Contrasting Colours in Gardens and Containers

July 22, 2022March 26, 2023 ~ Loreeebee ~ 1 Comment

Contrasting colours rather than complementary ones make a bigger impact in your garden. Most people tend to opt for complementing colors when choosing plants. I always tell my clients “remember, you are not wearing the plants, they do not have to match!“

Choose colours that are opposite (not next to) each other on the colour wheel (as pictured above) to create some drama.

Use Colour Contrasts in Containers Too

I love using coleus in containers for the wide range of contrasting colour in their foliage. Straight from the nursery, choose from the many options in contrasting colour combinations within the same plant! The chartreuse green of creeping jenny or sweet potato vines make the red tones of the coleus pop in your creations:

For full sun containers, I tend to go for purple, pink, red, blue and yellow for the “fillers” and “spillers.” Their bright colours look so summery and vivid against the various shades of green which are perfect backdrops for “thrillers” and additional “spillers.”

Choose Perennials with Contrasting Flower Colours but the Same Bloom Time

When choosing perennials for your garden beds, instead of picking matching colours, try selecting contrasting colours in plants that bloom at the same time. For example, this yellow ligularis in front of a purple clematis creates a much more eye-catching scenario than two yellow or two purple plantings.

Another great example in my yard is my collection of daylilies I have in a raised bed at the side of my house. From dark wine-red to pale peach, they are contrasting yet compliment each other beautifully!

Foliage with Contrasting Colours

Another trick to make individual plants stand out is to place contrasting foliage colours next to or in front of each other. An example here is the leaves of a purple smoke tree (that just had a haircut so will soon be much taller) behind (right now it looks like it’s inside) the bright green leaves of a hydrangea.

Try some new contrasting combinations in your garden to create some drama. Be sure to send me pictures of your combinations.

Remember, forget the matchy-matchy look, you are not wearing the plants!

Vines in Gardens add Vertical Drama

October 19, 2015January 31, 2023 ~ Loreeebee ~ 1 Comment

Vines make wonderful additions to gardens, providing colourful vertical drama to otherwise horizontal landscapes. They can be used to cover unsightly fences, utility boxes or pipes, storage areas and more. They make great privacy screens too, shielding your yard from neighbours’ views. There are many things to consider when choosing a vine for any of these functions…

Points to Consider

size matters: consider the coverage you need. Some vines cover a small space, others need lots of room to sprawl
invasive: some vines can be invasive and very hard to remove from places you don’t want them to grow
damage: some vines can cause incredible damage, destroying eavestroughing, fences, and even brick!
color: some vines change colour in the fall, an added bonus to landscapes. Others are a bright, chartreuse green contrasting with other green plants in your yard. Some have flowers, others are grown just for the foliage.
pruning/cutting back: some vines require more maintenance than others. Many die back to the ground when frost hits them making cleanup easy. Some have to severely cut back in the spring to prevent them from taking over your yard.
annual or perennial: the vines I use are perennial meaning they come back each year on their own. Included in the perennial category are clematis, ivy, golden hops, hydrangea, bittersweet, honeysuckle, and silver lace. There are also many annual varieties available such as morning glories, sweet peas, black-eyed susans, and more.
Here are a few I have in my gardens…

Vertical Drama in my Gardens

Choose a few vines to add vertical drama to your landscaping, just do your homework first so you will be pleased with the result. As always, if you have any questions, please contact me, I would be happy to research the perfect vine for your garden.

Include vines in your gardens for vertical drama

October 19, 2015October 14, 2015 ~ Loreeebee ~ 4 Comments

Vines make wonderful additions to gardens, providing vertical drama to otherwise horizontal landscapes. They can be used to cover unsightly fences, utility boxes or pipes, storage areas and more. They make great privacy screens too, shielding your yard from neighbours’ views. There are many things to consider when choosing a vine for any of these functions…

size matters: consider the coverage you need. Some vines cover a small space, others need lots of room to sprawl
invasive: some vines can be invasive and very hard to remove from places you don’t want them to grow
damage: some vines can cause incredible damage, destroying eavestroughing, fences and even brick!
color: some vines change colour in the fall, an added bonus to landscapes. Others are a bright, chartreuse green contrasting with other green plants in your yard. Some have flowers, others are grown just for the foliage.
pruning/cutting back: some vines require more maintenance than others. Many die back to the ground when frost hits them making cleanup easy. Some have to severely cut back in the spring to prevent them from taking over your yard.
annual or perennial: the vines I use are perennial meaning they come back each year on their own. Included in the perennial category are clematis, ivy, golden hops, hydrangea, bittersweet, honeysuckle and silver lace. There are also many annual varieties available such as morning glories, sweet peas, black-eyed susans and more.
Here are a few I have in my gardens…