Magenta

I always like to keep up with the what the latest trends in garden design and gardens in general are. In particular t has been interesting to see the trends coming out of the Chelsea Flower Show. Magenta, also Pantone’s colour of the year was used as a highlight colour in several gardens (a colour I’ve written about using in the garden in previous posts). At Chelsea is was used with a white and green palette. One of my favourite lupins and also one that is often seen at Flower Shows is Masterpiece, a beautiful spire of Magenta.

Dark purple-red spires of lupins

Planting for pollinators

Insects and pollinators were also at the forefront of many planting schemes. Not a new trend but a continuing one and something that is becoming increasingly important. Any planting design should consider pollinator friendly plants. Plants with single rather than double petals make it easier for pollinators to reach the nectar they need. Bees see at the ultra violet end of the spectrum, they will forage for food from any colour flower but having a few blues and purples will entice them into your garden.

Geranium × johnsonii ‘Johnson’s Blue’ with Euphorbia peaking through at the bottom of the photo

Sustainability

Sustainability is a message the RHS is keen to promote, any show gardens at Chelsea must have a life beyond the show. Sometimes that means the whole garden is moved and rebuilt in a new location. At other times they are split up and repurposed, the plants may move to one garden, wooden structures maybe taken apart and rebuilt as furniture or smaller structures for example. However there is plenty we can do in our own gardens, from installing water butts to recycling plastic plant pots. Some nurseries will take plant pots back and re-use them once you’ve filled your borders with new plants. Garden centres too will often have an area to leave plant pots (usually a crate created out of old palettes) or allow customers to take them and re-use them. Or sent off to be recycled into re-usable coffee cups or longer lasting planters for the garden, for example.

A calming sea of green

A sea of green

There was plenty of green in the planting schemes, a theme that has been ongoing for a few years now. It is a very calming and restorative colour, something over the past few years that has been much needed. By using different textures and shades of green it is still possible to create a really interesting garden.  Perhaps mixing the delicate feathery foliage of Anthriscus sylvestris (cow parsley) with the palmate leaves of geraniums, perhaps Geranium macrorrhizum ‘White Ness’ for a simple colour palette or the blue of Geranium ‘Rozanne’. Green is the perfect backdrop to help other colours standout, perhaps this year’s Pantone and Chelsea Flower Show colour Magenta. I’m loving Paeonia ‘Buckeye Belle’ at the moment.

Updating your garden with the latest trends

If you would like more help in establishing a colourful garden or border, I offer a planting plan service.

About the author

Camilla Grayley is an experienced garden designer, speaker and writer based in York. She designs gardens and delivers garden consultancy services for clients in Yorkshire and across the UK.

Get in touch on 01904 670330 or info@camillagrayleydesign.com