Blushing Pinks
Picture a drift of hundreds of pink astilbes in a woodland glade, the gauzy plumes of the flowers lit by sunlight. I once saw such a sight, like a glimpse into fairyland, at the New York Botanical Garden. Previously I had taken these shade-loving perennials for granted. Now I cherish them, focusing on amassing a collection of pinks, like rosy “Aphrodite”, salmon-toned “Peach Blossom” and right fuchisia “Rheinland”. Astilbe foliage is finely cut, so I grow mine mixed with native ferns in a moist, partially shaded site rich with organic soil.
Another favorite summer perennial, Gaura lindheimeri has blush-hued buds 
that open to silvery-white blooms resembling clouds of butterflies. The white then fades, as if by magic, back to pink again. Gaura “Siskiyon Pink” flaunts maroon buds, unfurling to rosy “butterflies”. The into vaselike shapes that are beguilingly unobtrusive in the plant has a tough character and is able to withstand prolonged periods of heart and drought.
White stamens dot the flower heads of the low-growing perennial Scabiosa. The image is much like a vintage pincushion—thus its common name, pincushion flower. The float above slender stems. “Pink Mist”, a lilac-pink dwarf bred in Ireland, speaks quietly in the garden, All the while luring butterflies and hummingbirds. –Molly Dean
Photo courtesy: flowerwower, kvbwholesale
