Hurray for Red, White, and Blue!

For this month's Garden Blogger Bloom Day, I was actually ahead of schedule and took my photos today (June 14), which is Flag Day in the USA. I'm one of those far-left liberals who refuses to let our country's flag and symbolism be totally co-opted by the right-wingers. In the neighboring People's Republic of Takoma Park, you rarely see any expressions of old-fashioned patriotism as that might brand you a war-mongering, insensitive jerk. Even at the Independence Day Parade, flags are usually green with peace signs or rainbow-hued. For me, though, the flag is graphically stunning and most of the "heavy baggage" that went with it was before my time. So I stick some flags out by my front door starting before Memorial Day and leave them up through Labor Day.

I rarely have red blooms to go with the flags. Even my "red" roses are more lipstick pink and other "red" labelled blooms and foliage looks far more burgundy or maroon to me eyes. This year, thanks to some trial plants and a few plant swap finds, I do have some true fire engine reds. Here they are.

From top to bottom:

- pot on my front porch rail with flag, a neon red New Guinea impatien, and a pale blue lobelia.

- huge planter (I can fit in it!) of tropicals just potted up today: Russian Red canna, red lantana, and bi-color, sun-loving coleus

- 'EarlyBird Cardinal' daylily

(On a funny side-note, I have some recent immigrant neighbors from the former Soviet who hung a BIG USA flag on their porch the day they moved in. I think it was a "we are just like you, really" plea of understanding. The funny part was that they hung it sideways for a few days, then upside-down for a week -- causing passers-by to throw some dirty looks their way and to question whether Homeland Security should be notified. They finally got it right and it is the only other flag I've seen hanging for blocks around.)