Nothing quite compares to colour in the garden.
Colour outside sets the mood similarly to how it would indoors, the big difference being however that colour in the garden is alive.
Flowers and foliage colour can add energy to a space and can also be used to calm an area down, or to even make one feel cool and relaxed.
This is achieved by planting yellow, orange and red flowering bedding plants to energise a space and ignite passion. Look to the colours of blue, pink and purple to bring an air of calm and romance to the garden. White is a contrasting colour in the garden and will either serve to highlight the other colours and amplify their energy, or when used on its own it lifts the greens and adds light to darker spaces.
Did you know that the white flower shows up in the moonlight, so one can enjoy the garden all hours of the day.
In modern, small gardens the latest trends are back to mixed colours instead of mass plantings of one colour.
With small gardens, the flowers are close to the viewer and without many different areas in the garden, a mix makes all the difference in variation.
That does not mean that it goes against the mood of the garden but is rather a personal mix of two or three colours that either complement each other or show each other off.
The top three to have this year are Divine Impatiens, Begonias and Salvia.
Planted over the next few weeks, these tough summer annuals will last through to the end of May 2015, making them incredible value for money.
It is recommended to plant disease-resistant Divine Impatiens. Best in shade, but they can tolerate more sun if well watered.
Slightly more compact than the common impatiens, they are simply stunning, easy care plants for beds, containers and hanging baskets.
The common impatiens will always be susceptible to the Impatient Mildew, as it is something that is in SA forever now.
If you plant them, they will die by midsummer and leave you without colour over the holidays. If we have a cooler and wet November, but that is the chance one takes.
One of the best summer annual bedding plants that are versatile and easy are the begonias. Over the past few years, there have been many different varieties being introduced and the fact that they flower so abundantly has added to the success.
Dragon Wings never seem to be without a flower. Growing anything up to a metre high, they will make a statement in a container and a striking wall of colour in the border. Plant them in semi-shade to half-sun and with a regular feeding of Multi-feed classic, you will have easy colour that lasts. Look out for all the old favourite varieties, they are a perfect complement to the shade and half-shade garden and being more water wise, they will handle a little less water than impatiens.
Flowering in full sun to semi-shade, the dramatic Salvia are incredible value for money. Salvia comes in a range of colours, not only the traditional red, but now the white, salmon and purple tones have extended the range. Extremely water wise and hardy, they flower until the first frost next winter – incredible value for money.
When planting them, add some BounceBack to the soil to boost early growth and also consider putting down some cutworm bait just to prevent any casualties.
q Information courtesy of Eckards Garden Pavilion.
