Pretty in Pink

​The month of June was all about the pinks in the garden!  So many varieties - from pale pink, lavender pink, candy pink, to the most vibrant neon pink. 

Hardy Geranium sanguineum Var. striatum 'Bloody Cranesbill'
I've been picking and pressing these flowers and leaves for eco-printing later this summer. The more I pick the more they bloom. As they dry they turn to purple. I love the palmately lobed leaves that are more narrow and pointed than other perennial geraniums.  
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Penstomen digitalis 'Pocahontas'
The bees and hummingbirds just love the tubular shaped flowers and I love the lavender pink flowers and burgundy stems and leaves.
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Dianthius gratianopolitanus 'Cheddar Pink'
This is then paler of the two dianthus plants I have. The other one is so vibrant I have yet to get a decent photo of it. They both have lovely sage green foliage. I just deadheaded these and they will bloom again this summer.
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​Aguilegia canadensis 'Pink Lanterns'
Columbine reseeds so easily that I find new plants popping up in different areas of the garden every year. I fell in love with this flower while on a trip to Colorado where saw them every time we went out walking. Look at those cute and whimsical seeds pods!
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Cranesbill, Perennial Geranium
Such pale delicate flowers with the perkiest little spiky seed pods. The leaves are semi evergreen and are one of my favorite leaves for eco-printing. 
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Spiraea japonica 'Neon Flash'
​I planted this spiraea 2 years ago and it seems very happy in it's new home. Last year it was just getting settled in and had only a few flower bunches. It's grown quite a bit since then and has so many more flowers this year that I felt it was okay to pick and press a few to try for eco-printing. 

Kalmia latifolia 'Ostbo Red'
My 15 year old mountain laurel is a very special pink as it is Connecticut's state flower. The flower shape is so unusual and I think the bud is just as pretty as the open flower. When I purchased this plant the label said it was the variety 'Raspberry Glow' but I think it was mislabeled. After some research and comparing of photos it looks much more like the variety 'Ostbo Red'. Doesn't it make you think of candy?


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