Was wandering through Target on Monday for the first time in months.
Helloooo!? The 80’s called and wants its neon crap back.
Didn’t care for it then and certainly don’t care for it now. Though there is the increased safety factor of being highly visible at all times, whether in sunglasses or underwear.
But never mind my lack of style.
It made me think about a few plants that, if the light is right, certainly display that glowing, saturated color, found in the “Astro-Brite” pack of copy paper usually reserved for yard sales and such.
Close to dusk, the Kniphofia uvaria ‘Echo Mango’ in our garden stands out from 100 yards away. Bred and selected by Richard Saul of Atlanta’s ItSaul Plants Inc., it is one tough perennial, taking heat and humidity with aplomb.
My experience has been one big early summer flush of blooms, with some significant reblooming until frost. Best in full sun, it’s also drought tolerant and cold hardy to USDA Zone 5. It doesn’t get whopping huge like some other Kniphofia do – stays a nice manageble size, topping out at 3′ to 4′ tall. ‘Echo Mango’ (or any other Red Hot Poker) adds a terrific bit of vertical interest to an otherwise mound-y mixed border. Best with fellow warm colors. Pink, not so much.
‘Echo Mango’ = glowsticks!
Achillea ‘Paprika’ doesn’t go so well with it. Mental note to relocate it in fall.
You can almost hear the sound of space lasers…
Eeee-yoooooo-eeeee-yoooooo…or maybe that’s just me.
When I grew Red Hot Poker a few years ago, it got the most comments and questions of anything I’ve grown. A lot of people apparently are not familiar with it. I like this neon one and will look for it locally. (And yes, some of us are still reading the blog! I like Astro-Brite paper anyway. Makes people notice!)
My red hot poker won’t flower and it’s been in the ground for two seasons. Grrr
And my space lasers sound more like, “peeow peeow peeow.” But that’s just me.
Hm, I actually like the yarrow and the red hot poker together — but then, I am a fan of some of this neon business and have been known to like combinations others have charitably called garish. And yet even I have my limits. I saw some iresine in a local garden center the other day, sun coming through it at just the right angle, and the shade of blazing pink that came through was basically every Barbie accessory I ever had. It just seemed wrong somehow. Took a picture of it with my phone:
http://i39.tinypic.com/vip4cm.jpg
Howdy, SandyG! Just back, sorry for the delay in comment response! Kelli, perhaps I’m thinking of a spaceship…you’re right, lasers are more “peowwwww pewww pewwww.” Sarah, I’m using your picture in my next post. Please don’t sue me. 🙂
I’m glad that someone else is totally against all the neon! The Echo Mango is a great one! We have it planted in front of our Bluberry ‘Tifblue’ great contrast!