This post is brought to you by the color pink. It is not a secret to anyone who has worked with me how much I love pink. It is the color of femininity and romance. From pale pinks with their sweet, soft energy to bright magenta pink with its bold pop of color. I love them all in the garden. I have been inching the Rose Garden in the direction of pink more and more the past couple of years, but this year especially is the year the Rose Garden fully embraces the color rose.  

I will start with a few of the softer pinks that have been blooming recently. Filipendula ‘Pink Dreamland’ blooms in early July as the sweetest fluffy clouds floating above the garden on impossibly thin stalks. When the flowers first appear, I wish to shrink myself to the size of a bee and drift away on the blooms. (If only!) Instead, I simply marvel at how something so soft and delicate can hold up to our New England weather extremes. It is a cultivar of the truly tough Fiilipendula known as Queen of the Prairie. Perhaps ‘Pink Dreamland’ is our Princess of the Garden.

Gaura ‘Whirling Butterflies’ is another whimsical pink blossom that appears delicate, but is actually tough as nails. If you also grow this cultivar, you will know that it is a favorite of bumblebees. It also is a proliferative self sowing plant, so keep an eye out for any seedlings in places you don’t want them. I don’t mind its expansive habit, but I have pulled many a plant out of places I know I never planted them. Ruthlessness in service to a garden can be necessary. Thankfully this perennial is also a stunner that provides a softness to the garden with its airy texture and graceful form.

The Chinese forget-me-not (Cynoglossum ‘Mystery Rose’) is a lovely addition to the edges of the Rose Garden this year. I have grown the blue cultivar ‘Firmament’ in the North Garden in recent years, but have not grown this cultivar. What a treat to see the rosy blossoms emerge in the last weeks. It is a diminutive plant topping out at just 24″ at full height. I have heard that it makes a lovely cut flower, so I may have to experiment with that next year. For now, we will cross our fingers that it will self-sow in the Rose Garden so we may enjoy it for years to come. We do love our self-sowers!

Another new addition to the Rose Garden this year is the spectacular Lily ‘Lotus Elegance’ that we started in the greenhouse this spring and planted out once the weather warmed. This variety is not particularly tall, topping out at just 3′, but it’s extravagant 5-6″ flowers are more than worthy of space in the garden. The petals create an enthralling 3D effect and gave us all a reason to stop and stare at these beauties. Their moment in the sun has passed, but we already anticipate their flowers next summer. So glad we took a chance on a new variety!

I will end my pretty pink prose with these two dark magenta beauties. Echinacea ‘Ruby Star’ has been blooming in the Rose Garden for weeks now with little sign of stopping. I think I fall more in love with them every week. Not only are these absolutely stunning and covered in flowers, but they are adored by bees and birds alike (the birds love to eat the seed heads). A better all around plant I would have a hard time naming! It is truly a workhorse in the gardens.

Angelonia ‘Archangel Dark Rose’ is new for us this year after trialing a few different Angelonia last year and loving them. These tender perennials will bloom from spring until last frost. If you have a greenhouse, Angelonia will continue to flower throughout the colder winter months. I couldn’t resist this color for the Rose Garden this year. It’s a vibrant pop that really punctuates the front edges of the Rose Garden.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this journey through the color pink. I will leave you with this photo looking at Echinacea ‘Ruby Star’, Allium ‘Millenium’, and Petchoa ‘Premium Sunray Pink’. The variation in (pink) color, shape, and texture of these three allows them each to play off of each other in the most delightful fashion. May this inspire you to play with whatever color brings you the most joy in the garden!

Happy Gardening!