The 2005 Gardening Trends Report press release has stated that Americans are searching for a sense of romanticism, glamour and sensuousness in lush plantings.
Romance speaks to us at the 4 Seasons Garden as a satin pink peony (Sarah Bernhardt) and magenta Geranium (Cranesbill) ‘Patricia' is engulfed by a cloud of tiny white star-shaped flowers. This cloud (approximately 3ft. by 3ft.) is not produced by a baby's-breath on steroids but rather the hardy perennial Crambe cordifolia which needs space for its large mound of deeply lobed leaves.
In another setting the crambe cordifolia provides a back drop for the luminous lipstick- red petals and showy yellow petaloids of the compact single peony ‘Sword Dance'
Here romance is portrayed through the use of a classic small wall mounted fountain combined with the pink bloom of a pink Japanese Anemone. Water features, which are maintaining their popularity as a trend for 2005, can play an important role in the Romantic garden.
Yet another lush planting features satin red peonies combined with the trend setting Allium atropurpereum in the style of Christopher Lloyd. The white filler is Anthriscus sylvestris Ravenswing.(a member of the Cow Parsley family that has year round bronze cut leaf foliage!). Forming the backdrop is the climbing rose Rosa moyesii Geranium with its dazzling red blooms. As a bonus this rose provides large orange-red hips for fall interest! See trend year round interest.
Romance can be blended with the middle-eastern influence that was shown to be a trend at the 2004 Chelsea show. Here at the Heritage Home and garden a pebble mosaic fountain pink and white is added to this vignette while a thalictrum provides the mystery of a fine mauve cloud. Extra structure is given to this planting by a Hydrangea aspera with its large velvety leaves which will soon have large flat lace-cap flower heads of mauve-pink petioles. Although difficult to see in this picture in the foreground a the dark leafed cimicifuga (Actaea simplex ‘Brunette' ) will soon provide fragrant spires of soft pale pink bloom. In early spring the evergreen Clematis ‘Armandii' took the background center stage with its prolific fragrant white blooms.
At the Unique Urban Garden a silver-blue ceramic container draws your eye to a soft romantic planting featuring the pink of Geranium (Cranesbill) macrorhizum ‘Ingwersen's Variety'and the delicate fragrant blooms of the David Austin rose ‘Sharifa Asma'. This long blooming rose is also disease resistant!) Hits of chartreuse are then introduced by the euphorbia and the hosta. . Extra texture is provided by the large felt leaves are of Pulmonaria ‘mollis' which also contributes bluish purple flowers in early spring.