Trending Garden Color Marsala Red

The forecast calls for rich, wine-red color. Marsala, with its roots in red, brown, and purple, is on-trend for 2015, says the Pantone Color Institute. Grow these easy-care beauties to add it to your garden.

By: Lynn Coulter

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'Cinnamon Curls' Heuchera

Plant 'Cinnamon Curls' heuchera, also called coral bells, for its pretty ruffled leaves, which are an unusual blend of coppery orange, red, and purple. Underneath, they're bright magenta. Although the white flowers are small, they attract hummingbirds.

Pantone Marsala

Marsala (Pantone 18-1438) is an elegant, yet earthy, blend of wine-red and brown. The Pantone Color Institute has tapped it as a top trending color for 2015; look for it in fashions, gardens and many products and brands.

'Spilled Wine' Weigela

Use 'Spilled Wine' weigelas for splashes of dark, wine-red color in borders or around your foundation, or mass them in the landscape. These low-maintenance shrubs bear pink spring flowers and have dark purple to purplish-black foliage.

'Nosferatu' Daylily

Some flowers fade in heat and full sunlight, but daylily ‘Nosferatu’ holds its color. The fragrant, ruffled blooms are a shimmering combination of wine and purple with chartreuse throats. Daylilies are tough plants that thrive in part sun to sun and adapt easily to most soils.

'Storm Chaser' Daylily

'Storm Chaser' is a stunning daylily with frilly, dark maroon petals and orange-yellow centers. The bright yellow anthers almost seem to float above the compact blooms.

'Black Cherry Wild' Dianthus

Marsala, one of the Pantone Color Institute's trending colors for 2015, is a seductive combination of reds and brown. To emphasize its red origins, punch up your beds and borders with ‘Black Cherry Wild’. This dianthus has rich red blooms edged in white and mounds of grey-green foliage. It can easily tolerate short periods of drought.

'Dutch Chocolate' Baptisia

You may know Baptisia as false indigo. This native cultivar grows vigorously, making it useful even in small gardens or containers. The velvety blooms are a delicious chocolate-purple color, while the foliage is deep blue-green. Give 'Dutch Chocolate' part sun to sun; it attracts butterflies.

ColorBlaze 'Marooned' Coleus

'Marooned' is easy-to-grow in sun or shade. Like most coleus, its flowers, which are purple, aren't showy, but its dark red to rich burgundy colored foliage is outstanding. To overwinter your coleus as a houseplant, bring it inside before the first frost.

'Ruby Anniversary' Abelia chinensis

Bring jewel tones to your landscape with ‘Ruby Anniversary’. This abelia's new leaves emerge with hints of ruby red before they mature to glossy green. Its pink buds open into fragrant, white flowers. Butterflies flock to the plants, but deer tend to leave it alone.

'Gatsby Moon' Hydrangea quercifolia

'Gatsby Moon' (Hydrangea quercifolia) really shines in fall, when its green leaves turn wine-red. Hardy in zones 5 to 9, this North American native is a deciduous shrub. Its white, cone-shaped flower panicles age to green.

'Dragon's Blood' Sedum spurium

Low-growing ‘Dragon’s Blood’ makes an excellent groundcover. This sedum has green leaves edged in purple-red that become more red in fall, as the temperatures drop. The star-shaped pink-red flowers draw butterflies.

'Cafe Noir' Tulip

Dress up a spring garden with 'Cafe Noir' tulips. These chocolate-red to burgundy blooms sometimes look almost black, but you can pair them with creamy white, pink, or yellow flowers to soften the look.

'Red Riding Hood' Dwarf Fountain Grass

Nearly carefree ‘Red Riding Hood’ (Pennisetum setaceum) is a dwarf fountain grass. Its foliage and flowers range from rich burgundy to purple-black. This warm-season ornamental may grow as a perennial if you live where the winter temperatures stay above 20 degrees F. The blooms are good for cutting and drying.