Backdrops of brilliance
By painting walls and fences you can set the scene for your plants
THE plants are the stars in the theatre of gardening, holding our gaze throughout the seasons. To see them at their best, a good backdrop is essential. For most gardens, the background or stage set will be our fences and walls, and often these can be what the builder left behind – unpainted wooden fence panels or bare concrete.
While foliage and flowers provide a changing kaleidoscope of colour, your background walls and fences are part of the picture too and there’s absolutely no reason why they can’t be painted to give them a lift.
The received wisdom in garden design is to reserve bright hues for hot countries that are bathed in strong light, such as those in the Mediterranean and Africa.
One of the best examples of this is La Majorelle in Marrakesh, Morocco. This remarkable garden was created by a French painter just outside the Medina in Marrakesh and is famous for its distinctive use of colour.
The main building, all the walls and tanks of water are painted in a cobalt blue which dances in the blazing Moroccan sunshine. Terracotta pots and urns are painted other shades of blue and yellow.
The overall effect is a blue paradise and I always leave this garden with a strong sense of wonder.
But would this work under our cloudy skies? I love using deep colours such as deep navy or dark aubergine which can make a wonderful backdrop to dramatic foliage such as bamboos and tree ferns, and I generally steer away from insipid shades that can look a bit washed out.
My main principle with using colour is do what you want, break the rules or make your own. For instance, who would have thought about black as a backdrop to plants? In the US, landscape designer Nick McCullough uses the deepest black to elegant effect on his home. It’s a definite statement and his palette of plants sitting against it are planned to contrast with the dark side. His silver border contains astelias, agaves, lavender and santolina and makes a wonderful statement.
Manoj Malde used bright colours in his 2017 Chelsea Flower Show garden called ‘Beneath a Mexican Sky’. Inspired by the work of Mexican Modernist architect Luis Barragan, his colour-washed walls in tints of clementine, cappuccino and coral were uplifting.
So, this summer I decided to tear up the rule book and give it a go. An area under my veranda had recently been clad in clapboard wood and needed painting. Instead of something ‘tasteful’, I plumped for pink… hot pink! I’m delighted with the result – it sizzles on a hot day and warms the area on duller days. It’s providing a superb backdrop for big terracotta pots filled with vivid green ferns.
Green is a complementary colour to pink in colour theory, sitting on the opposite side of the colour wheel, and so the combination of the two works extremely well.
Colour is a very personal thing so my advice is to pick shades you like and try out different swatches, just as you would when decorating indoors.
Paint small sections of wall or fence and place your plants or features such as pots in front to see the effect before committing to larger areas.
Observe what’s happening on dull days, in sunshine or rain – all of this will change the quality and atmosphere. While the weather remains dry, September is a good month to undertake such a project.
Have fun!