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Sometimes designing a garden or landscape can seem almost overwhelming. Working in three dimensions brings with it considerations of scale, size and perspective. Texture and leaf shape contribute to overall interest. And, there are other things to consider. Will it attract wildlife such as hummingbirds or butterflies? Or, can it be made unappetizing to deer? But, certainly one of the most compelling reasons to plant a garden is for color. Color and garden design can be as complicated or confusing as you want to make it. A. H. Munsell developed color charts which resemble paint chips and color globes showing tints and shades of color. Today these have been adapted by the horticultural community to aid in the classification of soils by their colors, and identify nutritional deficiencies in leaves also by the colors they exhibit. Seeing the need for leaf color identification, the Royal Horticultural Society created “Color Charts” which were named after Munsell’s creations and looked very similar. Two big differences are that color names vary and each color square has a hole punched out of the center. When held over a leaf, a color match can be made. What it all boils down to, I’ve decided, is that color theory and color perception are large and interesting subjects, but the adage ‘Beauty is in the eye of the beholder’ may in fact say it all. To me, a beautiful garden includes a progression of colors, the coloration of each plant blending harmoniously to the one beside it and even leading the eye from one to the next. The color relationship formed by the golden leaves of a Goldflame Spirea tinged with red and a Heuchera ‘Bressingham Bronze’ is forged by shared color. Farther along, a Physocarpus ‘El Diablo’ may be enhanced by a Muhlenbergia capillaris with its gray-green foliage and deep pink blooms. I’ve discovered that a border comprised solely of foliage can be as interesting and as challenging to create as any floral border. I’ve also discovered that while yellow provides the bright exclamation point in a border or instant light in a shady corner, burgundy foliage provides a resting place for the eye and can link sections of the border together. Burgundy and plum-colored foliage can add immediate interest while it adds rhythm when well-placed. It becomes a visual comma, if you will, which can help you “read” your border in its entirety. Get me a Shrubbery! In sunny areas with a limit of about eight to ten feet tall by about eight feet wide, Weigela florida ‘Wine and Roses’ creates a deep burgundy centerpiece. After twenty years of breeding and selection, Herman Geers of Boskoop, Netherlands, was ready to introduce the plant. This Weigela blooms twice, once in spring, then again later in the summer. It pairs well with Salix purpurea, which reaches eight feet tall and eight feet wide (easily sheared to maintain size) or with S. purpurea ‘Nana’ which has deep purple stems, achieves 2 x 2. Beneath, the low-growing evergreen beauty of Sea Pinks (Armeria maritima) reaching four inches with six-inch flower stalks. Perennials are a good fit, too. Shasta daisies and Flag iris (Iris ensata) along with American alpine speedwell (Veronica alpina) or the European veronica (Veronica officinalis). Another choice for a larger, but still sunny area is the new Sambucus nigra ‘Black Beauty’, brand new this year. From Horticulture Research International East Malling of Kent, England this plant easily achieves 10 x 10 feet in ten years but grows larger with time. Its deep plum foliage is covered with black berries. Its light, lemony fragrance draws noses while its foliage is the perfect foil for Fuchsia magellanica ‘Aurea’. The reward of the fuchsia is not only the beautiful golden foliage and popping red stems, but continuous bloom all summer. Phygelius ‘Sani Pass’ (Sensation) found by plantsman Robin White and grown by Blackthorn Nursery Hampshire, England, has brilliant pink blooms like the Fuchsia magellanica. With its medium evergreen foliage and growing to about five feet tall and wide, it, too, is a suitable companion. The gardener concerned with drought tolerance will plant beneath with Mondo grass (Ophiopogon planiscapus), which does well in sun and shade alike. For partial sun, a deep green shrub mixed with burgundy accents may be the ticket. Escallonia fradesii is not only evergreen and drought tolerant once established, but its intermittent bloom time makes it a winner. Heucheras and Heucherellas do well in partial sun. New to the Heuchera family is ‘Amethyst Myst’ and ‘Cherries Jubilee’ grown by Blooming Nurseries. I’ve discovered these low-growing, broad-leaved plants to be semi-evergreen here. Hummingbirds love their delicate deep pink blossoms dancing above and they are easily seen if planted at the front of the border. Surrounded by the evergreen groundcover Green Carpet (Herenaria glabra), a cozy trio of color can be achieved especially in the fall when Green Carpet turns an autumnal red. What about the shade? Shade can be tricky. Evergreens are nice; color is nice; and four-season interest is terrific, too. How about anchoring the trio not with a rhododendron this time, but with an evergreen called Fragrant Sarcococca (Sarcococca ruscifolia); its late January blooms have a spicy fragrance. When surrounded with Bergenia ‘Pink Dragonfly’ or Bergenia ‘Hebstblute’, grown by Blooming Nurseries, their deep plum late fall and winter color adds plum accents during a usually colorless time of year. Being evergreen, their color only deepens with the cooling temperatures. Bergenia will fill out and create a groundcover that stands alone. But Corsican Mint and Baby’s Tears will thrive in shady spaces, to the point where it would be wise to watch them carefully as they can be interlopers in the garden. For the puff of plum or breath of burgundy, flowers are a great eye-catcher. In full sun, Coreopsis ‘Mahogany’, and Salvia ‘Burgundy Bliss’ will fill the bill. Not new but loved none the less are Chocolate Joe Pye Weed (Eupatorium ‘Chocolate’) the Scabiosa atropurpurea both for their deep burgundy/plum foliage. Chocolate Cosmos (Cosmos ‘Chocolate’) displays a velvety deep burgundy flower that smells like dark chocolate. It is worth the effort. Tying it Together And, the fall is the best time of the year to plan. Spring and summer’s bounties have unfolded, and now is the time to see where new color can be added. ~ Nancy Tom is an environmental horticulturist who designs, installs and maintains landscapes for Down-to-Earth Gardens, Inc. This article was printed in Garden Showcase, April 2003. ~ Thank you to Terra Nova Nurseries, Inc. (http://www.terranovanurseries.com/) and Briggs Nursery (http://www.briggsnursery.com/) for their assistance with photos and information. Archived Articles | |
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