Red, white and Blue - Patriotic Planting for the Jubilee

February marks a historic moment in British history - the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee. The 6th February 1942 saw the Queen ascend to the throne and 2022 has been marked as a year of celebration to mark 70 years of service.

With the long weekend of Thursday 2nd to Sunday 5th June dedicated to Platinum Jubilee celebrations, there never has been a better time to get your garden ready for patriotic planting that will celebrate the Queen.

Red, White and Blue Plants

You can make sure your garden is fit for a queen by planting red, white and blue flowers to celebrate the Jubilee, as well as being eye-catching for both neighbours and passers by. Whether you’ve got a large garden with flower borders or a small patio, you can make your outside space into a real jewel by planting some Union Jack inspired plants.

Using our vast array of planting containers or flower beds, we’d love to see the country swathed in carpets of royal colourways. A simple container can look regal with the ever-popular petunia which is available in red, white and blue hues. Readily available in time for the long weekend, petunias are sun loving and will produce vibrant, showy displays all summer.

Red geraniums are also a great floral choice that keeps giving and will be in full bloom come June. Plant with the low growing alyssum known for its tiny pure white flowers, as well as poker straight muscari which look so naturally elegant. This will give you a planter so grand, it would fit right inside Windsor Castle.

Or why not try combining red fuchsias with blue lobelia, which produces masses of tiny flowers that cascade when planted near the edges of your container. Why not finish your display with senecio which has stunning silvery-white foliage and soft to the touch downy leaves. This will create a showstopping look to celebrate her Majesty the Queen.

Verbena is a versatile bloom that will look spectacular come the Jubilee weekend. Available in red, white and blue shades, plant different varieties together so they will overflow from your container, flower for many weeks and attract important pollinators to your outdoor space.

An Anemone Coronaria de Caen Mix produces beautiful large dark-centred flowers in a mix of patriotic colours with green ferny foliage. These can be planted in spring in flower borders or containers to give flowers all summer long and make your garden the pride of Britain.

For those that love wildflowers, why not sow some seeds in a patch in your garden or on the grass verge outside your house? Mix white cosmos with red poppies and add a sprinkle of blue cornflower from mid-March onwards to bring your garden to life as bees, butterflies and birds are attracted to the nectar rich plants.

Royal Blooms

If you’d like to go one step further by celebrating the Jubilee, why not plant the favourite flowers of the members of the Royal Family? Revealed during the first virtual Chelsea Flower Show in 2020, these beautiful plants are sure to be popular this summer.

Queen Elizabeth II famously carried a bouquet with Lily of the Valley during her 1953 coronation. With its delicate white bell shaped flowers, this highly scented flower variety is a firm favourite of her Majesty and will return year after year. The Prince of Wales, Prince Charles revealed that his favourite is the tall and elegant spires of the Delphinium. These statuesque plants will bring height and colour to borders with their blue or white florets that make excellent cut flowers also.

Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall’s plant of choice is the Alchemilla mollis, also known as the Lady’s Mantle which is known for lush foliage and its yellow flowers in late spring and summer. The Earl and Countess of Wessex have shown a love for azaleas which are compact, spreading evergreen shrubs with dark green leaves. They are often pink, coral or white in colour and are ideal for a large container or in the border.

Hellebores are the favourite of Princess Anne and it's not hard to see why. Also known as the Christmas Rose, its elegant flowers and attractive leaves will brighten the garden from January to spring, bringing a lift of colour from pale green to white, cream to pink, and purple, to almost black. Although the Hellebore will not be in flower come the Jubilee celebrations, why not plant this attractive flower as a lasting memory and to provide colour over the colder months?

Here at Gardenesque, we hope that this list of red, white and blue plants will create a summer-long, patriotic celebration of what will be a prestigious year. If you are planning on doing some planting, please tag us in your Jubilee displays on Instagram (@gardenesque_uk).

For more planting inspiration:

• Love-Themed and Romantic Plants

• Top Ten Houseplants To Start Your Own Urban Jungle

• Planting For a Scent-Sational Night Garden