Elegant Whites & Slivers
The use of white in a garden creates a cool elegant look first inspired by Vita Sackville-West at Sissinghurst in the 1930s. Using white and silver foliage can lift areas of shade and partial shade in your garden to sparkle in the sunlight and still illuminate in the moonlight. White plants are at their best in late spring and early summer, starting with the snowdrop, crocus, tulip and moving to hosta, rose, foxglove and hydrangea. Silvers range from lavender through astelia and birch to variagated foliage. Add drama with alliums or agapanthus as part of your garden design.
White goes with everything, so it can be used on its own for a formal garden style or as a softening colour in a border for continuity. A white colour combination can often add sophistication to a garden.
Pastel Shades
Pastel shades are relaxing and soothing and the easiest colours to get right in your garden. By using white as an anchor colour you can easily mix pale blues, dusty pinks, lilacs and soft yellows with other romantic shades. Planting them where they catch the setting sun or close to the patio can add tranquillity to your evening. Enjoy lobelia, violets or soft sweet peas in your hanging baskets and containers. Delight with calm, harmonious pastels in blue, white and yellow or choose pink, purple and mauve which work wonderfully together.
Cool Blues & Purples
Purple is a colour long revered by humanity. Its scarcity has given it a majestic quality once exclusively indulged by kings and queens. Deeper blues add a rich, regal element to your garden.
Add passionate purple and blue to your life with our help. Adding salvias, wallflowers, lavender festuca grass, blue hydrangea or delphiniums create interest and vitality in your garden. Tip: Try mixing different shades of purple flowers for a soothing blend. Planting white with purple or deep blue cools them to that of safe pastels, whereas contrasting them with orange, bright yellow or lime green make them zing.
Hot Sizzlers
Reds, oranges and yellows are colours of passion and vibrancy that command our attention in the garden in late Summer or early Autumn. Some gardeners are anxious about using them in the garden; their strength can be off-putting. Use them to make a statement in your garden through the tulip, rose, red hot poker, lily, gerbera, poppy or montbretia plants. They work very well when offset with green foliage in your borders. In Winter red can create a magical feel in a frosty setting; it can brighten a Summer’s day but remember to use it sparingly for best results.
