GARDENER'S READING ROOM
The Art of Gardening

Playing with Color

After a long Seattle winter of gray and more gray, I’m ready to leap into a more colorful season! There really is no place to get more immediate gratification for this craving than in your pots and containers. When the great summer plants start arriving, it’s a perfect time to think of how to combine colors and textures for maximum impact, whatever your light situation.

So how does one decide on which combination of colors works best? For me, much of my mix and matching is done by simply putting the plants together in my hands to see if they combine to give me the look I’m seeking. Sometimes I like to play with variations on a color theme. Usually, I’ll decide on the foundation plant on which to build my combination. One of my favorite plants is the soft gray, evergreen Convolvulus cneorum (silver bush). For a subtle planting, I might pair it with other ‘gray’ plants, like the Dichondra ‘Silver Falls’ and Plectranthus argentatatus. Too much gray, though, and the subtleties get lost. I might add in some scarlet ivy geraniums or a magenta Calibrachoa. Ipomea batatas (sweet potato vine) ‘Blackie’, with its dense, divided leaves that spill out over the containers edge so beautifully would also give great definition to an all-gray look. Some spiky Cordyline australis in the burgundy field could make the arrangement even prettier.

Complementary harmony colors also make for stunning combinations. Anything in the yellow field looks smashing next to purples or blues. They can’t help but be cheerful and fresh. White and bright green have this effect, too. Each makes the other have more impact. All white and green is a sophisticated look that’s very simple to achieve.

Some plants are so seductive and showy that they make great statement centerpieces in a container. Summer isn’t really here for me until the sub-tropical Cannas arrive. The banana-like leaves come in dark burgundy, greens, stripes and blues. Not to be outdone by their foliage, the flowers burst out in hot colors of yellow, orange, and pink. This show-stopper begs for companion plants that play up their exotic good looks. Cuphea ‘Tiny Mice’, with its bat-like face in red and black, or Calibrachoa in hotter shades of orange, pink or red, would be an excellent exotic combination. There are some really stunning new members of the Calibrachoa family arriving this year and I can’t wait to start experimenting with them.

Some of my favorite plants in the summer container are the Alocasia and Colocasia (elephant ears). With leaves that can reach up to two feet, and colors that range from bright green to black, they shout for attention! Using the black variety with oranges and reds is simply drop-dead effective. Last summer I couldn’t get enough orange because it gave me that immediate ‘Wow!’ factor. Orange zinnias, orange Crocosmia… orange fever reigned at my house!

So, when it’s time to find the right combination for you this year, start by thinking of what kind of container your plants will live in, and your light and water situation. And then come find the kind of plants that will give you satisfaction every time you see them. That’s what container gardening is all about. For me, it’s a miniature garden in a pot and my chance to create something satisfying, special and unique. It can be for you, too.

By Megan Bonner
Skylights Summer 2011, Vol 26, No. 2

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