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Reds
in the Bed
11 February 2003
The cold war is over but it is still cold outside
and rotten weather for gardening. I thought
you might like to think of planting a summer
bed of red flowering plants. Mixed with a few
orange shades the overall impression will be
hot. Depending on the size of the bed there
are annuals, perennials, bulbs and shrubs all
ready to heat up your garden.
Start off with an area free of perennial weeds
such as buttercup, docks, thistles and nettles
otherwise you will overheat trying to prevent
them choking the plants. Incorporate into the
top 6 inches 4 ozs of general  purpose
fertilizer to the square yard. After planting,
a mulch of compost or old, well rotted, farmyard
manure will help retain moisture and keep
down the weeds.
Annuals are very effective and can be grown
cheaply from seed or purchased as young plants
ready for planting out. Seed sown now in containers
of seed compost will soon germinate on the kitchen
window. Thin out the seedlings, transplanting
them into trays or pots ready for planting out
after all risk of frost is past.
Antirrhinum, asters, love-lies-bleeding (amaranthus,
above right), annual poppies, stock and geraniums
will flower at or lower than 18 inches.
Plant them close together in the bed, at about
a 6 inch spacing, to form a dense mass. Orange
flowering pot marigolds dotted through the bed
will
highlight the bulk of red flowers. Bulbs including
pompom and decorative type dahlias, Crocosmia
‘Lucifer’ and gladiolus will add
height to the bed.
Perennials including red hot poker, peonies,
phlox and penstemon are long lasting. Regular
feeding of a liquid high potash fertilizer as
used for tomatoes will encourage flower at the
expense of foliage. It wouldn’t do for
the green leaves to smother the fire. Skimmia
rubella with its clusters of long lasting dark
red flowers will feed the fire. Close to the
edge plant clumps of Sedum ‘Autumn
Joy’. It is at its best in late autumn
when the heat is going out of the blaze of colour.
Orange and red cannas with their big leaves
will give a tropical feel. Red leafed shrubs
include Berberis thunbergii atropurpureum (above
left) Cotinus ‘Flame’ and Acer palmatum
‘Garnet’ (above right). These can
be used to provide height in the centre of the
bed. Keep the hose pipe handy just in case.
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