Colour in the
with Sally Cunis Garden Design Limited Delphiniums
By mid-summer, window-boxes, pots on the patio, borders and even the vegetable garden are a riot of colour. Every shade and texture of green, grey, purple, gold and variegated foliage sets off the brighter flower colours that gardeners chose for their own plot.
Primula Vialii
A small enclosed town garden used only at night will suit a lush, green, architectural foliage garden enhanced by white, scented plants which will glow at night when they are most appreciated. I often plan a predominantly white planting scheme for areas of gardens where I want them to blend seamlessly into the surrounding countryside. Whilst the white garden at Sissinghurst is stunning, single colour gardens in a more domestic setting can seem a little dull and may benefit from the injection of some other colour to lift the whole scheme.
Colour preference is one of the questions I always ask clients when planning a garden. If space is limited, for example, and the main areas to be planted are visible from the house, colour choice, throughout the year not only in the summer months, is very important. When planning a new colour scheme, the choice can seem bewildering; there is such a vast range of plants available now throughout the year in the nurseries, to grow from seed and to order online from growers. Each garden will have a different set of parameters which dictates the suitability of certain plants for that garden such as aspect, soil and climate which helps to narrow down the plant choice and thus the colour limitations within those groups. Gertrude Jekyll inspired many great English gardens with her beautifully composed painterly colour borders but they were on a scale few gardeners can dream of these days! It is interesting, however, to look at her designs for the juxtaposition of plant colours. Take a tip from the designers and use a colour wheel to pick colours from opposite sides of the wheel, perhaps setting orange Lilies to glow against blue Delphiniums or mixing yellow and purple Iris.
If space is limited, restrict the colour palette, contrasting lime green with strong purples and blacks or opt for soft pastel colours or strong fiery reds and oranges. Divide a large garden into ‘rooms’ creating a cool shady area with green foliage, white flowers and blue Meconopsis; create a tropical bed in a hot sunny spot with clashing colours or make a traditional cottage garden mix of flowers.
Angelica gigas Sally Cunis Garden Design
Introduce colour to a minimalist gravel garden with dramatic pots of tall yellow or black stemmed bamboo. My favourite is a mixed border of old English roses for perfume and colour, with Rosemary, purple Sage, Chives, Alliums and purple Iris with glaucous foliage,
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• Qualified in garden design & horticulture • Designing gardens for over 20 years • Gardens to suit your lifestyle • As heard on BBC Radio Sheffield
Sally Cunis MA (Cantab) MRICS T: 01226 791320 M: 07812 724195
sjc@sallycunisgardendesign.co.uk www.sallycunisgardendesign.co.uk www.pothousehamlet.co.uk/sallycunis.htm
Crocosmia Lucifer and Echinacea
flowers for bees and butterflies with perhaps an obelisk or two of sweet peas picked regularly to prolong flowering. I under-plant with purple leaved Heuchara, grey Stachys and interleave with bright green feverfew which self-seeds and bears pretty daisy-like flowers.
In the bog garden, Caltha palustris and flag Iris glow yellow and the strange mauve and red flowers of Primula Vialii are a delight. The vegetable garden must not be forgotten. Rainbow Chard sports beautiful red and yellow stems whilst the flowers of the runner beans are a strong orange. Many of the Calabrese have fabulous purple or glaucous leaves, and ornamental cabbages are grown in window boxes they are so
Roses and Heuchara
decorative. Practice companion planting and marigolds will distract aphids and brighten up your plot. A row of flowering chives, a bed of strawberries or a greenhouse full of tomatoes and peppers add more colour to your garden.
Vegetable garden
Garden
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