Easy Garden Rainbows - Orange

Geums prefer full sun or part shade, whether it is dappled shade or shade for part of the day. They prefer moist soil, although they have deep roots and can withstand a little summer or fall drought. Hardy to -25 degrees celsius.

Wall Flowers There are two types of wallflowers. Erysimum is a shrubby perennial that will survive only where winter temperatures do not reach below -15 degrees celcius. Cheiranthus cheiri is normally sold as an annual plant, or grown as a biennial from seed. However, these are actully another perennial, also hardy to only -15 degrees celcius. Because Chieranthus flower earlier, and are more commonly available, these are what most people think of when they hear the word wallflower.

Cheiranthus wallflowers come in a great array of hot colours from yellow, orange, cream, deep burgundy and bright red. They grow best in limed or alkaline soil which is poor, and well-drained. In zones 7 to 10, they winter over nicely and seeds can scatter much like that of a forget-me-not -- freely and casually. Wallflowers are called wallflowers because they naturalize in dry stone walls very well. A late-spring stroll anywhere in England will reveal yellow wallflowers growing out of the cracks in walls and pavement, expecially in buildings and walls made from limestone.

Read more about Wallflowers at Time Life's Wallflower Listing

Mimulus (Monkey Flowers) These annuals for shade get their name because their flowers apparently look like monkey faces. Their tubular flaring blooms are about 2 inches across and come in clusters at the ends of shorts stems. These are held over a 1 foot-tall hummock of very compact light green foliage. They flower in colours from yellow to red, with deep shades of burgundy and some splashing and spotting of petals, but my favourite is the bright orange variety. These create a great splash of firey-orange in cool, moist areas, and do very well in shaded containers. If necessary, use a light mulch to keep the soil damp and moist in hot-summer areas.

Calendula Calendulas are very easy annuals to grow in sun or light shade, but their merits really come forth when planted in a sunny flower bed. They are virtually pest free and make for a very easy show of colour, requiring less water than petunias and no deadheading. When the frost finally kills the plants, cut off the remaining flower heads, and scatter their contents where you would like calendulas next

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