OK, I admit it, I'm a bit of a color snob. Or maybe a color fanatic. I have shoes in lime green and turquoise and a pair of orange cowboy boots. Then, a while ago, a thread at the venerable Gardenweb posed the question:"What is the worst color combination you've ever seen in someone's garden?" it really got me thinking.
First, of course, I was a bit puzzled by the "You would not believe it but this lady had a X next to a Y" emails that resulted. While I don't always follow the "...if you don't have something nice to say" rule, I try to reserve my sneering for worthy topics such as SUVs. And then I looked at my own garden, just a tad worried.
But on my recent trip to Tassajara, I really wondered what Mother Nature is thinking. I mean, look at the tomato-red Castilleja (Indian paintbrush) with the purple Salvia spatacea (hummingbird sage). And all that combined with -- green?
I'm not even sure the second photo, purple Salvia with blue and white Lupine would make it into a book of color recommendations. And isn't the yellow with the tomato red a bit garish?
Not to mention Castilleja together with Collinsia heterophylla. A bright with a pastel? Red with lavender? Tsk tsk.
What a relief to finally encounter a familiar color choice: Black and white. Here, the charred remains of the chaparral and the first white flowers of Gnaphalium californicum (pearly everlasting).
Postscript: In my own garden, I do prefer to group colors by region. And maybe I'll do a post about that some time. But I'm delighted by any color combination other gardeners come up with -- especially Mother Nature.
Comments
I think in a small garden especially you could have colors that clash or at least don't look great together. Your eyes will always be resting in the same spots. But as always beauty is in the eye of the beholder. If you like it enjoy. In nature or larger gardens I feel it's not a problem.