6 on Saturday – 09AUG2025- Seeing Red

Chris Mousseau

No rain, week something…I’m about to sacrifice the tomatoes (which weren’t producing much anyway) and save the last of the rain barrel water for the new red maple whips, containers, and a few selected veggies and flowers.

I didn’t plan it this way, but when I looked through the photos I took yesterday morning the six flowers that caught my attention were either entirely or partially red. Here they are:

Crocosmia Lucifer – it’s the first time these little bulbs have bloomed. Hummingbirds are happy.
A red Gladiola…very small
Red freckles on this oriental lily ‘Playtime’
I’m shocked that my hardy Hibiscus moscheutos ‘Lord Baltimore’ looks as good as it does. Although it’s only half its regular size, it’s still managing to not look horrible, and to open a few flowers. The rhubarb beside it should survive.
More orange than red, I think, but perhaps the red stained wall helps this tender Begonia qualify. Its fourth year of blooming, after getting a severe cut-back and over-wintering indoors.
Our early rains encouraged this Rose of Sharon – Hibiscus syriacus – to add a good 20 cm in height and girth, and produce copious flower buds. From a distance it looks pretty good but up close…not so much.

Jim at Garden Ruminations hosts this weekly compendium of six things in gardens around the world. Have a great weekend everyone!

27 Comments

  2. Ha! There are days when I suspect my own resemblance to your Hibiscus syriacus: still looking pretty good from a distance, but up close? Slightly faded! Despite my so-so attitude toward gladioli, I really like this little red one, and it’s fun to see one of our native Hibiscus species all dolled up like that.

    1. Aside from when razoring, I’m generally not wearing glasses when I’m in front of the bathroom mirror so my face/body is generally in soft focus. As it should be!

  3. ‘Lord Baltimore’ Hibiscus moscheutos could be grand if it blooms as it should. It looks grand in the picture, perhaps because I can not see how big it is. I do not remember what cultivar ours is, but it has not done well, and now, its garden is in terrible condition. Does ‘Lord Baltimore’ get cut to the ground at the end of winter?

  5. You can’t beat a bit of August red. Lucifer was born not far from where I live, it was bred by Alan Bloom who gave a bit to the owner of a house where I used to live. I always take a bit with me when I move.

      1. He did indeed, he introduced 170 new pereninals in his long life. Any plant with Bressingham in its name is one if his. He died in 2005. He developed a passion for steam engines in his later life and had quite a collection. You could go on on a train trip round the grounds with him as driver.

  7. Tomato woes this year, I can relate. The corn earworm got going on mine and I cut the plants back just to see what would happen. Flowers still look great!

  8. My crocosmia does well in sun or part shade with less rain than most plants need. It does become thuggish and needs regular thinning in my yard.

    Beautiful glad by the way.

    My Rose of Sharon also is very hardy and needs little care.

    1. I’ve heard that Crocosmia can be aggressive in warmer climates, but I have them in a pot – they’re not hardy enough for our winters so I treat the bulbs like gradioli and will lift them after first frost in October to store inside.

  11. It’s sad to hear that you have to make sacrifices to preserve some plants for the benefit of others… it’s true that the heat is everywhere in the northern hemisphere this summer… and it’s not over yet. Good luck while waiting for the rain

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