I want to grow more maroon i.e. burgundy, flowers. I already have Celosia/Cockscomb. What else can I grow and in what combos? I posted earler about "Mahogany and ?" but that doesnt really describe maroon or burgundy, which is what I am looking for. Someone is giving me seed for chocolate Cosmos, and burgundy Guilliandia, so far. What else is a good combo?

Personally, I like 'maroon' foliaged or blooming plants with blues, such as: heuchera (coral bell) 'palace purple' with the ornamental 'blue oat grass' or dwarf 'crimson pygmy' barberry with russian sage (perovskia). I also like many of the dwarf conifers or evergreens with burgandy foliaged or blooming plants, such as; siberian iris 'sultan's ruby' with dwarf pine globe 'mugo slowmound' or spreading 'dwarf japanese juniper' (coral bell or barberry look great w/these as well). Happy hunting!

Oh! I think you would like my "Dark Side" garden.....

Heucheras - 'Cathedral Windows', 'Chocolate Veil', Ajuga 'Chocolate Chip', Chocolate cosmos, 'Black' clover (not really black, but maroon with green edges), Loropetalum chinensis, Sambucus nigra, Bronze fennel, 'Black Knight' carnations...again, not really black, but dark maroon, Aquilegia 'Black Barlow', Anthriscus 'Ravenswing', Aster lateriflorus 'Lady in Black', A.l. 'Price', Corydalis flexuosa 'Purple Leaf', Euphorbia dulcis 'Chameleon', Geranium phaem 'Samobor', Knautia macedonia, Rudbeckia 'Black Beauty', Lobelia 'Fan Scarlet', some black pansies, dark red barberry.... Gosh I can't remember everything in there, but it is really crowded with either dark foliage, or dark flowers. I potted up the purple fountain grass this year after the first light frost, as usually I lose it each winter, due to the fact I am usually too late. That is the only tender thing I bother to save. Usually I grow some purple basils in there, and maybe this year I might add some perilla, as I have not grown this before. Oh yes, and some 'Drgon's Blood' sedum, as well as a couple tall varieties of purple sedums.
There is plenty of contrast, thiough, as a lot of the foliage is green and there are pale as well as bright flowers blooming in there, mostly as different times, though. This year I have added some dark tulips as well.

Whoops! I posted a list of some of the plants in the 'Dark Side' garden already! In the post'...just can't get enough of that purple foliage'...
Hey, Dawn G., Hey Bambi, let's get together and see what we can come up with??

Evelyn

what about chartreuse colored coleus or sweet potato vines? there is also a beautiful burgundy petunia(i think it is in the madness series) the coleus also comes in burgundy ruffles and variated burgundy and green. also peach now. new greaniums also came out in the last two years that are a BEAUTIFUL burgundy velvet if you can find them.

By accident I had a lovely combo this year...Black Hollyhocks (actually a deep, deep maroon), with white strawflower, gray santolina, burgandy scabiosa and red sage. It looked wonderful and I think I'm going to plan an entire bed in those colors this spring.

Peach and blue also look very good with dark maroon, as does pink, but I don't do pink. LOL

I also mixed dianthus 'black and white minstrels' and Shasta 'Aglaya' with my chocolate cosmos. It was a stunning combo!

Wanda

Have you seen these? If memory serves me right, this is burpee's Chianti sunflower. . .the shades vary from burgundy to deep russet, like this one.

I went through a burgundy/maroon phase last summer. I grew Park's Velvet and Lace dianthus (perennial to zone 6), the Ace of Spades scabiosa, and garnet centaura. This year I'm adding some more perennial dianthus: one called Horatio - it's a double white laced in maroon from Bluestone Perennials and another called Lady Granville from Canyon Creek Nuseries. As for burgundy annuals, I grew a beautiful burgundy and white ivy leafed geranium called Picasso and also a Martha Washington geranium that was burgudy and white. Black Prince snapdragons are a crimson red that looks great with the other things! I've been drooling over Lysimachia atropurpurea in the Thompson Morgan catalog. And there are lots of burgundy dahlias of all sizes! I like to add white or light pink flowers with the burgundy.

Good luck!
Debra

Hi, have you guys tried Geranium Phaem? Its common name is mourning widow, its a wonderful hardy geranium.
lorraine

Hello again, I din't realise I had sent in the short message, as you will guess I am very new to this - by this I mean computers and chat rooms - it has taken me all day to figure out where I found you in the first place.
Geranium phaem is known as the mourning widow because its dark purple flowers hang down looking rather like the bonnets worn by widows in the last century. Because it is available in a variety of colours you must be careful where you buy it or try and get a cutting from one in flower. It grows to around 80cm tall by 45 across (had to look that up as I still work in feet and inches). It is a hardy geranium and flowers in late spring/early summer, very good in moist shade, although it will grow in other sites as long as it is not too dry and hot.
Will that do
Lorraine :-)

I love Victoria Blue Salvia and any blue,gray or silver foliage plant (lambs ears, artemesia, dianthus) with maroon flowers or foliage. Japanese painted fern is good too since it has maroon striping.

I bought a japanese anemone called Brodnant's Burgundy from
Roslyns Nursery on Long Island last fall. The foliage is green with burgundy flowers. I plan to plant with a white anemone (Honorine) and Longwood Blue Caryopteris.

I saw an unusual coleus at the fair last year called Purple Duckfoot. The foliage is very small for a hybrid coleus but the plants were massive and I'd have to describe the color as a finely mottled burgundy pink. It would be a little difficult to blend in a border, but I took careful notes of what would look good with it from among all the plantings at the fair. My notes say pink and lime nicotiana, light pink osteospermum (there is a new hardy at highcountrygardens.com), blue ageratum, acidanthera, calendula and lavender lantana, as well as the aforementioned lime sweet potato vine (Margarite?).

I don't think anyone's mentioned Wine and Roses Weigela. This one is quite stunning with some sort of pale pink nearby, like a pink Boltonia. Of course the shrub would be slow growing and overwhelmed by the Boltonia at first. I think that both are available from Bluestone.

Here is a link that might be useful: Beautiful SCABIOSA picture! : )

Here is a link that might be useful: VISCARIA flowers, shades of red, pink, lavender and blue