Happy grew year
NEW year is a good time to give your garden a fresh look.
Changing the planting style or colours will radically alter the appearance and it doesn’t cost a fortune.
Playing with colour in a garden is the nearest most of us will ever come to being an artist.
In coming weeks, garden centres will be stocking cheap and cheerful pansies and polyanthus in a vast colour pallete for you to create some inspiring effects. So take a cosy fireside seat, pour a hot toddy and start putting your ideas on paper now.
Yellow and blue pansies always make an eye-catching picture. For an even bolder statement, consider red and blue pansies or polyanthus.
This combo will give your garden vitality but if you feel it is not daring enough then red and orange will really make your borders pop.
Tulips
If you’re not happy with the results, you can always add foliage in green or silvery white, or go for something completely different such as introducing flowers in soft purples. It’s not the time to be timid!
If you worry about making mistakes, try combining shades of one colour.
Use plenty of dark tones in areas where you want to create a relaxing mood and bright colours for highlighting key areas such as around your front door, seating areas and feature flowerbeds.
Don’t forget that neutral colours such as white, silver, grey and brown will work with both dark and light colours and will allow you to expand the range of plants you grow. If you want to give your spring garden a cutting- edge look, go for planting schemes in pastel shades, filling gaps with a froth of tiny forget-me-nots.
They come in clear blues, soft white and pinks and occasionally switch colours, beginning blue then turning pink. They make especially good partners for spring-flowering tulips and daffodils, and look lovely at the front of a wildflower border.
With busy lives, many of us see our gardens more at twilight, so aim to improve your view by decorating the patio with planters filled with white flowers and silver foliage that show well in the evening.