Growing Art: Container Garden Design of the Week

Purple Passion

Plants: 1 purple osteospermum, 2 Aztec Plum Magic trailing verbena, 4 Regatta lobelia in shades of blue, white and lavender (Part-sun)

This combination is perfect for an eastern exposure. Each plant actually has different sun requirements but can and does work together in the right location. I have a tendency to stretch plants out of their comfort zone a little bit to get the combinations that I want. More often than not, I am rewarded.

In this case, the osteospermum is a true part sun plant. It doesn’t like it too hot but still needs enough sun to flower well. The trailing verbena is a full sun plant and the lobelia likes to be in the shade. The eastern exposure gives all three of these plants enough of what it needs so the combination works. Morning sun is cooler so the lobelia will do fine and it’s still enough sun for the verbena. The osteo is in its element.

My 4 year old son chose this combination (with just a little help from mom) and thusly the heavy purple palate because that’s what he likes. I had just purchased these great lime pots so the result was quite fantastic.

First he chose the purple osteos which for containers is a great focal plant. It does have a great mounding habit in the garden but has enough height that it works as an upright plant in containers. Next he chose the trailing verbena in Aztec Plum Magic which coordinated nicely with the lighter purple of the osteos. This plant has a semi-trailing habit so is a perfect contrast with the fullness of the osteo. Last, we chose Regatta lobelia in shades of blue, white and lavender. This is also a semi-trailing plant which tends to trail more if it has nowhere else to go. In this case, between the osteo and the verbena it doesn’t so it trails down the container.

The result was quite stunning with the purple flowers against the lime green of the container. This combination is a good example of how your container choice can influence and enhance your flower choice.

Color in the Garden: Part 2

One of the best sources for color combinations is P. Allen Smith. I still have an article of Mr. Smith’s from a 2003 issue of Woman’s Day that shows some of his favorite color combinations. I have used several of them to great success. Also, by using his combinations as a starting point, I have come up with my own favorite combinations.

I’ve learned from P. Allen Smith the importance of foliage color in combinations (this is where that combining green thing comes in!). For example, one combination he suggests is lavender, burgundy, magenta, gray and cream. Flowers provide the lavender, magenta and cream colors while the foliage provides the burgundy (wandering jew, some wax begonias) and the gray (lamb’s ear, helichrysum).

Foliage colors can be used to tie a combination together, add depth and interest or provide a pop of color on their own. Silvery grays (Artemisia, lamb’s ear, dusty miller) can be used to harmonize color combinations. This color is particularly striking with blues, lavenders, purples and pinks. White or variegated foliage (English ivy, lamium, basket grass) adds sparkle and works well with blues, soft yellows, creamy whites and corals. Use burgundy or dark red plants (wandering jew, wax begonias, blackie sweet potato vine, and purple fountain grass) to add depth and color without competing with the flowers. Chartreuse (marguerite sweet potato vine, creeping jenny, lemon thyme) will supercharge a combination. I love chartreuse with purple, burgundy and blue.

Now armed with all this information where do you start? Go back to your surroundings. What colors will compliment the exterior of your home? What color combinations do you find inside your home? In your wardrobe? Do you want a more serene feeling in your garden? Choose complimentary colors. Are you looking for something bold and dynamic? Use contrasting colors. Again, choose a color theme of 3 to 5 colors and go from there. And whatever you do, don’t forget to use foliage to add color as well.

Color in the Garden, Part 1

If the hardest part of gardening is deciding what plants to use, deciding on color is on the other side of the coin. You have your focal point, your fillers and your trailers but do the colors go? What colors do you use?

Everyone has their favorite color combinations and chances are they appear in our homes and wardrobes. A good place to start is simply by looking around your home. What colors are you drawn to? What combinations emerge in your closet? You can take those combinations and apply it to your gardening as well. There really is no right or wrong. I’ve mentioned before that putting together a container is not much different than putting together an outfit. Plants don’t need to all match, but should compliment each other.

Another thing to consider is the outside of your home and choose colors that compliment the exterior. For example, if you have a white house, a largely white plant scheme is probably not your best bet. A dark colored house probably isn’t going to be best showcased by dark colored plants.

Speaking of white in the garden, white is NOT neutral. White flowers are quite bold in and of themselves. Think of how striking white flowers are against green foliage. When white is put with equally intense colors such as red, blue or purple the result is rather harsh. Green is neutral in the garden. Need something to tie a container together? Use green. Need something to tone down a bright combination? Green. Something to transition from one color to the other? Green.
But green is far from boring. There are several shades of green to work with ranging from gray greens to yellow greens to deep, blackish greens. And, yes, you can use different shades of green together as long as they tie together somehow.

If you’re familiar with the color wheel (basically the colors of the rainbow in a circle), you’ll know that neighboring colors such as red and orange are complimentary colors. Colors on opposite sides of the wheel such as yellow and purple are contrasting colors. One color combination isn’t better than the other. Generally, complimentary color combinations evoke a more serene easy going vibe while contrasting colors schemes are more bold and dynamic. It’s just a matter of taste and what kind of mood you would like to evoke.

Once you decide whether you want a complimentary color scheme or a contrasting one you can choose a theme. A theme is basically 2-5 colors used in combination and repeated throughout the garden. This helps everything tie together and makes decision making much easier. I have one theme for the front of the house and one for the back of my house. The front faces west so it bright and sunny. Because of the climate (hot and sunny), it made sense to choose a color combination that evoked that and also played into my whimsical sense of color. I chose red, fuchsia, purple and chartreuse as my main colors. I get color from flowers as well as foliage. In the back of the house, it’s mainly shady and it’s also where we hang out. I wanted a more serene color scheme and choose burgundy, blue, silver and pink.

Once you choose a theme, choosing plants becomes much easier. Don’t get too caught up in making sure your plants match exactly though. Using darker or lighter shades of a color from your scheme is fine. The most important thing is that you like that way it looks.