Natural Inspiration

In the “paint” world, each new year begins with the big reveal. For 2023, Pantone has taken inspiration from the natural world with the announcement of Viva Magenta as their color of the year. Described by the company as a powerful and vibrant shade of red deeply rooted in nature, it promises to be “bold and fearless” while adding a joyful and optimistic tone to your interior.

Pantone’s glamorous appeal is convincing; “Viva Magenta descends from the red family and is inspired by the red of cochineal. The cochineal beetle is an insect that produces carmine dye, one of the most precious, strongest, and brightest natural dyes the world has known”.  They add, “it was chosen to reflect our pull toward natural colors.”

Seems the botanical industry has taken notice with promotional ads now featuring a stunning array of floral options for your landscape. Not surprisingly, it would be difficult to find a flower that more dramatically captures the true essence of “magenta” than the zinnia.

As you can see from this stunning photograph, I was, indeed, “drawn in” and quick to imagine the perfect sunny location for it in my summer garden. It’s from The Gardener’s Workshop in Newport News, Virginia.

The name and description they’ve given this zinnia is impressive; ‘Uproar Rose’. It is being held as the next knock-out zinnia by cut flower growers everywhere.

My seeds have been ordered and will be planted directly into the garden after our last danger of frost. I’ll follow their very professional harvesting tips:

*Harvest the blooms when fully mature.

*Make the first harvest cut above the bottom two side shoots as this establishes a branching habit for the season.

*Make future cuts at the base of the stem.

Linda Alexander, Dallas County Master Gardener class of 2008