PLANTING IN COLOUR - An extract from flower power

Flower Power - Designing Gardens for Year Round Wonder is now available for purchase and is the ultimate publication on creating a garden with endless floral abundance. The below extract lays out one of the fundamentals for planning your garden - Colour!

When it comes to planning for flower power, colour is not only one of the most important choices but also one of the most personal. As a starting point, think about which colours will support the experience you are cultivating. Don’t forget; all rules were meant to be broken.

There is a wonderful nuance in the spectrum of flower colours, with many hues, tones, tints and shades to explore. When considering a flower colour for planting, think about the whole architecture of the plant: the size of the flower, the scale of the entire plant, and the visibility of the flowers on the plant - the flower to foliage ratio. For example, the impact of a bright, fluorescent flower differs dramatically if a rambling succulent is completely covered in these blooms in contact to having the odd bloom here and there.

Focus on a favourite colour and the feeling it inspires. What feelings do you experience when considering the warmth of cream and yellow or the contrasting coolness of lilac and sage

If you are unsure of where to begin, start by choosing a favourite colour. This will be a colour that you love and are keen to see in the garden.

When you begin exploring colours to cultivate in your garden, you may have a colour in mind that you are drawn to. If not, think about the experience you are keen to create. What kind of garden do you want to have? Are there colours that evoke or enliven that sensorial feeling? In essence, what do you want to feel in your garden and how can the plants be composed to contribute?

Species gladiolus emerges through the Rice flower and the silver buds of Yarrow.

If you need more clarity, you can look at the colours in the garden already or your favourite plants with bold colours. These could be either the starting point of a colour palette or a hero colour you could repeat through further plantings. If you are still feeling at a loose end, make a mood board or similar (either physically or online) by looking at photos on your camera or flicking through magazines with a breadth and diversity of colour. Is there a theme emerging? What do you linger on? What designs and art takes your fancy?

We invite you to experiment with the sublime or tonal colour palette in real life. See how these tones come together at Plant Futures at Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show.

The dense planting at the ground level offers a bed of beauty, creating layers of whimsical magic with the higher reaching lanterns of purple to pop through.

Flower Power is available to purchase now, with signed copies available online. With more information on colour palette and the method to create your dream abundant floral garden, it is the perfect companion to Super Bloom. Purchase your copy here.

Images: Sarah Pannell