An example of Peach Fuzz – Chrysanthemum Salmon Enbee Wedding (from https://www.hallsofheddon.com/product/chrysanthemum-salmon-enbee-wedding/)

Dear Readers, my Royal Horticultural Magazine is always a source of wonderment, and this month there was an article about Pantone’s ‘Colour of the Year’. Who knew that there was such a thing? But this year, the global colour-trend forecasters at the paint company have announced that it’s ‘Peach Fuzz’, and my poor old Mum would have been delighted – she was always one for a ‘Rosy Glow’ in the living room, and I’m sure this shade would have been right up her street.

I also didn’t know that the RHS have a Colour Chart, with 920 hues, each with a unique code and name that can be matched precisely to fruit, flowers and foliage. This must be very handy for the garden planner with a vision! It is apparently the standard reference used by horticulturalists worldwide, so that they know that when they refer to a particular colour, another gardener or plant enthusiast will know exactly what they’re on about. In order to see what ‘Peach Fuzz’ would look like, Yvette Harvey, the Keeper of the Herbarium at RHS, matched the paint sample to the Colour Chart, and discovered that the closest match was 26D, called, rather prosaically, ‘Light Yellowish Pink’. There are only fourteen plants out of the 90,000 listed that match the colour designation, and here are a few of them.

The chrysanthemum in the first photo is a half-hardy perennial, and looks as if it might be good for pollinators, though in my experience they aren’t particularly attracted to peach/apricot/orange flowers – do tell if you have a different experience!

Dahlia ‘Labyrinth’ is a stunner, but I have had no luck at all with dahlias so far. Maybe I’ll have another bash this year.

Dahlia ‘Labyrinth’ from https://www.sarahraven.com/products/dahlia-labyrinth

And how about this wonderful Red-Hot Poker (Kniphofia) – this definitely is good for pollinators, in spite of it being pollinated by sunbirds in its native South Africa.

Red-Hot Poker ‘Toffee Nosed’ from https://www.perfectplantings.co.uk/store/Kniphofia-Toffee-Nosed-p581831256

And this is a plant that I’d never come across before – Lilium rosthornii, a Chinese lily that reminds me rather of a Martagon lily. As with all lilies, keep away from your feline friends!

Lilium rosthornii by By John Lykkegaard – https://www.flickr.com/photos/16734351@N00/, CC BY-SA 2.5, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1134434

And how about this rather strange narcissus – known as  ‘Waldorf Astoria’ it’s a pretty colour but has a most unlikely shape.

Narcissus ‘Waldorf Astoria’ from https://qualitydaffodils.com/daffodils/waldorf-astoria-4w-p-l-40-60cm-per-single-bulb/

Now this is more like it! I rather like this Potentilla.

Potentilla ‘Day Dawn’ from https://imberhornelane-nursery.co.uk/buy/potentilla-fruticosa-daydawn/

For anyone with no outside space who wants to get into the whole ‘Peach Fuzz’ thing, here’s a barrel cactus (Rebutia ‘Apricot Ice’)

Rebutia ‘Apricot Ice’ from
https://www.gardenersworld.com/plants/rebutia-apricot-ice/

Then there’s a peach-coloured Azalea (‘Hanger’s Flame)…

Azalea ‘Hanger’s Flame’ from https://www.rhododendrons.co.uk/deciduous-azalea-hangers-flame/p253

And this very pretty, delicate rose (‘Joie de Vivre ‘Korflociol’)…

Rosa ‘Joie de Vivre’ (Korflociol) from https://hayloft.co.uk/rosa-joie-de-vivre-g-k33574

And finally, and possibly my favourite, this Verbascum, ‘Tropic Sun’. Sadly this was the best photo that I could get, and the seeds are out of stock at this supplier, so no Tropic Sun for me!

Verbascum (Mullein) ‘Tropic Sun’ from https://cottagegardenseeds.co.uk/product/verbascum-tropic-sun-agm/

So if this has all piqued your interest, there’s an article on the RHS website about how to incorporate peach-coloured plants into your garden here and should you wish to lay your hands on the RHS colour chart it’s here though at £295 you’d need to be very keen.

Furthermore, if you’re intrigued by the whole idea of ‘The Colour of the Year’, you can have a look at some previous winners (and the way that the colours are chosen) here. If nothing else, it’s a very astute marketing device, and no doubt companies from fashion houses to garden centres will be stocking up with pale orange, peach and apricot products. Let me know if you spot anything, I’m intrigued….