Gardens of the World

Think Colour – Think White

14 May 2012 at 13:01

Karen Platt

White can be used to brighten areas of shade and also in combination with silver or with green to create a peaceful oasis. Although I like white plants and am tempted by a white garden, it isn’t a whim I have indulged as yet. Be wary of black and white, it might sound good but is difficult to achieve with success since you have to factor in that tricky green foliage.

White plants are often tinged pink or blue and even the best can be a bit grey. Go for pure whites with a yellow eye if you can and use that yellow eye to link to yellow flowers or foliage. Soften the starkness with grey-leaved plants, which will also add to the yellow areas when in flower as most of them come in this colour range.

From humble English daisies to rare alpines, spring bulbs to Rhododendrons, your gardens can be as pure as driven snow. It’s still quite a rarity, but white foliage is not unknown – have a look at Hostas and Caladiums.

I wrote about white flowers in my book Silver Lining. If you haven’t got your copy yet, it’s available from the online shop.

All images copyright Karen Platt 2012.

Think Colour – Think Silver

07 May 2012 at 10:13

Karen Platt

Think Colour

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Sparkling, shimmering silver is actually a fairly quiet colour in the garden. It is best used to tone down schemes and to unite what might seem discordant areas. Although some flowers are called silver, to my eye, silver is almost exclusively a foliage colour. In fact, it is plain grey but that sounds so boring and silver is anything but boring.

Silver is not just for silver surfers or those with a blue rinse. It is a trendy, modern colour that suits minimalist planting down to the ground. Think balls of Santolina, silver-leaved Lavandula in tall pots, a silver pear surrounded by purple Liriope. Whether it’s silver leaves, silvery white flowers or variegated leaves, silver adds another dimension to the garden.

It looks superb with white as one might expect and as such this pairing is frequently used in moon gardens. However, I love it with vibrant red and orange, when it really comes alive. It’s a natural with black too and purple suits it well. There are lots of options. Many daisy type flowers have silver foliage – think Senecio, Artemisia and these always come with yellow daisies.

Of course, silver loves dry conditions, it is often killed by winter wet. Excellent drainage is essential for a successful border. Incorporate plenty of grit in the compost and watch out for rotting off. Many silvery plants are hairy and some are soft to touch adding a sensual dimension to the garden. who has not stroked bunny ears? Stachys byzantina.

My book Silver Lining was the first on the subject for around 50 years and describes over 2400 silver plants with 375 photographs. It also includes plenty of tips and garden design suggestions. It is available in the online shop.

Think Colour – Think Orange

30 Apr 2012 at 13:13

Karen Platt

Think Colour, United Kingdom

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Staying with bright tones, I really love orange. It is often used in autumn plantings along with fiery red and sunny yellow. However, it makes a great addition to the garden year round. If you are thinking yuk, I would not be seen dead with bright orange in my garden, think again. Bright saturated orange, may be hard to take and is often best used with caution but you don’t have to go Fanta orange even though there is nothing wrong with being bold.

Orange in the garden encompasses bronze, toffee, caramel and butterscotch to mention a few. Think all those gorgeous new Heuchera shades and Carex. Whatever strength of orange you choose to plant, it’s a happy, warm, sociable colour, so don’t leave it out of your scheme. It mixes well with purple and green and simply sets black on fire.

When I think orange in spring, I am thinking Begonia, Crocus, Gerbera, Lilium, Tulipa and Viola as well as fab foliage. Glorious Hippeastrum and Kalanchoe brighten my indoor space. When I wrote my book on orange plants, Fruit Cocktail, I included a whole range of tempting shades that come under the umbrella of orange. I’ve described over 2300 plants, many with sumptuous photos. Get your copy from the online shop now.

Think Colour – Think Red

23 Apr 2012 at 20:12

Karen Platt

Think Colour, United Kingdom

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Is red for danger? Hardly in a garden capacity, yet there are those who are afraid of this dynamic colour. Red is a strong colour and just a little can make a big difference. It’s more a colour for summer, especially late summer gardens, when we can allow ourselves a final fling, a firework display.

In spring, red will mingle well with fresh greens and yellows. You might well prefer a muted red in spring. This often brash colour is quite accommodating as it comes in a variety of shades. Most popular in the garden are bright reds found in tulips to burgundy and muted maroons verging on purples of much popular foliage.

Red primulas brighten a bed of tulips. Flamboyant Hippeastrums and Pelargoniums make a windowsill look smart. Outdoors you can continue the flamboyant show with red lilies and stands of red fritillaries – the crown imperial. Rosettes of red Sempervivums are cheerful in tufa tubs or gravel. There is little lovelier than red roses that will start to bloom at the end of this season with a foretaste of summer.

It’s easy to create a red foliage bed with Acer, Pieris, Photinia, Berberis, Heuchera, Cercis and Cercidiphyllum to name but a few. Most of these are often referred to as purple, but many are maroon based and will work well together colourwise.

Think Colour – Think Green

16 Apr 2012 at 11:04

Karen Platt

Think Colour, United Kingdom

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Cool green is such a gorgeous colour. I absolutely adore green flowers. Lush green foliage is taken for granted but green flowers are rarer. Use variegated foliage to act as a link when planting coloured areas. For example, green cream variegated foliage can enhance plantings and act as a link between areas of cream to yellow flower plantings. Think chartreuse and lime and use the whole array of green shades of foliage for a rich palette. Green foliage is a natural foil for all colours in the garden.

Green flowers are still quite rare, however I managed to find over 1,000 when I wrote the first ever book devoted to green flowers. From the amended leaf bracts of one Anemone to the true green flowers of Arisaema, Chrysanthemum, Clematis, Dianthus, Euphorbia and Fritillaria to name but a few, there is a green plant to suit every gardener and every garden situation. There are other greens that are not quite pure greens, the unusual and rather yellowish (when I grew it) Viola Green Goddess; the to die for Strongylodon macrobotrys – a sea green with a hint of turquoise and the lovely hard to describe green (has been called jade by some) of the not-so-easy to grow (give it lots of sun) Hermodactylus tuberosus. From the humble to the exotic, green flowers can grace your garden and add an extra dimension. If you love the unusual, you’ll enjoy growing green flowers.

Grow green flowers with black, orange, yellow or red. I love chartreuse with purple. Your neighbours will be green with envy and you’ll be the coolest gardener in town.

Get your copy of Emeralds, my book of over 1,000 green flowers plus 500 choice green foliage plants from the online store now.

Think Colour – passionate purple

09 Apr 2012 at 08:11

Karen Platt

Think Colour

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Purple is a glorious colours. It comes in many variations in the garden, and is often labelled as blue for some reason. Of course, it is connected to blue, but is still distinct and the two should not be confused. The confusion only seems to occur in gardening, not in any other field – fashion or interior decorating for example. Anything from palest purple to deep violet makes a welcome contribution to the garden.

Purple has the ability to mix with many other colours – if you want vibrant opt for violet, deep pink and orange with a touch of chartreuse. If you love pastels, paler purples look fantastic with pastel pinks and yellows. It looks great with blue and with deep purple, maroon or black foliage.

Purple is an easy colour for spring as many spring flowers come in this colour range – Anemone, Crocus, Primula, Hepatica, Aquilegia, Allium and so on.

From discussions with people at shows and other plant lovers – purple is probably the most popular colour. The purple book is almost finished and will be launched soon – watch this space.

All photos copyright Karen Platt 2012.

Seed Sowing & Growing

08 Apr 2012 at 15:32

Karen Platt

seed sowing and growing

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Looks like we have a week of rain, which will at least get the soil in the mood for germination. However, we are not doing too well on temperature here either.

Today I have sown some runner beans – I’ve chosen a stringless one and I am also testing an experimental one for a large seed company this year. In addition I have sown some purple mangetout. It’s still too cold to sow these outside, so I have started them all indoors. They will need hardening off before planting outdoors when big enough and if the temperatures ever warm up.

I have also started to soak my sweet peas. I’ll leave these to soak overnight. I might nick any that appear not to have swollen, although I don’t always bother with this process. Them I’ll plant them out tomorrow. I have a couple of mixed varieties, but also some named single colour ones like Ballerina Blue and Red Arrow. It’s going to be a colourful summer.

An update on the tomatoes, Orange Plum and Old Clementine are the only two that have not germinated. However, the tomatoes are very slow to get going this year.

Think Colour – True Blue in spring

02 Apr 2012 at 08:13

Karen Platt

Think Colour

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Blue is one of those very delectable but debatable colours in gardening. True blue is rare and therefore lots of plants are named or described as blue when they are actually a shade of purple. However, sparkling blue does exist and in some quantity, enough to use in the garden to make a real difference. See them in the flesh before buying if you want true blue.

I have always loved blue. It reflects the heavens. It is perhaps more often found in summer plants than those in spring. Although bulbs come to the fore in spring with Chionodoxa, Muscari and Hyacinthus (all variable in colour), Scilla and Tecophilea, the latter more reliably blue. The blue Anenomes are unfortunately purple. This can work to advantage of course creating a purple to blue border, just make sure you choose purples that are blue-based and not red.

Look to the alpines including Gentiana. Corydalis offer some of the most stunning blues, remember they are dormant in summer. Pulmonarias offer blue flowers but you will have to tolerate pinks too in most cases. If you are going for the blue-purple theme, you could introduce the reddish purples here.

Some herbs offer blue flowers too, the best being found in Borago and Rosmarinus. Take a look at humble Myosotis, and the similar flowers of Brunnera (secondary to the foliage). If you love the more unusual Myosotidium will suit. Violas can appear in startling blues. Late winter iris are sometimes still in flower at the start of spring and Hydrangeas can start to flower at the end of spring.

Don’t forget foliage. Hostas can add a bluish backdrop to your plantings, there is more than one blue grass but beware the invasive nature of Leymus. The cedars are amongst my favourite trees and come in blue forms.

Blue was the second colour book I was writing way back in the 1990s, must get that finished.

Seed Sowing Update

01 Apr 2012 at 09:30

Karen Platt

seed sowing and growing, United Kingdom

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If you’ve read the earlier post on Sowing Tomatoes, here’s an update.

It’s easier to tell you what has not germinated Black Plum (at least Black Russian is up and running), Orange Plum, Brown Berry, Old Clementine, Nebraska Wedding and Ildi. Had problems with slow germination with the latter last year. However, biggest problem is the fluctuating temperatures. Miserable yesterday after that lovely warm week and now despite the sun, it’s hovering around freezing point out there. Of course, the tomatoes are indoors, but I have not been heating the house. I think they are feeling rather cold, soggy and need lots of tlc. You can bet they are going to get lots of that. To really top things off we have a forecast for snow on Tuesday. You need real faith to be a gardener.

Also planted outdoors last week, that I have not yet posted about was rocket, lettuce, spring onion and radish. Again they seem to be struggling. The radish are doing ok. Thought the lettuce might struggle with the warm day temperatures, but that the cooler nights would see good germination.

Today I’m planning for summer with sunflowers and sweet peas sown in situ. Sweet peas are soaked overnight, I don’t tend to bother nicking them. Do like to start them in autumn and this milder winter would have been perfect for that, even in the north. Better late than never.

Think colour is back tomorrow with blue for spring. Don’t miss it.

Think Colour- Going for Gold

26 Mar 2012 at 08:39

Karen Platt

Think Colour, United Kingdom

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This is the second post in the Think Colour series for gardeners. Today I am exploring yellow in spring. Yellow is another ubiquitous colour in the spring garden. One associated with Narcissus (daffodils) and forsythia. I often prefer my daffodils with a touch of orange. There is nothing like a patch of Forsythia blooms on bare branches against a blue spring sky. I so much prefer to call yellow gold. A touch of gold adds a sparkle to any garden.

In the spring garden yellow associates well with blue and purple. Think large drifts of strong yellow and purple crocus. I must admit I am not a big lover of yellow flowers, they are the colour I probably plant least of. When I do opt for yellow, I tend to opt for the paler end of the spectrum. I also opt more for golden foliage than flowers admiring golden Acers (maples), golden Sambucus and more gold foliage that is just bursting into spring colour. Remember if you are afraid of yellow and fear it shouts too much, you can find much paler variations that will suit you. I love Primula species, the yellow of Ranunculus (lesser celandine), Rhododendron luteum and so many more. My seating arrangement is opposite my golden bed and there’s is nothing I love more than gazing at this happy planting – try it yourself – gold can definitely lift your mood.

Going for Gold is a great theme this year, with the Olympics being held in London. My book, ‘Gold Fever’ concentrates on golden foliage with over 1,000 fabulous golden foliage plants plus 100 yellow flowers and 100 variegated leaved plants. It’s available only from the online store.