With a little forward planning, it's easy to ensure your outside space is full of colour to elevate your mood across every season.
As lovely as it is to have a garden of your own, even more wonderful is an outdoor space with everchanging waves of colour. Different hues can influence our emotional wellbeing in positive ways, as well as encourage more wildlife. Flower colour has evolved to attract pollinating insects, such as bees and butterflies, whilst the vibrant seeds and berries left behind are an invaluable food source for birds in winter.
If you’re concerned about the levels of maintenance associated with a richly planted garden, don’t be alarmed. Colour can be woven into your space in other ways, too – from containers and artworks, to mosaics, outdoor rugs and furniture in vibrant, upbeat hues.
Plant ahead for early colour
The secret of good gardening is to plan ahead, and a few hours in November, spent tucking bulbs into the ground or pots, brings an early spring brimming with colour. Daffodils, tulips, crocuses and scillas can all be planted through grass, under fruit trees, in patio containers, or in great swathes across your borders.
“Over the years, I’ve added bulbs to my orchard,” says Cotswolds garden designer Sue Bradbury (@suebradburydesigns). “The show starts with snowdrops in January, followed by snake's head fritillaries, English bluebells, daffodils and species tulips.”
And if you forget to plan ahead, swing by your local garden centre in January. “You’ll usually find bright pink cyclamen, seasonal bulbs in pots and primroses in a rainbow of colours,” says Emily Hillier, a London-based garden designer (@emilyhilliergardendesign). “I personally love hellebores in a pot with trailing ivy, an evergreen fern and some cyclamen.”
Create saeasonal containers
“Plant some generous pots by your door or near a seating area,” suggests Bradbury, “or decorate a table with a collection of small pots, close to a window, so you can enjoy the blooms from inside the house, too.” Combine five or six plants in a large container of peat-free compost and let the plants scramble through each other – single colour combinations in different shades are particularly pretty.
Think v
ertically
Climbers can add colour at different times of the year – look out for dainty clematis that flower in winter and early spring, and extend interest in autumn with the flaming foliage of Virginia creeper and ornamental vines.
Scatter some annuals
Annual flowers are brilliant for adding colour to new beds and borders. Just sprinkle some cosmos, nigella and clarkia seeds where you want the flowers to grow, and you’ll have a cloud of colour in a matter of weeks.
Be clever with foliage
Foliage plants are incredibly versatile. Grasses, evergreen shrubs, clipped topiary and Japanese-style mosses will all keep your garden looking dynamic in the chillier months of the year. They’ll also provide an elegant foil for more colourful flowers in the summer season.
Play with colour schemes
Make individual flowers pop by using contrasting colour schemes. Obvious combinations are indigo blue with yellow and orange, or pink and purple with lime. “I design new borders using flowering perennials planted in a very natural way,” explains Bradbury. “The colours are carefully planned to repeat through the season, and I always plant for pollinating insects as well as my human clients.
“Choose three or four of your favourite colours, then select plants in varying shades, repeated in drifts throughout the border,” she says. “Use pinks and purples for a romantic feel; reflect the sunset with orange, yellow and deep crimson; or combine whites, creams and limes for an elegant, calming effect.”
Grow tasty edibles
Many edible plants, like tomatoes, strawberries, pumpkins and purple beans, are naturally colourful and easy to grow – and you have the added bonus of being able to eat what you harvest.
Extend summer colour
Late-flowering plants and grasses are invaluable. “Dahlias come in every colour you can imagine, and asters also flower well into autumn,” says Hillier. “Two of my favourite late-flowering grasses are calamagrostis and miscanthus, which both look spectacular, even in winter”.
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