Fiery Red

This 'Red Cascade' miniature rose by the kitchen door is in bloom now. and it is the absolute essence of what the color "red" means to me. It's not a small plant, it's the flowers that are miniature, but boy are they red.

Up close they are rich rose petalled blooms, but if I step back, see how small they are on the shrub? This climbing rose will eventually cover all the real estate of this corner and go up the nearby fence to cascade over, but the roses themselves are little things.

Pineleaf penstemon 'Compactum', however, is a tiny thing in all its parts. It is a little shrublet that anchors a bit of corner by the front walk. From inside the house I see it peeking out from behind a low rock. It's only 8 inches tall but punches above its weight in color and form.

The red tubes of 'Major Wheeler' honeysuckle have gone by now, but I was happy to see this vine would flower in shade. It's a young plant and I have great expectations for a real red show in future years.  My sister's 'Major Wheeler' vine in Connecticut is huge and flowery. It's a heart stopper.

Still blooming on and on through spring, though, is a coralbell (heuchera) called 'Splendens'. And it is. It's splendent, just a real pop of red seen from inside the dining room window. It startles me when I open the shades in the mornings and catch its sparkly red spikes.

Fire engine red flowers are ushering out spring and calling for summer here in my Santa Fe garden. We're ready.