Pastel colours not your thing? The same could be said of Charles Carr, creator of Erysimum ‘Colour Vibe’, who selected the plant for its vibrant hues – amongst other qualities!
How to grow Erysimum ‘Colour Vibe’Flowering time: March to early summer Location: Borders, patio containers, cottage gardens, wildlife gardens, cut flower gardens Soil: Well-drained, moderately fertile soil that is neutral or slightly alkaline Light: Full sun/light shade Water: Water generously when first planting, and water the plant well for the first year while it is establishing Care: Encourage more growth by trimming faded and dead flowers. Size: 50cm x 50cm |
What’s different about this plant?
While the masses go crazy for pastels, there are gardeners keeping vibrant colour alive through plants like Erysimum ‘Colour Vibe’. With punchy hues of orange, purple and red, the latter launched at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2023 as a Shortlisted Entry, turning heads thanks to its bold colour atop silvery green foliage.
Alongside that strong colour palette, ‘Colour Vibe’ features a good, bushy habit, strong constitution, strong flowers with a good size, and ease of maintenance. These plants have performed well in garden trials, testing in borders and patio containers in both the UK and Europe. Plus, they are an attractive addition to the garden for early season pollinators!
How was this plant created?
Charles Carr, Head of Wholesale Nurseries, chose these bright varieties from a hybridisation program. He explains:
“About 12 years ago, I looked at one of the red varieties and decided it wasn’t very red. At the time, there were a lot of soft pastel colours being developed – which weren’t really to my taste – and I decided it would be interesting to try and develop some strong, clear colours which didn’t fade.
“I gathered a wide range of Erysimum and carried out controlled crosses to see what I could develop. From these seedlings I acquired a number of interesting seedlings – after a couple of generations of hybrids I have a set of colours that I was happy with. Red, Orange and Purple – I have trialled all of these in my garden and they have done very well.
“They were named ‘Colour Vibe’ because, when I asked my daughter if she liked them, she said they added a ‘nice vibe’ to the garden – seemed the right name!
“For the first plant, it took around eight years from selecting the plant, to selling. We were able to put the plants into a laboratory to both ensure vigorous and disease free stock but it also enables us to increase stock numbers rapidly.”
Where can you plant Erysimum ‘Colour Vibe’?
‘Colour Vibe’ will grow well in most well-draining, moderately fertile soil in full sun or light shade. They are as at home in borders as they are in patio containers, cottage gardens, wildlife gardens, or even cut flower gardens.
Dissimilar to other Erysimums that might be a bit on the floppy side, ‘Colour Vibe’ sticks to its compact, upright habit, which makes it great for saving space in an urban or balcony garden!
Where can you buy Erysimum ‘Colour Vibe’?
You can buy Erysimum ‘Colour Vibe’ from Thompson & Morgan and Suttons in the UK.
Plant of the Month is sponsored by Plantipp, a company based in The Netherlands who handle the introduction of new plants into Europe.
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Images courtesy of Plantipp.
Michael has been involved with gardening and plants since he was just five years old. He is a self-professed Plant Geek, and was listed in the Sunday Times top 20 most influential people in the gardening world, thanks to his plant hunter role at Thompson & Morgan.
Michael was responsible for new plant introductions such as the Egg and Chips plant and the FuchsiaBerry and keeps busy travelling the world in search of new plants as well as lecturing worldwide, including stints in Japan. He is very active on social media – so why not give him a follow at @mr_plantgeek or Facebook – and writes a plant-focused Substack called Grow This, Not That.
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