BRING ME SUNSHINE

Yellow lifts the spirits – think of daffodils, sunflowers and the buttery hues of autumn leaves. I’ve used it here with the sword-like leaves of a crocosmia combined with the architectural umbrella sedge. The linear composition is softened with the warm tones of the cosmos and tumbling violas at the base. Using a splash of purple – opposite to yellow on the colour wheel – in the violas adds some contrast and makes the whole scheme more vibrant. How to achieve the look I like the retro feel of this 1930s’ enamel bowl in cream and green. The colour is more sympathetic to yellow than the classic blue-and-white enamelware, and the handles make it very portable. I drilled holes through the base to aid drainage, adding a layer of gravel followed by a free-draining compost. The annual Cosmos sulphureus ‘Bunte Lichter’ is a useful mix of single and double flowers in a range of yellows and oranges. Sow in modules in the spring and plant out in May, keeping a few in pots to use in containers. Pinching the tips out will increase flowering and stop the plants becoming too tall. Crocosmias can be bought as corms in the autumn when there is a greater choice of cultivars, or in full flower from garden centres in the summer. The bright-yellow flowers of Crocosmia x crocosmiiflora ‘Coleton Fishacre’ are followed by architectural seedheads too. Their horizontal nature sits well with the flat heads of the clump-forming Cyperus, topped with clusters of pale-green flowers. A mix of three different-coloured bedding violas creates a dancing effect as they merge together towards the base. If you regularly deadhead them, you’ll be rewarded with a continuous display over summer. The airy, yellow flowers of Bidens aurea would also work well, having similar fern-like foliage to the Cosmos, or try a Coreopsis cultivar.