Unify your garden with color

Like many gardeners, I find it almost as hard to resist buying the newest gardening books as I do plants. Still, there are certain books that I revisit every year for inspiration and ideas. Two favorites, both written by noted plantswoman and garden writer Pamela Harper, are “Color Echoes: Harmonizing Color in the Garden” (first published in 1994) and “Time-Tested Plants: Thirty Years in A Four-Season Garden,” published in 2000.

In “Color Echoes,” Harper talks about the importance of color in the garden. She writes “a color echo is the repetition of color as a means of creating unity, serenity, interest and charm in a garden.” She goes on to say that the less structure there is in a garden, “the greater the need for some unifying factor” such as color. Whether large or small, “it can make a structured garden more welcoming, and it can be a unifying factor in the plantsman’s garden.”

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Erica Glasener/Special

Asarum splendens, Japanese painted fern and Lycopodium together form a unifying color palette with shades of silver, green and yellow.

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ERICA'S PICK
Citronelle Coral bells
Botanical name: Heuchera x villosa 'Citronelle'
About the plant: This vigorous hybrid Coral bells grows 12 inches high by 14 inches wide and is mostly evergreen in our climate. The yellow to chartreuse foliage brightens the garden year round.
Use in the garden: Plant this with ferns in the woodland or in the perennial border with greens and yellows like Euphorbia wulfenii.
Planting and care: Morning sun and afternoon shade are ideal, but full shade is also an option. A moist, well-drained soil is best. Pull off any leaves that become unsightly and new ones will quickly replace them.
Sources: Land Arts, 809 N. Broad St. (Ga. 11 at U.S. 78) Monroe 30656, 770-267-4500 (available in spring); McMahan's, 5727 Cleveland Hwy., Clermont 30527, 770-983-3666 (available now); Scottsdale Farms, 15639 Birmingham Hwy., (Ga. 372), Alpharetta 30004, 770-777-5875 (available in spring)

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When designing or redesigning a garden, grouping plants of similar colors (both foliage and flowers) will go a long way toward creating a cohesive feel. This same approach can be effective when planting container gardens, too. Once the color scheme is determined, adding plants that contrast or complement the scene will keep it dynamic and interesting.

In my own garden and in some of the many gardens I have visited over the years, I have discovered, through trial and error, combinations that are effective color echoes. I tend to group plants according to their season of bloom, combining those with similar colors, both foliage and flowers. What follows is a list of suggestions for combinations of plants — including shrubs, trees, perennials and annuals — that you might try in your garden. I have included examples, mostly for sun and a few for shade. At the very least, you might be inspired to come up with some of your own. Another thing to remember is that by including a variety of plants with different forms (i.e. spikes and mounds, big leaves and tiny foliage), your garden will be even more appealing.

For sunny locations

Winter

• Chameacyparis pisifera ‘Snow,’ white violas and Lonicera nitida ‘Baggesen’s Gold’ — shades of white and some yellow

• Cupressus macrocarpa ‘Gold Crest’ and Yellow twig dogwood — shades of yellow

Spring

• Allium christophii and Scabiosa — shades of lavender and blue

• Amaryllis x johnsonii, Cotinus coggygria ‘Royal Purple’ and red verbena — shades of red and purple

• Bearded Iris, Penstemon ‘Husker’s Red’ and Physocarpus opulifolius ‘Diablo’ — shades of purple and maroon

• Euphorbia wulfenii, Heuchera ‘Citronelle’ and Sedum angelonia — shades of green and chartreuse

• Tulipa ‘Strong Gold’ and Narcissus ‘Golden Echo’ — shades of yellow

Summer

• Agastache rupestris and Kniphofia ‘Percy’s Pride’ — shades of orange, apricot and yellow

• Galphimia gracilis and Croton — shades of yellow

• Lagerstroemia ‘Pocomoke,’ Hydrangea paniculata ‘Limelight,’ Echinacea purpurea, Perovskia atriplicifolia and Pentas— shades of lavender and pink

Fall

• Callicarpa americana, Aster ‘Raydon’s Favorite’ and Geranium ‘Rozanne’ with ornamental grasses — shades of purple

For shady gardens

Spring and summer

• Acanthus mollis, hosta and maidenhair fern — shades of green

• Asarum splendens, Japanese painted fern and Club moss — shades of silver, green and yellow