolors and picotees. Increasingly, customers are requesting pink flowers.”
Color it versatile
The Flower Fields
Bahama Pink star clusters (Pentas)
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Proven Winners
Perky Pink butterfly flower (Gaura)
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For generations, pink has been reserved for baby girls. Although this gender identification has waned, pink still connotes softness, sweetness and cheerfulness.
In the language of flowers, light pink conveys admiration or sympathy. Dark pink is associated with gratitude, admiration and appreciation. In Victorian England, pink roses meant grace and beauty.
Perhaps one reason that pink is popular is that it combines well with a variety of colors, including green. Plants with pink flowers accented by rich green foliage form a pretty package. Think of deep pink Bella Rosa camellia or orchid-pink Memorial Day rose nestled amid glossy green leaves.
Pink's versatility appeals to San Diego horticulturist Josh Schneider, who likes to combine pink flowers with yellows, and recommends plants with violet-purple or black foliage as backdrops.
One combination he suggests is dark-leafed Black Heart sweet potato vine (Ipomoea batatas) with diascia Appleblossom, which has clear pink flowers with deep pink throats. Another striking combination is the purple-leafed, pink-flowering shrub Wine and Roses weigelia with phlox Intensia Neon Pink.
In a container, he recommends starting with Sunsatia Raspberry nemesia that has pink flowers with yellow markings on their darker pink throats. To “echo” the yellow, he adds a second nemesia, Sunsatia Lemon, with pure yellow flowers, as well as some vertical accents like an ornamental grass or flowering angelonia.
Chris Brown Photography
Molimba First Blush marguerite daisy
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Dramatic container plantings also can be monochromatic, such as a classic urn filled to overflowing with Pink Chablis lamium or Snowstorm Pink bacopa, set against a green backdrop of hedging or vines.
When creating a monochromatic grouping, be sure to plant multiples of the same variety so plants spill over the container or hanging basket for a fountain effect. Calibrachoas, ivy geraniums and lamium are just a few good choices.
As a final note, Smith encourages gardeners to use foliage as much as flowering plant material. A 50-50 combination provides good structure in the landscape and showcases the flowers.
“If you're really into pink and want to do a mass planting, work with different tones,” he adds. “Do 50 percent medium pink flowers, 25 percent in a a darker pink shade, and 25 percent in a light pink shade. Mix them together to make the whole planting sing.
“That subtle difference in tone makes it marbled and alive.”
Perfect picks
In selecting pinks, consider your location. Inland gardeners should stay away from pale pink colors which wash out in bright sunlight. Leave those hues for coastal locations where fog or overcast skies are kinder to soft colors.
Vivid color combinations are especially important in container gardens, which are usually near walkways or seating areas and thus are very visible. Containers that are planted lushly can be works of art.
“Try pink nemesia or diascia with chocolate cosmos, or use a bolder pink flower like the new petunias with strong foliage like cannas or elephant ears,” says Gary Jones, spokesman for Armstrong Garden Centers. “For partial shade, combine pink nemesia with chocolate-colored Ajuga.”
If the containers used are painted or glazed, plant colors should coordinate. If the container is boldly colored, Jones says “strong colors and flowers are crucial. Don't use wimpy shades of pink.”
Karen Dardick is an author and freelance garden writer.
