Pink is thought to have a calming effect on us and is typically associated with love and romance.
There are many variations of pink flowers that you can have in your garden to add joyful blooms to complement the other colours in your borders and containers. Red-toned pinks are warm, whilst blue-toned pinks have a much cooler impact.
My choices
Here are some of the best pink plants to populate your garden with:
Lychnis coronaria (rose campion)
The silvery-green foliage topped with hot pink flowers are an incredibly striking addition to any bed or border. Fully hardy, these plants can grow up to 1 metre tall.
Care guide
• Sun – Partial shade or full sun
• Position – South, East or West-facing
• Exposure – Sheltered or exposed
• Moisture – Well-drained
• Soil – Loam or sand
Monarda ‘Fireball’ (bergamot)
Its shaggy pink flowerheads bloom from summer to autumn on top of long thin stems. The lance-shaped foliage is fragrant, making them great plants for cuttings.
Care guide
• Sun – Full sun or partial shade
• Position – South, West or East-facing
• Exposure – Exposed or sheltered
• Moisture – Moist but well-drained
• Soil – Chalk, loam, clay, or sand
Salvia ‘Wendy’s Wish’ (sage)
This variety has dark-reddish stems which green leaves that have a citrus fragrance. The pink flowers that flourish from summer to autumn are rich in pink colour as well as rich in nectar which makes them a popular plant for pollinators.
Care guide
• Sun – Full sun
• Position – South, West or East-facing
• Exposure – Sheltered
• Moisture – Moist but well-drained
• Soil – Sand, chalk, or loam
Dahlia ‘Franz Kafka’
With large pompom flowers in pink-purple colours are sure to have an impact in your borders with their spherical shape through summer and autumn. If you are going for a cottage-style garden, this will really complement the look.
Care guide
• Sun – Full sun
• Position – South, West or East- facing
• Exposure – Sheltered
• Moisture – Moist but well-drained
• Soil – Loam, chalk or sand
Veronica spicata ‘Red Fox’
The strong pink spires of this clump-forming perennial make them a great vertical anchor in a flower border to add some structure. They are low maintenance, so perfect for a busy city or courtyard garden that doesn’t need much attention.
Care guide
• Sun – Full sun
• Position – South, West or East-facing
• Exposure – Exposed or sheltered
• Moisture – Moist but well-drained or well-drained
• Soil – Sand, clay, chalk or loam
Iberis umbellate (garden candytuft)
Iberis’ sweet-scented flowers that can be found in white, purple and crimson as well as pink are a great choice for ground cover, if you want some low growing colour in your borders or edging.
Care guide
• Sun – Full sun
• Position – South or West-facing
• Exposure – Sheltered
• Moisture – Moist but well-drained
• Soil – Chalk, loam or sand
Paeonia lactiflora (Chinese peony)
Pale pink or white bowl-shaped flowers appear in early summer that will deliver some perfume to your plot where they can grow up to 1 metre tall in your garden, or you could take cuttings and display them in a vase.
Care guide
• Sun – Full sun or partial shade
• Position – South, East or West-facing
• Exposure – Sheltered
• Moisture – Moist but well-drained
• Soil – Clay, loam or sand
Trifolium rubens ‘Red Feathers’ (ruddy clover)
This is an ornamental clover that doesn’t spready like its weedy cousin. It is a native British wildflower and will attract lots of bees and butterflies. The cylindrical clusters of pink flowers open up from silvery buds in spring and summer.
• Sun – Full sun
• Position – South, East or West-facing
• Exposure – Sheltered or exposed
• Moisture – Well-drained or moist but well-drained
• Soil – Chalk, loam, clay or sand
Nymphaea ‘Masaniello’ (waterlily)
Waterlilies are aquatic perennials with floating leaves and flowers that are showy that can be found in pink, red and yellow to bring some pink to your pond. They also help to provide shade in the pond and keep the temperature down in summer.
Care guide
• Sun – Full sun
• Position – South or West-facing
• Exposure – Sheltered or exposed
• Moisture – Poorly-drained
• Soil – Chalk or loam
Geranium ‘Sweet Heidy’ (cranesbill)
Growing up to 60cm tall, with pink to purple flowers with dark veins and a white centre, this will add some colour to most places in your garden as they aren’t fussy with their positioning, making them perfect for underplanting.
Care guide
• Sun – Full sun, partial shade or full shade
• Position – South, North, East or West-facing
• Exposure – Sheltered or exposed
• Moisture – Well-drained or moist but well-drained
• Soil – Chalk, clay, sand, or loam
Dactylorhiza fuchsia (common spotted orchid)
Dactyylorhiza is a tuberous plant has flow growing speckled foliage and a tall flower spire. It grows well in borders or can be naturalised in grass, so is a wonderful addition to a wildflower meadow.
Care guide
• Sun – Partial shade
• Position – North, East or West-facing
• Exposure – Sheltered or exposed
• Moisture – Poorly-drained
• Soil – Clay or loam
Antirrhinum majus ‘Bells Pink’ (snapdragon)
These early-flowering dwarf snapdragons grow to 30cm tall with pink bell-shaped flowers that would look stunning as edging or in a city or courtyard garden. They also work well as container plants.
Care guide
• Sun – Full sun
• Position – South or West-facing
• Exposure – Sheltered
• Moisture – Well-drained
• Soil – Clay, chalk, or loam
Astrantia major ‘Florence’ (masterwort)
‘Florence’ has pin-cushion flower heads with soft pink flowers from early to late summer, adding some great structure to the border where it can grow up to 1 metres. Alternatively, they will look striking in a vase at cut flowers.
Care guide
• Sun – Full sun or partial shade
• Position – South, North, East or West-facing
• Exposure – Sheltered or exposed
• Moisture – Moist but well-drained or well-drained
• Soil – Clay, chalk, sand, or loam
Heuchera ‘Paris’ (alum root)
Perfect for adding height and colour to the front of a border, the rich veiny foliage and tall, delicate flower spires that create a screen, revealing the plants behind it through the gaps. They will keep blooming through most of summer.
Care guide
• Sun – Full sun or partial shade
• Position – South, North, East or West-facing
• Exposure – Sheltered or exposed
• Moisture – Moist but well-drained
• Soil – Sand or loam
With these pink additions, your garden will be popping with plenty of colour for you to enjoy, and wildlife will enjoy it too as many of these plants are perfect for pollinators.
David Domoney is a Chartered Horticulturalist, Broadcaster, and Author. David has worked with a number of the UK’s leading garden retailers as a plant buyer and strategic consultant. With more than 30 years experience, in horticulture, David is as passionate about plants now as he was when he bought his first plant at a village fete.
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