Candy Cane Border

At my open garden, as I described the concept of the candycane border to my guests (flowers in shades of red, white, and pink), I was surprised at how enthralled they were with the concept. Unfortunately, my guests had to use their imaginations to picture the flowers, because the border was between blooms. The moss phlox, daffodils, sweet William, peonies, and roses were spent. The hibiscus and lilies held promising buds, but were weeks from opening. More than one guest expressed a desire to return when the border was in its second bloom. I am unable (unwilling?) to host another event this year, but I’ll share photos here.


I’m fairly pleased with the late summer effect. The border color scheme sounds simple, but it can be difficult to blend the right red and pink tones together. While the hibiscus and stargazer lilies have purple undertones, the cardinal lobelia almost slides into the orange range and the sweet william blossoms varied from red-black to red-orange. Who knows what color the “red” hydrangea (hornli) blooms are because the plant hasn’t flowered (or grown much) in three years. White is the only “easy” color in the border.

I continue to plot and plan to improve the border and, in the meantime, I’m enjoying the bits of it that I think I’ve finally got right.