Maximise colour
Bold colour isn’t for everyone, but if you thrive on brightness then there is no reason why you cannot use it outside in the same way as you do inside. Painting walls is a bold move and tends to work best with architectural planting.
Here, the hard landscaping is very bold and since colours invigorate you might find that a space like this doesn’t invite you to sit down and relax during the day. In fact, for some it may be more of a picture to look at than a garden to be in.
This would work well if you had a courtyard space or an area that you didn’t want to change much during the year. A static space by day, even with the addition of water adding some movement, would come alive at night with lanterns and candles throwing soft, flickering shadows over the walls.
The walls, though hard and uncompromising by day, would become an illuminated canvas at night, when it would be the perfect time to deploy rugs and beanbags.
Try at home
1 Invest in paint testers. Colours don’t react the same way outside as they do indoors, and you should always check to see how they look in sun and rain, as well as in the winter months.
2 Improve your soil and make sure it drains freely. If you garden on clay soil, agave and succulents will not like to have their roots plunged in soggy, cold ground. But you can still use these plants – they are usually happy in terracotta planters, which you could put outdoors in summer and bring in to a greenhouse or conservatory in winter.
3 This scheme needs a ‘no soil on view’ effect, so use a gravel (or stone, slate or recycled product) mulch to complement your hard landscaping and walls.