I'd like to know the identification of a couple of plants seen in vancouver island gardens june 19. this one with the red stems this one in front of a miscanthus "morning light"...owner says it blooms white later on?
The one in front in the second photo looks like Ajuga to me, or maybe someone will correct that. I wish someone would answer for the first one. It's quite attractive.
I think I saw the first one the other day in a garden center labelled limelight hydrangea? I hadn't seen one with red stems before. the second one was about 3 feet tall...so. not ajuga.
OK, working on that, I'll suggest Hydrangea macrophylla Lady In Red®. See Hydrangea 'Lady in Red' - Journal - Deb's Garden Blog. Limelight hydrangeas seem to have green stems.
For the second, Eupatorium rugosum 'Chocolate'? It blooms in autumn. Plant Profile for Eupatorium rugosum ‘Chocolate’ - Chocolate Boneset Perennial
I have a feeling that Teresa was on the right track when she mentioned Limelight Hydrangea - a paniculata hydrangea. If you look at the arrangement of flower buds in her photo, you see they are more of a panicle than a globe as you would expect in macrophylla such as Lady in Red. I have no idea how many panicle hydrangeas have red stems but I doubt there are many. One notable one, Hydrangea paniculata Vanilla Strawberry™ features red stems, "making quite a contrast against the green leaves." Plants grow upright, and then cascade later in the season. Excellent for fresh cut and dried flower arrangements. It was voted top plant of 2010 by the American Nursery and Landscape Association. Thank you Teresa for bringing this to my attention. I want one. There are lots of websites including: Vanilla Strawberry™ Hydrangea | First Editions Plants .
