The masters of the color universe at Pantone have decreed that “Radiant Orchid,” a shade of rosy purple, will be the 2014 “Color of the Year.” The promotional copy is effusive, describing Radiant Orchid as a shade that “blooms with confidence and magical warmth that intrigues the eye and sparks the imagination.” Not only that, but Radiant Orchid apparently has the potential to inspire all kinds of noble things, possibly even world peace. “It is an expressive, creative and embracing purple—one that draws you in with its beguiling charm. A captivating harmony of fuchsia, purple and pink undertones, Radiant Orchid emanates great joy, love and health.”
It is quite amazing to think that one color could do all of that. If it does, it will certainly be an improvement on last year’s Color of the Year, Emerald. I didn’t make much fuss about Emerald, because Emerald and its green cousins are everywhere in the garden anyway. However, Radiant Orchid seems more worthy of special attention. It certainly exists in the orchid world, along with lots of other hues and color combinations. Fortunately, even those of us who do not over our Phalaenopses and Miltonias can have plenty of Radiant Orchid in our lives.
When I read about Radiant Orchid, my thoughts flew immediately to garden plants with rosy purple blooms. Spiderwort or tradescantia flourishes in my garden and at least one hybrid variety, ‘Hawaiian Punch’ bears flowers in that shade. Like its spiderwort relatives, ‘Hawaiian Punch’ does best in light shade and sprouts long, strap-like leaves. Generally the plants flower in late spring, but will rebloom if the plants are sheared back after the first flush of bloom. It works well with other spiderworts, which bloom in shades of white, palest purple and blue-purple. ‘Hawaiian Punch’ might also harmonize nicely with one of the chartreuse heucheras, like ‘Lime Rickey,’ which enjoys the same landscape conditions.
Rose lovers can also share in all that “joy, love and health.” Rosy purple is hardly a rose garden mainstay, but there are some varieties that flower in that color. One is the old standby, ‘Sterling Silver,’ a lemon-scented hybrid tea of noble lineage. Sired by the near-mythical rose, ‘Peace,’ ‘Sterling Silver’ grows about two feet tall or maybe just a bit more. It blooms heavily in spring and reblooms in flushes thereafter. The larger, newer floribunda, ‘Wild Blue Yonder,’ comes even closer to “Radiant Orchid,” with lots of rosy purple petals that redden at the edges. Save room for it, because the shrub can grow to be five feet tall, blooming in flushes just like ‘Sterling Silver.’ Rose coloration can change subtly, according to the time of year, soil composition and even the age of the bush. One gardener’s rosy purple ‘Sterling Silver’ may not appear to be exactly the same color as that of a gardener on the other side of the country.
Every year it seems that at least forty new coneflower varieties cascade into the retail market. Many orbit within the “Radiant Orchid” color universe. One of them is the flamboyantly named ‘Pow Wow Wildberry,’ with overlapping rosy purple petals. The flowers are generously sized, at three to four inches across. ‘After Midnight’ appears to come close, though the promotional copy for one catalog vendor refers to the petal color as “deep magenta.” Sometimes you just have to take your chances and judge for yourself. The beauty of tough perennials like coneflowers is that you can move them around if they clash with the prevailing color scheme.
For those gardeners whom the gods have favored with the double gift of nearly neutral pH soil and big-leaf hydrangeas, the good news is that your bushes have probably always bloomed in a shade that resembles this latest Pantone “Color of the Year.” Fashion forward plant lovers who normally add soil amendments to acidify the earth and turn pink or pink-purple hydrangeas blue, may want to save effort this year and let nature take its course.
The Radiant Orchid riot will start early in the spring for those who the little ‘Roseus’ crocuses, also known as Crocus tommasianus ‘Roseus’. They have been around since 1924 and are suddenly back in fashion for their pinky-purple petals. Some tulips and iris fall into the same color category.
And of course, many orchid aficionados, who wait at this time of year in anticipation of the upcoming flushes of orchid bloom, look forward to having plenty of “Radiant Orchid” among their radiant orchids. They would probably tell the rest of us that they have always been one step ahead–in both horticulture and fashion.