We’ve asked our gardening expert how to add some colour in your backyard this year! Here’s a quick guide to help in choosing the right one.
Annuals are an expression of colour so you can be definite and create blocks or lines of colour. Three colours seem to be a good number to work with. Remember hot hues are eye-catching and appear to come forward whereas cool colours like blue, green, and burgundy appear to recede. Put your personality in your backyard. Here’s what colour tones signify:
RED: Primary color – Signifies passion (love and anger); Men prefer orange-reds; women lean toward blue-red; hummingbirds love them all.
BLUE: Primary color – Embodies faith, peace and loyalty; generally calms and soothes; harmonizes with just about any other color, making it a good choice for accessories.
YELLOW: Primary color – Upbeat and energetic; promotes clear thinking and creativity; the color seen most easily by the visually impaired.
GREEN: Secondary color – A regal hue denoting leadership and wealth; attractive to butterflies and small children.
ORANGE: Secondary color – Exudes warmth; promotes cheerfulness; lessens irritability; along with red and yellow, attracts butterflies.
PINK: A tint of red – Popular flower color with gardeners; generally has a calming effect.
BLACK: The absence of all colors. Often associated with evil and mourning, it also conjures mystery and power. There are no truly black flowers – just deepest burgundy and purple – but blooms such as the new Black Velvet petunia, ‘Ebony Star’ dahlia and ‘Bowles Black’ viola will fool any eye.
WHITE: The presence of all colors. Symbol of purity, truth and cleanliness; has enduring simplicity and beauty; catches the eye first; shimmers in twilight.
It may seem a daunting task to plant up your own containers when there are so many beautiful ones to purchase but, it can be very rewarding to try doing it yourself. To begin, simply fill the chosen container up halfway with a lightweight material like foam peanuts to keep the weight down. (some have even used the empty pots from the plants)
The main 3 elements are Thriller, Filler and Spiller. Have some fun when picking your plants and place them close together to get a fuller look faster. Fertilize regularly and keep up with watering. All annuals will benefit from deadheading the spent blooms and picking off any dead leaves. The last tip to successful container gardening is to place the finish planter in appropriate light conditions where they will have good ventilation.
