Colour of the moment: Red

My gardening footwear

Red is the colour of the moment. 

Do you find that dominant colours change significantly in the garden as seasons pass?  At the moment my garden is coming through its purple phase and moving in to the much hotter red/orange phase.   Large drifts of Alliums and Iris, dainty Primula denticulata, Dodecatheons and Anemones, and the ever prolific Cerinthe are giving way to hot  Geums, Blood red Asparagus pea, rows of red lettuce, Asiatic Lilies and many others.

In keeping with the red theme I have pictured my current choice of gardening footwear.   Of course the good old wellington boot (green) is my general choice for tougher tasks but my ever faithful Vans, of which I have many pairs, serve me well.   A recent post by Charlotte Germane of Daffodil Planter focussed on the footwear of gardeners and I was sad to see that Vans didn't make the cut.  I'm also yet to try Crocs but seeing that Billy models them so well and quite possibly has shares in them I may have to give them a go.

The winged seeds of Acer palmatum

Back to the garden and this little Acer was is really putting on a show at the moment.  Its pendulous winged seeds hang from its branches soaked in sunlight.  

Asparagus Pea flower

The Asparagus Peas (Lotus tetragonolobus), which I planted earlier in the year at the front of the border, are doing really well and their deep blood red flowers are a welcome sight.  Planted more for their ornamental use, these little plants will produce small seed pods that give the plants their name.  Apparently they taste very much like Asparagus but I have heard contradictory stories.  Have you grown these plants?  I would love to hear your stories and I will let you know what my findings are soon.

A beautiful 7-spot Ladybird

Last but not least, even the wildlife has been supporting the red theme.  In fact, I have been praying that ladybirds, lacewings and hoverflies get busy in the garden as at the moment blackfly is quite a problem.  Last year I found that by leaving the evil aphids in place the beneficial insects responded well enough to prevent any lasting damage, an approach that I want to replicate for future years.

What colours dominate your garden?  Are there colours that you refuse to grow? And how does colour change how we view gardens?