I do all of that. I know all about colour theory and plant textures and heights and conditions... I plan and picture and scheme and get on and my favourite parts are the selfseeded, shambly bits. Go figure!
I've had a 'hot ' bed for a while, but it was only hot in high summer as there were other earlier flowers that I didn't want to move. It worked fairly well, but as ever some things did better than others, not necessarily the same ones each year, and getting the balance and succession right was tricky. I wanted somewhere for my agapanthus though and tried some in pots among the other plants, it looked good, so now it is a red and blue border, with oranges and yellow too, but NO white!
I've plenty of white elsewhere though, with pinks and blues and purples.
Something that I enjoy is mixing and matching colours through the plants themselves. Echinaceas with their orange centres can sit happily next to crocosmias, I pick up the pink with something else, maybe a salvia, or maybe something like Gaura that has a bit of pink in it.That introduces white, so what could look good next...?
I've got some nice new ones to try this year, like a pink and purplle phlox and some two tone dahlias, and have some more penstemons in the pipeline with interesting colour combinations. When it works well, you can gradually alter the colours along and across a bed and still keep it looking harmonious, as you are copying nature's colour schemes.
I picked one, and put it in a vase with some calendula and some geum. Its....okay. Sort of. Back to what auntyranch said though, they will be over by the time the hot colours come out. So live with it for this year, definitely. Maybe ill like them by next year.
I've made a little area that's all white (or green or cream) ... except for the Forsythia but that will be over by the time the others come out then I value its clear green as a background so I think timing is really important.
You've already decided to live and let live for this year so see how it pops. A pic would be nice. I also agree with PP that nature sometimes makes the best combos and I call these "Happy Accidents" which are generally the most enjoyable parts.
Posts
I do all of that. I know all about colour theory and plant textures and heights and conditions... I plan and picture and scheme and get on and my favourite parts are the selfseeded, shambly bits. Go figure!
Ain't nature wonderful ... she always gets it right without even trying
Last edited: 07 June 2017 09:31:12
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
If the plant is healthy and growing leave it where it is for the season and worry about colour schemes later .
I have found a number of self seeded nasturtiums popping up in mine, but I am not going to dig them up.
'You must have some bread with it me duck!'
Pp &dove you're so right. Nature always manages to do a better job than me.
I think you need to be pretty ruthless for a colour scheme to work - particularly the one-colour themes.
I've had a 'hot ' bed for a while, but it was only hot in high summer as there were other earlier flowers that I didn't want to move. It worked fairly well, but as ever some things did better than others, not necessarily the same ones each year, and getting the balance and succession right was tricky. I wanted somewhere for my agapanthus though and tried some in pots among the other plants, it looked good, so now it is a red and blue border, with oranges and yellow too, but NO white!
I've plenty of white elsewhere though, with pinks and blues and purples.
Something that I enjoy is mixing and matching colours through the plants themselves. Echinaceas with their orange centres can sit happily next to crocosmias, I pick up the pink with something else, maybe a salvia, or maybe something like Gaura that has a bit of pink in it.That introduces white, so what could look good next...?
I've got some nice new ones to try this year, like a pink and purplle phlox and some two tone dahlias, and have some more penstemons in the pipeline with interesting colour combinations. When it works well, you can gradually alter the colours along and across a bed and still keep it looking harmonious, as you are copying nature's colour schemes.
I picked one, and put it in a vase with some calendula and some geum. Its....okay. Sort of. Back to what auntyranch said though, they will be over by the time the hot colours come out. So live with it for this year, definitely. Maybe ill like them by next year.
I find there's always something that creeps in, more often than not I'm to blame because I've bought too many plants and no other space to put them!
I've made a little area that's all white (or green or cream) ... except for the Forsythia but that will be over by the time the others come out then I value its clear green as a background so I think timing is really important.
You've already decided to live and let live for this year so see how it pops. A pic would be nice. I also agree with PP that nature sometimes makes the best combos and I call these "Happy Accidents" which are generally the most enjoyable parts.