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deannatoby

What matches red flowers?

Red is my favorite color. Red flowers can be very eye-catching. But, I am very frustrated with my inability to think of a wonderful color to pair with red. The only thing I can think of is yellow and white. I have red, yellow, and white planters now, and I can honestly say I will not plant red, yellow, and white planters again. How boring!

What do you pair with red plants? I WS some Maltese Cross (Lychnis chalcedonica) and they are planted behind the showy goldenrod I WS, also. Another red and yellow pairing. I've got to get some ideas. When I do web searches I'm not finding any info except for coordinating flower colors at weddings.

I'd appreciate any flower input, as well as any input on better search terms to use for the web.

Down with red, white, and yellow!!

Comments (17)

  • girlgroupgirl
    13 years ago

    I have warm reds with golden yellows only, (not buttery ones) and that works very nicely - I also have some Persicaria with it, and the red on the leaves really becomes the red in the flowers. Deeper oranges work nicely too (with warm reds).
    Another wonderful combination is red and chartreuse flowers.
    The lime green zinnias, or lime green nicotianas - they look wonderful with many reds.

  • cindysunshine
    13 years ago

    It really depends on the red. One of my favorite combinations is deep saturated red (not an orange red but a deep blue red) with purple and rich orange - preferably with burgandy foliage.

    I think purple and red tulips are gorgeoous together in spring.

    Blues like salvia also look striking with reds. And for burgendy foliage you can use the ornamental sweet potato in red or many of the beautiful sun coleus now available.

    I'm not much into red, yellow and white - but I enjoy the energy red has to offer and the hot colors - even pairing it with deep magenta pink can be lovely as well. I think if you leave out yellow, you can go quite a number of directions...

  • organic_kitten
    13 years ago

    Well Deann, I love reds too.

    You already know they look good with yellow.

    Who would have thought of red and orange together? Roycroft apparently - and i took a leaf from his book:
    {{gwi:723822}}

    {{gwi:723823}}

    Throw in some purple... that will wake you up:
    {{gwi:723824}}

    {{gwi:711163}}

    {{gwi:723825}}

    This is pink!
    {{gwi:723827}}

    {{gwi:723829}}

    Just so you know the positioning of the daylilies was totally accidental. Desperation planting when you have so many to get in the ground. But I don't plan to move them...I love all the colors together, and if there is no red...it is let-down time.

    My rules? I plant what I like, because it is my garden, planted for me. Sometimes there's harmony...sometimes the unexpected, but always bright and lively.
    kay

  • Oakley
    13 years ago

    Organic kitten, what are the orange and red flowers in the first picture? Those aren't Daylillys are they?

    I was going to say red and orange are pretty together. And I love white flowers at dusk, they really stand out.

    Another color that goes well with red is a creamy yellow.

  • natal
    13 years ago

    I hate to be so obvious, but what about one of the blue geraniums?

  • organic_kitten
    13 years ago

    Nope they are regular lilies. I grow other flowers than daylilies and iris, there are just so many of the daylilies....especially lately. I do tend to plant orange next to red though and there will almost certainly be some yellow and purple around too.

    kay

  • DYH
    13 years ago

    I have red monarda 'Jacob Cline' with salvia greggii 'Navajo Bright Red' and crocosmia 'Lucifer'. The 'Lucifer' looked a bit too orange compared to past years. That said, when visitors see my garden with a hugh section in pink to deep pink (magenta), it is when they get to the red section that they actually stop to take it in!

    I'm trying to get blue going with this group, but the salvia guaranitica 'Omaha Gold' and the Russian Sage were too young to bloom at the same this year. I have a lot of ammi majus (false Queen Anne's lace) around the reds -- that is showing as white this year when it was supposed to be green flowers like last year!

    If the red is on the blue/purple side, I agree -- plants like nepeta 'Walkers Low', Russian Sage, salvia 'May Night' are possibilities.

    Cameron

  • girlgroupgirl
    13 years ago

    I totally forgot that I have a red-white-blue garden and it's quite lovely. The reds are fairly dark. I also have larger red flowers and smaller white, the biggest are always blue (or the largest 'patch" are almost always blue) except right now I have a 6' white 4 o'clock in the middle of it all (the rest of the plants are much shorter!!!) I've always had shorter 4's there but the rain this year has brought on the height!

  • luckygal
    13 years ago

    If you add some bright blue It will look entirely different. The red of Maltese Cross is on the orangey side and blue is opposite orange on the color wheel so that works well. Blue delphinium could work as their bloom times are similar (at least here) - my Maltese Cross are blooming and the Delphs are starting.

    I grew Maltese Cross from seed years ago and still have them. I moved them all last year to new beds that are further from the house as I want softer colors in my house garden closer to my house. I put yellow perennial sunflowers, shasta daisies, Oriental poppies, and blue perennial flax in those beds which are plants I had lots of extras of. Probably a few other things but those are the predominant colors. So red/yellow/white/blue are the colors. I mostly moved plants the deer won't eat to those beds. I have a new red lily that will go in the nearest new bed and hopefully the deer won't find it. I also put a clump of 'Oriental Limelight' artemesia (a real weed) there which is a variegated lime color so goes well with the other colors.

    When planning colors, whether for your garden, your home, or your clothing the color wheel can help with combinations.

    This site - http://www.gardeningknowhow.com/design - may give you some ideas. I just googled 'planning your flower garden' to find it.

    Here is a link that might be useful: color wheel

  • Pamchesbay
    13 years ago

    deanna: A couple of years ago, Gottagarden designed and planted a 50' long x 4-5' wide "red bed." I couldn't imagine a big bed in one color, especially red but she did it.

    All plants in the bed are shades of red. It's amazing how many color combos she developed. The link below will take you to info and photos of the red bed. If you search for other Gottagarden posts about her red bed, you'll find her plant list - a long list.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Gottagarden's Red Bed

  • cindysunshine
    13 years ago

    Pam thanks for posting that lovely red border! It rather captures the feel that I am go for when I inject a bit of deep purple and orange in - the burgandy foliage is really a very important element. I don't have any pictures of my garden bed when I had that combo that was so satisfying but I found this one that sortof shows it. This year I have dahlias planted in those colors - just one is blooming so far,but I will get photos in a month or so when they all chime in. I like that annual fountain grass in the dark burgandy with it - really changes the tone of the red flowers.

    Here is a link that might be useful: {{gwi:723821}}

  • ianna
    13 years ago

    it certainly depends on what appeals you. The opposite of red is blue(meaning purples, violets, etc). Such contrast puts in a kind of 'stress' the way polar magnets work.

    or you can do a rainbow type garden using a colour wheel for inspiration - so thats green, yellow, orange,reds, pink, purple, blue,

  • dahli22
    13 years ago

    I like to use pinks to temper red...

  • ianna
    13 years ago

    I would say, use yellow orange on one side and pink on the other side. use cool blues to temper hot plants,

  • j_k_w
    13 years ago

    I have a small side garden with a mass of Lychnis chalcedonica planted in the midst of purples of every variety, from bluish purple to red purple: Veronica spicata, Centaurea 'Amethyst in Snow', chives, Agastache foeniculum, and even some purple-tinted foliage types like Viola labradorica and Huechera 'Palace Purple'. The breaks in the hot!hot!hot! combo are Asclepias 'Ice Ballet', Shasta daisies, and the runs-through-and-around everything groundcover Lysimachia nummularia 'Aurea'.

    I'm not a fan of subtle. :-)

  • mmqchdygg
    13 years ago

    More Red!
    Here's Gottagarden's thread on her Red Bed. Isn't it PUUURRDYYYY???!!!!

    Here is a link that might be useful: Link to Gottagarden's Red Bed

  • sylviatexas1
    13 years ago

    didn't read all, so I apologize if I'm repeating someone.

    I like silvery foliage plants next to reds, things like lamb's ears, artemesia, & even herbs like culinary sage.

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