To my eye, orange is one of the happiest and most joyful colors in the garden. But many gardeners shy away from using it. While it’s true that a little splash of orange goes a long way and an entire bed filled with orange flowers would be visual overload, there are still loads of perennials with orange flowers that should be welcomed into your garden.
If you’re still warming up to the idea of using some orange flowers as an accent in your garden, remember that if you pair them with blues, violets and silvers, they’ll be toned down dramatically. Here are just a few orange-flowered perennials to consider:
From White Flower Farm
Agastache ‘Acapulco Orange’: ’Acapulco Orange’ is basically bullet-proof. With its narrow, fragrant leaves and tangerine-orange tubular flowers that attract hummingbirds, it blooms from midsummer right through to fall.
Like other Agastaches, ‘Acapulco Orange’ is immune to most pests, including deer and rabbits. At just over 1′ tall, Acapulco Orange’ makes a colorful front of the border plant for a bed with full sun and good drainage. Hardy in zones 6 – 9.
From White Flower Farm
Alstroemeria ‘Tangerine Tango’: If you’re looking for an easy way to add a tropical feel to zone 6 garden, this long blooming lily with its vivid tangerine flowers accented with a yellow throat, may be the answer. ‘Tangerine Tango’ will bloom its head off most of the summer, you may notice a slight break in flowering during the high heat of the summer, but don’t despair, ‘Tangerine Tango’ will be back once the heat disappears. At 30″ tall, this is a great middle of the border plant that also lasts for days and days as a cut flower. Hardy in zones 6 – 9.
From Garden Crossings
Coreopsis ‘Sienna Sunset’: If your taste in orange runs to the more subdued, ‘Sienna Sunset’ may be just the ticket for your garden. Flowers start out a bright burnished orange color and then lighten to a softer orange as they mature.
Like other thread-leaf coreopsis, ‘Sienna Sunset’ prefers a site with full to partial sun and is drought tolerant once established. The bowl-shaped flowers on this 18″ – 20″ stunner make the perfect landing pads for bees and other pollinators and the fine foliage offers an interesting textural contrast to many other perennials. Hardy in zones 5-9. Deer-resistant.
From White Flower Farm
Geum ‘Alabama Slammer’: A delicious treat for your late spring/early summer garden, ‘Alabama Slammer’ is a spicy brew of multi-shaded orange flowers with burgundy stems and buds for an extra kick of color.
Provide a sunny spot in the front of the border and you’ll be rewarded by for weeks on end with a bevy of butterflies that will come to drink in its nectar. Hardy in zones 5 – 7. Deer-resistant.
From White Flower Farm
Viola ‘Chantreyland’: Make sure you love the vivid dreamsicle-orange color of ‘Chantreyland’ because it will be blooming all summer and right into fall.
This little violet can be used to edge a walkway, in between stepping stones or any other partially shady spot where you need a pop of color. Violas are an important larval host plant for many butterflies so if you’re trying to create a wildlife-friendly garden, you can’t go wrong with violas. Hardy in zones 5 – 9. Deer-resistant.
Do you use orange in your garden? What’s your favorite orange flowered plant for adding delicious color to your garden?
