Fiery reds and brilliant yellow flowers vie for attention in borders in high summer, adding excitement to a scheme and a visual focus
Get the
colour in!
Experiment with colour and texture in your borders and containers by adding some late-summer heat in the form of warm summer colours, says Camilla Phelps
A
S we hit those long hot days at the peak of summer, now is the perfect opportunity to generate some heat in the flower garden and feed our senses with a rich palette of warm colours. Nature knows what it’s doing with its seasonal tones – the intensity of the hottest of summer flower colours is perfect for soaking up bright sunshine and illuminating our borders and pots as they absorb all the available light. There’s a richness to summer yellows that makes them seem opulent and golden, compared to the first gentle yellows of spring. Meanwhile, warmer reds and oranges are seeping into garden colour schemes and many of the taller, prairie-style perennials are aiming for the sun and fighting for pole position to attract the myriad pollinators. Colours of the moment It’s a great time to experiment with colour and texture in borders and containers. Cut back flowers that have gone over and freshen them up with some colours of the moment. The hottest colours of high summer 24 AMATEUR GARDENING 23 JULY 2022
range from citrus-yellow through fiery oranges, pinks and reds. Some summer flowers even offer graded sunset colours on a single bloom, like the Helenium autumnale series and Kniphofia uvaria. You can choose to plant in large swathes of a single shade if you have room, or repeat colours in blocks through borders
Prairie-style perennials and grasses provide movement and drifts of colour
to create a strong visual rhythm. Use single plants as bright colour accents – squeeze in annual calendulas or nasturtiums to fill gaps; or let hot colours be the perfect foil to the cool purple and blue tones of agapanthus, scabious, nigellas and salvias. Seasonal edit Textural contrasts are important, too, as this will make the colours sing even louder. Choose companion grasses for a light and feathery backdrop, or bold foliage plants for a more exotic style. Summer is a good time to give your borders and pots a seasonal edit. It’s also worth looking out for inspiration and some bargains at the garden centre – pots that have been discounted. Look for plants in bloom now that can be divided after flowering so you can increase your stock for next year.
Where to buy Clare Austin claireaustin-hardyplants.co.uk Middleton Nurseries middletonnurseries.co.uk
Crocus Hayloft
crocus.co.uk hayloft.co.uk
