There are many criteria to consider when designing with plants, both practical (such as choosing plants that will thrive in the soil and conditions) and aesthetic (like combining leaf sizes and textures). Perhaps the most effective and important visual aspect is the mixture of colours. Most pleasing are combinations that harmonise, such as this pale pink tree peony in front of a ceanothus (C. ‘Puget’s Blue’)…
In a similar colour spectrum, the rich, glossy purple of this tulip (T. ‘Queen of Night’) is set off beautifully by the frothy flowers of Phlox (P. divaricata ‘Clouds of Perfume’). In their first year, the tulips featured in a potted display in my garden. When they had finished flowering I put them into the beds, where most have survived and will hopefully naturalise. The flowers of tulips treated in this way are rarely as large after the first year (depending on the variety – some naturalise very well) but it hardly matters…
‘Queen of Night’ goes almost as well with forget-me-nots, which are prevalent in the garden at the moment…
Colour doesn’t have to come from flowers – foliage can act as the perfect foil to flowers, as in this happy combination of ceanothus with a dark-leaved hazel (Corylus maxima ‘purpurea’)…
Or this row of chives with the same background…
And different coloured foliage can be used together to similar effect. This is the grass Phalaris arundinacea ‘Feesey’ (commonly known as ‘Gardener’s Garters) contrasting with the same hazel, with the mid-green of a cornus (C. kousa var. chinensis) mediating…
Of course, colour combinations don’t always have to be calming and peaceful. On a visit to the Dorothy Clive garden in Shropshire recently I came across this vibrant (I would almost call it alarming) conflict between orange and yellow varieties of azalea…
After that, you need something calming, so how about this group of Tulipa ‘Purissima’ from my own garden, set against the lush mid-green new leaves of Viburnum x. burkwoodii…
text & images © Strelitzia Garden Design 2023