The Orange-Colored Year
Gardening Newsletter
Vol. 10, Issue 10 - October 2015
In the light spectrum, orange sits between red and yellow. According to the psychology of colors,
orange radiates both warmth and happiness, combining the physical energy and stimulation of red,
with the cheerfulness and joy of yellow. Although it lacks the luminosity of yellow, orange is still very
bright. It is appealing even in shady areas, where it becomes bronzed. It is described as warm and
even as optimistic and rejuvenating. Skillful planting schemes in orange can be warming and elating.
Moreover, this color will never become tiresome to look at or lose its interest. Sadly, orange is often
unfairly dismissed or even banished from many gardens despite its valuable qualities.
The ‘Sensual Touch’ tulip, a double tulip with fringed petal edges, resembles a rose or a peony more than a tulip.
The flower is mostly orange with subtle touches of apricot, pink and yellow.
The orange-colored season starts in early spring with striped, delicate crocuses called ‘Orange
Monarch’ (Crocus vernus). Little crocuses are followed by much bolder tulips (Tulipa spp.) such as the
viridiflora tulip ‘Golden Artist’, radiant ‘Cash’, flamboyant ‘Irene Parrot’ or double ‘Sensual Touch’, to
mention just a few. A true orange can be added to the spring garden with the geum (Geum chiloense)
or the common wallflower (Erysimum cheiri). In the back of the border, these can be accompanied by
towering crown imperials (Fritillaria imperialis) such as ‘Aurora’ or ‘The Premier’. The great bells of
crown imperials look magnificent beside ‘Merlin’ daffodils (Narcissus spp.), the orange central cups of
which echo the fritillarias’ color.
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The Orange-Colored Year
Gardening Newsletter
Vol. 10, Issue 10 - October 2015
Among the daffodils, you can find all-orange cultivars such as ‘Ambergate’ or ‘Lothario’, or cultivars
with orange trumpets or cups such as ‘Merlin’, ‘Jetfire’, ‘Sentinel’, ‘Loveday‘, ‘Barrett Browning’
and many more. The spring orange show is completed by the addition of the Japanese quince
(Chaenomeles x superba), with cultivars such as ‘Knap Hill Scarlet’, ‘Orange Beauty’ or ‘Orange
Delight’. Quinces are complemented by the deciduous azaleas (Rhododendron spp.) such as ‘Double
Pleasure’, ‘Florida Flame Orange’, ‘Gibraltar’ and ‘Sagittarius’. Their profuse blooms cover the shrubs
entirely, giving them strong visual impact.
Orange is at its freshest and most lively in summer. The selection is truly overwhelming with so many
orange bloomers in the hot season. Among the shrubs, there are the climbing honeysuckle (Lonicera
spp.) and the bushy potentilla (Potentilla fruticosa). Predominantly yellow-flowering potentilla offers
some orange-blooming cultivars such as ‘Tangerine’, ‘Sunset’, ‘Hopleys Orange’, ‘Mango Tango’ or
‘Orange Whisper’. Unfortunately, orange blossoms tend to fade to yellow in hot summer sun.
Welsh poppies have distinctive yellow or orange flowers with four petals. They self-seed easily, so trimming the
seed heads is recommended.
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The Orange-Colored Year
Delicate, slightly fragrant Iceland poppies come in a variety of
colors.
Gardening Newsletter
Vol. 10, Issue 10 - October 2015
Brilliant orange is the natural color of the
Oriental poppy’s bloom.
The summer mid-border can be occupied by daylilies (Hemerocallis spp.) such as ‘Aztec Furnace’ or
‘Kwanso Variegata’, purple coneflowers (Echinacea purpurea) such as ‘Tiki Torch’, ‘Flamethrower’,
‘Sundown’ or ‘Marmalade’ and yarrow (Achillea millefolium) such as ‘Terracotta’. The border
would not be complete without saucer-shaped poppy blooms such as the bright California poppy
(Eschscholzia californica), vigorous Welsh poppy (Meconopsis cambrica), delicate Iceland poppy
(Papaver nudicaule) and spectacular oriental poppy (Papaver orientale). The back of the border can
be occupied by the foxtail lily (Eremurus spp.) ‘Orange Marmalade’ and the Asiatic lily (Lilium spp.)
‘Enchantment’.
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The Orange-Colored Year
Gardening Newsletter
Vol. 10, Issue 10 - October 2015
A hanging basket of orange-blooming million bells adds cheer to any garden.
Some tender and hardy annuals add a lot to the orange palette. Zinnia (Zinnia elegans) followed by
African daisy (Osteospermum spp.), Mexican sunflower (Tithonia rotundifolia), gazania (Gazania spp.)
and trailing million bells (Calibrachoa spp.) are just a few. The cheerful annual climbers such as the
nasturtium (Tropaeolum majus) and the black-eyed Susan vine (Thunbergia alata) can also contribute.
Orange fits autumn to perfection. It first shows up in blooming chrysanthemums (Dendranthema x
grandiflorum), dahlias (Dahlia spp.) and sneezeweeds (Helenium autumnale). Then flowers give way
to bright berries and spectacular autumn leaves. The green is replaced by hot hues of red, yellow and
orange, which harmonize naturally.
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The Orange-Colored Year
Gardening Newsletter
Vol. 10, Issue 10 - October 2015
The hybrid witch hazel ‘Jelena’ in mid-February adds a touch of orange to the winter garden.
Winter also brings a few orange splashes. Some grasses such as the evergreen New Zealand wind
grass (Stipa arundinacea) turns russet, giving off a warming glow in sunlight. The vividly colored bark
of some trees such as the paperbark maple (Acer griseum), with its peeling, cinnamon-colored skin,
adds scarce orange to the garden. Rare winter blooms can be found on the tender royal grevillea
(Grevillea victoriae) and the much hardier hybrid witch hazels (Hamamelis x intermedia). The orangeblooming witch hazels include coppery ‘Jelena’, spreading ‘Aphrodite’, upright ‘Orange Peel’ or bushy
‘Gingerbread’, to mention just a few.
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The Orange-Colored Year
Gardening Newsletter
Vol. 10, Issue 10 - October 2015
A kaffir lily blooming in a Hawaiian garden in February.
Orange is also present in a variety of house plants, from the large flowering maple (Abutilon x
hybridum) to the hibiscus (Hibiscus rosa-sinensis) and kaffir lily (Clivia miniata) to the small kalanchoe
(Kalanchoe blossfeldiana). Among the orange house bloomers, however, the gorgeous amaryllis
(Hippeastrum spp.) is the most spectacular.
Orange is definitely one of the most vibrant colors in the gardener’s palette, particularly when it is set
against its complementary color blue. A great visual effect can be achieved with a patch of French
marigolds (Tagetes patula) planted in front of a clump of blue oat grass (Helictotrichon sempervirens).
Other colors such as silvery grays and bright pinks also harmonize well with orange. Excellent
examples of these combinations can be found in nature, such as the attractive rosy-pink capsules
and bright orange seed of the common spindle tree (Euonymus europaeus), or the amazingly
persistent orange berries on the silvery-leaved sea buckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides). Yellow and
red, adjacent to orange on the color wheel, can also be used together. The plant that combines these
colors successfully is the spiky torchlily (Kniphofia spp.), with two- or three-toned cultivars such
as ‘Sunningdale Yellow’, ‘Nobilis’, ‘Bressingham Comet’, ‘Royal Standard’, ‘Lye End’ and ‘Shining
Sceptre’. Another good example of red-orange harmony on a larger scale is the orange crocosmia
(Crocosmia x crocosmiiflora) ‘Emily Mckenzie’ planted with plum-colored coral bells (Heuchera
micrantha) ‘Palace Purple’ in front and purple smoke bush (Cotinus coggygria) cultivars such as ‘Royal
Purple’ or ‘Velvet Cloak’.
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The Orange-Colored Year
Gardening Newsletter
Vol. 10, Issue 10 - October 2015
This bed planted with annuals is a perfect example of how well orange combines with yellow and red.
Orange can also be used to subdue some colors such as purples and dark blues. Although it doesn’t
harmonize with bright greens, orange does combine well with dark green. The spiny firethorn
(Pyracantha coccinea) in the fall serves as a good example of this harmony, with a profusion of peasized orange berries hanging among shiny dark-green foliage.
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The Orange-Colored Year
Gardening Newsletter
Vol. 10, Issue 10 - October 2015
Cheerful pot marigolds are easy-to-grow annuals.
Orange, however, is at its best when used alone. Due to its dominant tendency, it sometimes can
become overpowering in a complete border. It is easier to use orange in isolated patches of color
or in containers. Try planting a close group of orange tulips such as double ‘Oranje Nassau’ or pot
marigolds (Calendula officinalis) such as double ‘Ball’s Orange’ to see them practically glowing in
bright sunlight.
By nature, orange is bold, stimulating and exciting. There isn’t a better place to display these qualities
than in the garden.
Text and photos by Gina Dobrodzicka
Gina Dobrodzicka is a freelance writer and trained horticulturalist who volunteered with Master
Gardeners of Ottawa-Carleton for five years. Currently, she volunteers with the Vancouver Master
Gardeners Chapter, the South Surrey Garden Club and Darts Hill Garden Society. Her website is
www.gdgardendesign.com.
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