A gardener’s colour guide By Shauna Dobbie
A jumble of colours.
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hen you’re new to ornamental gardening, you probably don’t think about what colours you’re putting together in a garden. Flowers all go together, right? But after you’ve been at it for a few years you begin to sense that some flowers look just a little more magical when placed side by side. They may go together softly, like a quiet evening whisper, or hit you between the eyes in the most exciting way. Getting everything just so takes some trial and error; two plants that bloom at the same time in the catalogues may not bloom at the same time in your garden. You can have a lot of fun trying to get it right and you may make some beautiful discoveries along the way. Neutrals White, black, grey and brown are neutrals in your wardrobe. In your garden, add green. These colours calm other colours. They can be used to separate others, to lighten the effect of contrast. In addition, white has special properties because it is so highly reflective. It is absolutely necessary in the night garden, where it shines like a beautiful beacon. Think about it in the classic red rose bouquet; it may be old fashioned, but a spray of baby’s breath still lifts an arrangement of red 6 • 2022
long-stems from meh to marvelous. Black and brown are less useful in this regard when you think of flowers and foliage. While there are certainly examples of both, they prove more useful in furniture and hardscaping. A brown fence virtually disappears. A black wall is a gorgeous backdrop for brightly coloured flowers. Grey is striking when it comes across as silver in plants. And green… in a garden, it is almost always there. It is the familiar hue, comforting in its ubiquity. Monochrome The simplest colour scheme to achieve is monochrome. You can have a garden where all the flowers are blue, or all pink or orange or whatever. The favourite type of monochrome garden is white, following on the famous example set by Vita Sackville-West at her home in Sissinghurst Castle. While planning a white garden is simple, it isn’t easy. Many “white” flowers are ever-so-slightly tinged with pink, peach or yellow. If you are the least bit particular, it can take a couple of years to erase the colour from your garden. For any colour, of course, your flowers will be variations of the colour you’re thinking of. Yellow, for instance, ranges from the delicate butter-yellow of a snapdragon to the more intense tone of a sunflower. Issue 2
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