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| Rudbeckia (yellow blooms), loropetalum (shrub) and monarda (raspberry blooms). |
The burgundy foliage of loropetalum chinense rubrum anchors this color scheme and has been paired with monarda 'Raspberry Wine' for years. For 2012, I added a mass of rudbeckia (grown from seed) as the deep brown eye of the susans picks up the chocolate tones in the loropetalum. I was hesitant to add the gold-yellow color to the cottage garden, but the brightness of the blooms do brighten the heavy shades of burgundy.
All plants are growing in full sun, south-facing in zone 7b in the fenced cottage garden. When hungry, deer will nibble the loropetalum, especially in winter since it is an evergreen shrub. The rudbeckia are grown easily from seed, so I don't worry so much about the occasional deer nibbling and grow the susans outside the fence, too. Rabbits may also nibble rudbeckia foliage and blooms.
Monarda 'Raspberry Wine' is a great bee balm and you can click here to see what's growing on the other side of this combo. Yes, it will spread easily, but bee balm isn't difficult to remove if you have too much. This variety is suitable for zones 4-9 and has been good in drought without a mildew issue.
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| Another view |
| Words and photos by Freda Cameron, Defining Your Home, Garden and Travel. Deer and rabbit resistance varies based upon the animal population and availability of food. All company or product or patented names mentioned are registered trademarks, copyrights, or patents owned by those respective companies or persons. |
I "met" you today in #litchat. (I'm the moderator over there.) I was thrilled to see someone from CH, as I'm still a fairly new resident of NC and H'bo. Having moved here from Cali, I'm learning much about the gardening zone here and enjoying the challenges. I'll look forward to reading more of your blog. (Do you know Barbara Claypole White? She lives in CH and her novel, THE UNFINISHED GARDEN, released this year. Fabulous book, too.)
ReplyDeleteYes! Great to "meet" you, too. Your website is wonderful Thanks for stopping by.
DeleteNice combo Freda. Love the monarda -- mine is a purple one (shared from a friend, with no idea of the name) Love the natives working so well together. Loropetalum are always great for foliage as well as those grand pink blooms in the spring.
ReplyDeleteWhen you start your seeds, are you doing in situ or winter sown in milk cartons or fall sown? Seeds are a great way to go, but I know each plant has its own needs...scarification, stratification, etc.
Hi Janet,
DeleteI'm too lazy to winter sow! I saved jugs to do that last year, but our winter was so warm, I ended up direct sowing everything--either fall or spring.
Loropetalum is great, but deer eat the one outside the fence. Unfortunately, I have to keep this one trimmed up to fit inside the cottage garden, so I don't have as many blooms as I'd like. It does bloom here in fall and spring.
I saved some seeds that were to go into the septic field, but may scatter some in my back garden.
DeleteInteresting that the Monarda 'Raspberry Wine' handles the dry well for you. I may try it.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful combination.
Hi Rob,
DeleteHope things are great in the Dordogne.
I'm surprised by how well this monarda does in the drought. I've got it growing on full sun slopes in the deer resistant garden and those clumps stay healthier than this one in richer soil, with more water, in the cottage garden.
It is a lovely combination. The yellow really does set it all off. Happy Holidays to you and the family!
ReplyDeleteHi Tina,
DeleteHappy Holidays to you and yours!
You have such a pretty garden and the colours really do go well together. Have a great Christmas and New Year. Diane
ReplyDeleteHi Diane,
DeleteHope all is well in your part of France. Have a wonderful holiday!