Colour blocking delivers drama
Narrow colour palette for foliage, flowers key to sophisticated, pulled-together look
Some of the most striking gardens aren’t a riot of multiple colours, but a carefully curated assemblage of hues. Using foliage and flowers, gardeners can create drama and artistry.
A lake of blue salvia, perhaps. A swath of feathery green grass. The idea is to mass-plant so the colour becomes a living brush stroke along the landscape.
Architect Peter Marino used the technique on his 12-acre property in Southampton, New York. Among the apple orchards, art objects and hundreds of evergreens, his garden includes a “colour wheel,” with purple flowers at the north end, pink at the south, and red and mixed hues to the east and west. Yellow is off on its own. “The yellow garden is a separate, one-acre ‘room,’ bordered by European chestnuts and George Peabody arborvitae,” Marino writes in his new book, The Garden of Peter Marino (Rizzoli). “I don’t care for yellow flowers mixed with other colours, so I planted them all together in what is intended to be one big explosion of colour.”
Melissa Ozawa, features and garden editor for Martha Stewart Living, said that when designing a colour block garden, “don’t just think about flower colour, but look at foliage, too. For example, if you’re going to create a bluethemed border or bed, opt for plants with blue-green leaves like ‘Hadspen Blue’ hosta, silvery ghost fern, or ‘Frosty Blue’ agave, rather than varieties with golden or yellow undertones.”
Include a few versions of your colour, she says, to keep things from being too literal.
“If you want a yellow garden, don’t just stick to the one shade of yellow,” she said. “Choose a mix of hues, and even add a pop of orange, to keep things interesting. Choose vibrant chartreuse or yellow-green foliage, and look for cultivars with variegation, such as hakonechloa grass or droughttolerant euphorbia.”
Or instead of sticking with one colour, consider a theme.
“For a sophisticated and romantically moody dark garden, combine deep purple, brown, and burgundy foliage plants like heuchera, cimcifuga, elderberry, and elephant ears with dark red, burgundy, and purple flowers, such as ‘Queen of Night’ tulips, ‘Black Barlow’ columbine, Knautia macdonica, and ‘Windsor’ sweet peas,” Ozawa said.
For those with green thumbs but little outdoor space, similar effects can be created using planters, baskets and pots.
Better Homes & Gardens’ April issue suggests loading up a cayenne-hued container with “hot”-hued heuchera, croton, Swiss chard, bloodleaf and Fireworks fountain grass. A deep purple basket gets dramatically dressed with the rich grape-y leaves of oxalis, Purple Flash peppers and Persian shield.
Or marry a couple of complementary colours, like greens and golds. Dwarf lemon cypress, Carolyn’s Gold mini hostas and All Gold Japanese forest grass positively glow in a bold and brawny chrome yellow ceramic pot.
“When you use a narrow colour palette — for plants and container — it’s nearly impossible to end up with an arrangement that doesn’t look sophisticated and pulledtogether,” the magazine’s editor, Kathy Barnes, said.
As you plan a colour block garden, keep in mind your hardiness zone and seasonal fluctuations. Experts at your local garden centre should be helpful.
“Go equipped with photos of the space you’re planting, and know what kind of light your plot gets,” Ozawa said.
“As with any border or bed, make sure you vary texture and plant heights, and consider the bloom time of each plant you’re adding. You don’t want a spectacular show in spring only to have it peter out and stop blooming once the weather warms up in summer.”