hot colors & newbies

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My big score at the spring HPSO sale was Romneya coulteri. I didn’t expect it to bloom in its first year, so I nearly missed this single bloom. The brightness of the day washes out the shadows that give it a delicate look of crumpled silk and set it quite apart as it peeks through daisies in the same color combo. I hope there will be an overcast day for capturing its true beauty, but I know better than to depend upon it.

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When I bought this Echinacea purpurea ‘Big Sky Sundown’ last fall it was fully opened to reveal bronzey petals. I loved it then, without even knowing that it would begin its performance with these tubular petals: hot pink on the outside, with the orange just beginning to show as they unfurl.
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The colors show up a little better as we zoom out to see the whole plant.

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Nearby, Helenium autumnale snuggles up to a couple of different Agastaches to extend the pink-magenta-purple/orange-bronze-red theme. It seems fitting for the color palette to heat up along with the weather.

8 thoughts on “hot colors & newbies

  1. Hi Ricki, I really like this Echinacea. My garden buddy Carol tried growing it but it didn’t make it through the winter. The Romneya is a stellar plant, isn’t it?

  2. You’re the second person from Oregon I’ve read about or heard from who’s had the romneya begin to bloom. I’d always thought of it as more of a California plant, but I’m glad to see that it likes you and your area. It’s a stunning plant, and so delicate for something that comes on what is sometimes a big bruising plant, at least down here.

  3. James~In contrast to our soggy reputation, our summers are HOT and DRY. The challenge is to make it through winter and spring.

    Wendy~Glad you like them.

  4. There’s just something about the hot pink-orange-bronze combination that slays me. I think that’s why I love my agastaches, with their pink, light magenta and orange multicolored flowers so much.

    And you’ve captured another of my favorite color combos with the Romneya coulteri: white flowers with yellow centers. It’s quite stunning!

  5. Jane~Yes, the agastache does bring it all together in one mad swirl of color. Now, if I could just figure out how to photograph white flowers to do them justice.

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