For the section of my bog garden around the newt tank, I decided on yellow as the dominant theme, believing that the newts would relish a glowing vista on emerging from their winter hotel just across the path. Two shades of the same colour would be subtle and yet striking.
Firstly I went for marsh marigolds.
The other common name for this gem is Kingcup and it is a perennial herbaceous plant of the buttercup family, blossoming mostly between April and August. It will grow up to 31 inches high, die down in winter with buds near the surface of marshy soil in order to burst forth again in Spring. There are several stems bearing yellow wonders of about 1-2 inches in diameter.
Alongside them, I decided on Globe flowers, which will add a little variation for my discerning newts and the insects that will be allured to my back garden.
This is a herbaceous perennial with flowers that can tinge towards orange or even lilac. The name refers to the petals which curve over at the top forming a sphere. It grows up to 24" inches in height and the globes are up to 1.5 " across, enclosing a large number of stamens. I will train my visiting bees to probe these during the propitious months of June to August.
When I dream about my re-awakened back garden on these autumn nights, it is these sun replicas that float across my mind, radiant and optimistic.
