During October, gardeners dream about the November rain – and keep our fingers tightly crossed and pray that it is good. With this dreaming it is also the time to dream about the changes that we might make in the garden and the planting that we might do with the November rain.  

Let’s think about colour in the garden and how we should arrange our plants to give the best colour effect. As on most gardening subjects there are many different views so let’s consider some simple guidelines. The best way is to consider the colours of the rainbow – violet, indigo, blue, green yellow, orange and red and to consider how they best look – those that are close together in the rainbow and those that are opposites. Obviously those that are close together, like orange and red, the hot colours, will be comfortable together, while similarly blues and greens, the cold colours, look good together. The key to a good garden is not to overdo the hot colours but to keep the balance that  lead from one area of the garden to another.

The hot colours will look excellent in our sunny climate and you can mix the reds, oranges and yellows. Some examples of plants with hot colours are Cannas, Salvias, Crocosmia, Lobelia, Clivia, Kniphofia, Hypericum, Daylillies, Bidens and there are many, many more.

The harmony of the colder colours of blues and greens can immediately be seen in just looking at a mass planting of blue Agapanthus – they just look good by themselves. But also blues and yellows look good together as so do violets/indigos and yellow.

A few colours from the opposite sides of the rainbow can be used for strong contrast, like orange and blue, but be careful not to overdo these.

Plants Galore Garden Centre
Directions: Use the Limuru Road from Muthaiga and continue past the Village Market and the turning into Runda.  200 m beyond the Runda turning take the murram track on the right hand side, where there is a Plants Galore sign board. After the bridge over the river fork right; the Centre is 100 m on the right. You can’t miss it!
Telephone: 020 2446103 or 0773 612589
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