Adding vibrant color to your garden is a wonderful way to enhance its beauty and your enjoyment of the space.
You can add color to your garden primarily through plants, considering both flowers and foliage for impact. Foliage brings vibrant and long-lasting colour to gardens, offering interest even when flowers are not in bloom.
Ways to Introduce Color
Adding color can be done in several ways, focusing on plant choices and placement.
Utilize Colorful Foliage
Don't just think about flowers! Leaves come in a dazzling array of colors, including reds, purples, yellows, silvers, and variegated patterns.
- Benefits of Foliage Color:
- Provides color for much longer periods than most flowers.
- Offers structural interest and texture.
- Can brighten shady areas.
Combine Different Plants
Try combining different patterns and shapes of plants to create dynamic visual interest. For example, as mentioned in the reference, begonias look amazing in combination with coleus (Solenostemon). Both these plants are excellent choices for shady gardens and can provide months of colour in summer and autumn.
Here are some ideas for combining:
- Texture Contrast: Pair smooth leaves with fuzzy ones.
- Shape Contrast: Mix spiky plants with mounding or trailing ones.
- Color Harmony/Contrast: Choose colors that complement or boldly contrast with each other.
Consider Seasonal Color
Plan for color throughout the year by selecting plants with different blooming or foliage times.
- Spring: Bulbs (tulips, daffodils), early perennials.
- Summer: Annuals (petunias, impatiens), summer-blooming perennials.
- Autumn: Foliage color (maples, certain shrubs), late-blooming flowers (mums, asters).
- Winter: Evergreens, plants with colorful bark or berries.
Choose the Right Plants for the Right Place
Ensure the plants you choose will thrive in your garden's conditions (sunlight, soil type, moisture) to ensure they look their best and provide reliable color.
- Sun-Loving Plants: Many flowering annuals and perennials.
- Shade-Tolerant Plants: Hostas (foliage), impatiens (flowers), begonias and coleus (as suggested in the reference).
Table of Plant Ideas for Color
Here is a simple table with examples of plants known for their color, categorized by the primary source of their color:
| Color Source | Plant Examples | Key Feature | Light Needs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flowers | Petunia, Zinnia, Sunflower | Bright Blooms | Full Sun |
| Foliage | Coleus, Hosta, Heuchera | Colorful Leaves | Shade/Part Shade |
| Berries | Holly, Beautyberry | Fruit Color | Sun/Part Shade |
| Bark | Red Twig Dogwood, Birch | Stem Color | Sun/Part Shade |
By focusing on colorful foliage and strategically combining plants like begonias and coleus, you can add long-lasting and vibrant color to your garden beds and containers, especially in shady spots.
