SMOULDERING PINKS
In May, the lanes around our house in the Welsh Marches are awash with froths of cow parsley, flecked with pink from red campion and ragged robin. Lines of hawthorn hedge, smothered in creamy-white flowers, are frequently interrupted by copper beeches, resplendent in their distinctive purple foliage. I chose a dark-leaved form of Actaea simplex for the foundation of this pinkand-white arrangement. Set in an old, oak half-barrel from our local cider maker, it is a perfect celebration of the Herefordshire countryside.
How to achieve the look
Half barrels make great containers, but scale of planting is the key to success. A minimum pot to plant height ratio of 1:1.5 is preferable. The oak of this barrel has aged to a beautiful, silvery-grey enriched by the rusted iron bands holding it together. I keep a permanent collection of large shrubs in aged oak barrels at home as they allow sufficient soil for a long-term planting and require less watering. Ensure good drainage by placing crocks over holes drilled through the base. I used John Innes No.2 and plenty of leaf mould as these perennials prefer a humus-rich soil positioned in partial shade. In late summer the Actaea produces tall, narrow plumes of pink buds opening to white flowers. These are followed by lime-green seedpods. The pale, greenishpink pincushions of the Astrantia ‘Buckland’ make it an excellent cut flower, as do the scented pink umbels of the Pimpinella and the creamy-white flowers of Orlaya grandiflora. This self-seeding annual can be sown in autumn and spring, to produce a constant supply of flowers. For contrast, I’ve added a dark form of Geranium phaeum with inky-purple flowers, similar to G. phaeum ‘Raven’. Reduce its tendency to self-seed and encourage repeat blooms by cutting back after flowering.
Plants
1 Pimpinella major ‘Rosea’ Non-spreading, herbaceous umbellifier. May – July. 90cm. RHS H7, USDA 5a-8b†. 2 Orlaya grandiflora A hardy annual with ferny foliage and delicate, scabious-like, white flowers. May – October. 60cm. AGM*. RHS H7. 3 Geranium phaeum A herbaceous perennial that is tolerant of a range of conditions including deep, dry shade. May – July. 60cm. USDA 5a-7b. 4 Actaea simplex (Atropurpurea Group) ‘Brunette’ A tall, hardy, herbaceous perennial with dark-purple, serrated foliage. In late summer it produces bottlebrush spikes of scented flowers. August – October. 1.5m. AGM. RHS H7, USDA 3a-8a. 5 Astrantia ‘Buckland’ An exceptionally free-flowering sterile hybrid, so it won’t self-seed everywhere. May – August. 60cm. RHS H7, USDA 5a-9b.