Though it’s a wildflower and lends itself to lush, causal plantings (like cottage gardens), you can also easily incorporate it into tropical-inspired gardens thanks to its festive red-and-yellow flowers. It’s a natural for woodland gardens, as well. Don’t forget to include Indian pink in your butterfly garden, too.
Indian Pink Care
Indian pink thrives in partial to full shade. It will tolerate some afternoon sun but can’t be allowed to dry out, especially in hot summer weather. In sites with full shade or some morning sun with afternoon shade, Indian pink is somewhat drought-tolerant once it becomes established. This makes it an excellent choice for growing beneath large trees, such as oaks and maples. It grows best in moist, well-drained soil that’s rich in organic matter. If your ground has a high sand or clay content, amend liberally with organic matter—such as compost, coconut coir, or peat moss—at planting time. A 2- to 3-inch-deep layer of mulch over the ground in summer also helps Indian pink thrive. Mulch helps keep the soil cool and moist, suppresses weeds, and encourages beneficial microorganisms, such as earthworms, that help build healthy soil. Indian pink doesn’t require pruning except to remove dead stems killed by frost. You can cut back Indian pink right away if you like your yard to have a clean look in winter or leave it standing to catch snow and provide winter interest. Either way is fine—it depends on which look you prefer.
Planting Companions
Plant Indian pink with columbine if you want to attract hummingbirds. You can’t go wrong with the combination of these two North American wildflowers. Coralbells and Indian pink are a natural combination in shade gardens. They like the same growing conditions and both attract butterflies and hummingbirds. Or plant with fragrant, spring-blooming woodland phlox, a colorful and similarly easy-care companion for Indian pink. Check out these perfect perennial pairings.
Plant Indian Pink With:
Exciting new selections with incredible foliage patterns have put coralbells on the map. Previously enjoyed mainly for their spires of dainty reddish flowers, coralbells are now grown as much for the unusual mottling and veining of different-color leaves. The low clumps of long-stemmed evergreen or semi-evergreen lobed foliage make coralbells fine groundcover plants. They enjoy humus-rich, moisture-retaining soil. Beware of heaving in areas with very cold winters. This plant hardly grown 40 years ago is now one of the most commonly grown garden plants. But hosta has earned its spot in the hearts of gardeners – it’s among the easiest plants to grow, as long as you have some shade and ample rainfall.Hostas vary from tiny plants suitable for troughs or rock gardens to massive 4-foot clumps with heart-shape leaves almost 2 feet long that can be puckered, wavy-edged, white or green variegated, blue-gray, chartreuse, emerald-edged – the variations are virtually endless. Hostas in new sizes and touting new foliage features seem to appear each year. This tough, shade-loving perennial, also known as plaintain lily, blooms with white or purplish lavender funnel-shape or flared flowers in summer. Some are intensely fragrant. Hostas are a favorite of slug and deer. Perfect for cottage and woodland gardens, old-fashioned columbines are available in almost all colors of the rainbow. Intricate little flowers, they are most commonly a combination of red, peach, and yellow but also blues, whites, pure yellows, and pinks; they look almost like folded paper lanterns.Columbine thrives in sun or partial shade in moist, well-drained soil. Plants tend to be short-lived but self-seed readily, often creating natural hybrids with other nearby columbines. If you want to prevent self-seeding, deadhead plants after bloom.
