Hidcote Manor in the Cotswolds is one of England’s most iconic gardens. Now in the care of the National Trust, but previously home to plantsman Lawrence Johnston, it’s known for the way Johnston divided the space into rooms.
In his Iconic Gardens 2020 series, Mark Lane delved into Hidcote Manor and its planting in The English Garden. Each of Johnston’s rooms have a different character and planting, and one of the most famous parts of the garden is the room that encloses the Red Borders. Find out how you can recreate the Red Border look in the magazine, but here are some additional ideas from Mark.
How to recreate the Hidcote Manor red border look at home
Try growing vibrant reds from seed, to replicate Hidcote’s red borders on a budget.
Stunning red flowers to grow from seed:
- Antirrhinum ‘Liberty Scarlet’
- Amaranthus ‘Red Army’
- Petunia ‘Tidal Wave Red Velour’
- Basil ‘Red Boza’
- Helianthus annuus ‘Claret’
- Kale ‘Redbor’
- Zinnia ‘Benary’s Giant Deep Red
- Hibiscus acetosella ‘Mahogany Splendor’
- Tagetes linnaeus
- Cosmos bipinnatus ‘Rubenza’
- Papaver commutatum ‘Ladybird’
- Sweet pea ‘King Edward VII’
- Nasturtium ‘Crimson Emperor’
- Gomphrena ‘Qis Carmine’
- Hedysarum coronarium
If you want to take your red border in a prairie direction, Mark advises adding striking grasses to create the look.
Grasses to plant:
- Panicum virgatum ‘Rehbraun’ has green leaves that turn red-purple in autumn
- Miscanthus sinensis ‘Malepartus’ has pink-brown, silky flowers and purple-green spikelets
- Briza media is a tufted grass with green leaves tinted purple
Herbaceous perennials to combine with grasses:
Aim for a ratio of 70% ornamental grasses to 30% herbaceous perennials for the perfect red prairie.
- Penstemon ‘Raven’ has sumptuous spikes of foxglove-like deep purple flowers
- Sanguisorba ‘Tanna’ with elegant slim stems topped by bottle-brush, dark-red blooms that nod in the wind
- Astrantia major ‘Claret’ has deep, ruby-red flowers that look like pincushions, and works really well in a modern prairie setting
- For a hint of chocolate, Cosmos atrosanguineus has velvety-red-chocolate flowers
- For the back of the border, to unite the planting with the sanguisorba, Persicaria amplexicaulis ‘Firetail’ sends up long, slender spikes with long, fluffy, crimson flowers
At Hidcote Manor, purple foliage plants are used to great effect to offset scarlet flowers. Do that at home with a valuable edible addition: Salvia officinalis ‘Purpurascens’, a fully hardy salvia, which is great at suppressing weeds, has grey-green foliage flushed with purple, and has the added bonus of being edible and can be eaten raw, made into a tea or added to stuffing.
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