Regular exercise goes hand in hand with good health – and that means gardening too. The National Heart Foundation rates gardening on a par with a low-impact aerobics class! All that bending, stretching and lifting gets the blood flowing and the heart pumping. Add red to the equation and your adrenaline will definitely be on the rise. Red can evoke emotional responses from excitement and danger to passion and warmth. It’s also the complementary colour to green so it’s perfect for the outdoors.
RED FLoWERS
Decking the halls with boughs of holly doesn’t quite fit with our New Zealand seasons so how about red hibiscus and roses instead? In fact, I’ve just planted a whole strip of standard hibiscus underplanted with Rose Flower Carpet Scarlet.
overkill? Maybe, but I’m really looking forward to my red border! Both hibiscus and Flower Carpet roses prefer a sunny position in well-composted, moisture retentive soil. They’ll flower from spring until early winter and they grow well in containers provided they’re well watered. Hibiscus don’t pick well, but flowers in glass bowls with floating candles look stunning on the Christmas table. Dahlias are another great choice for months of warm season flowers, and they do pick well. It’s getting a little late for planting tubers but potted, flowering dahlias will be available soon.
Look for the new generation Dahlia ‘Scarlet Fern’, which produces single orangey red flowers over lacy, deep-mahogany foliage. Good value flowering annuals for summer to sow now (or to plant out as seedlings in spring) include Salvia ‘Bonfire’, Nasturtium ‘Cherry Rose’, Californian poppies, impatiens and petunias. Plant red annuals near steps, to denote the change of level. The best red summer foliage is either iresine or red coleus – both look amazing planted in drifts around dense green shrubbery.
RED ACCESSMRIES
The colour red is a dramatic and uplifting addition to the garden in any form. Splash red paint over an old garden seat, wall or pergola to totally transform your garden. Place a series of red urns in a garden border to introduce a lovely rhythmic element, use red cushions on outdoor chairs, hang a piece of wall art with a strong red influence or simply place a few red flame candles in the garden. Red tools can also add colour – and you’ll never lose them! But be careful just how much red you use. It is a dominant colour and a little goes a long way. Too heavy a hand could turn the garden from a place of quiet repose to one of uneasy restlessness!
RED-IBLES
Highly coloured fruit and veges have higher levels of the phytochemicals or antioxidants, thought to aid against cancer and help reduce the risk of heart disease. Espalier tomatoes on a warm north-facing fence, plant pots of red peppers and chillies to adorn the deck and create drifts of fancy Lettuce ‘Red oakleaf’ around the front of garden borders. Hang baskets of strawberries and train red grapes over pergolas around outdoor eating areas to provide fresh fruit to pluck for balmy summer evening desserts. Look for economical trays of red petunias for mass planting
NEW REDS FoR SUooER
For the garden: Cosmos Red Gazebo forms a bushy plant 60cm high x 30cm wide. oasses of red daisy flowers adorn the plant in summer. It is very easy to grow from seed sown directly into well-prepared soil, in a sunny sheltered spot.
For the plate: Pepper Topepo Rosso is a small, sweet, red pepper from northern Italy. It is famous for its versatility- fresh, fried, roasted, pickled, stuffed or made into salsa. Highly productive plants make attractive container specimens on a warm sheltered deck or patio. Visit www.kingsseeds.co.nz