I hope you were able to attend the Yorkton and District Horticultural Society Spring Plant and Bulb Sale last week; there was a great selection of plants! Thank you to everyone who brought plants to the sale; thank you to those great volunteers who set up and worked at the sale, and thank you to our loyal customers who come to our plant sales each year, it's always great to see you!
Well, didn't the weather throw us a surprise last week! I guess that's springtime in Saskatchewan, when we go to the greenhouses dressed in sandals and fleeces! How anxious we are for spring to arrive, and even if it's cold, we still head out to savor the beautiful plants on offer! I know we were hauling some of our planters into the garage for a couple days: we couldn't wait to plant them up, but who thought that we'd get that "crisp" weather again? But hopefully now we'll be out of that unsettled weather and into something better and warmer!
A dear friend gave me a beautiful magazine called "The Secret to Stunning Gardens In Sun and Shade", and while we're still getting started with our gardens, there was one article I would like to tell you about. It was called "Combine colors like a pro", and it had a lot of interesting tips that we might want to try.
You know how sometimes you walk into a yard and it looks so pretty, very harmonious and it seems everything just goes together so perfectly? Sometimes that's by accident, but a little planning ahead of time can go a long way to creating that effect.
The article suggested that their first color combo, orange and pink, is a team that brings warmth to a garden, as well as a feeling of well-being. Whether it's a high energy pairing or a more serene choice is up to you: you might choose bright orange marigolds and hot pink petunias or you might prefer soft pink impatiens and gentler corals. Either way, the colors look good together because quite often, pink flowers have orange streaks or centres.
The next color team is yellow and purple: lots of impact with these contrasting colors, and once again, you, the gardener, gets to decide whether the colors will pop or softly sigh in your garden. It is important to remember that warm shades advance, and darker colors recede in your flower beds. The article suggests that to make the effect of the lighter colors even more exciting, be sure to include plants with dark green foliage nearby.
Team three is burgundy and green: put these together and you get the smashing effect of opposites attracting! If you have ever done any painting, get out your color wheel and see why these colors are so good together. They're not just "holiday" colors: choose a rich, lush green and a dark cranberry or burgundy and you will end up with a very rich looking palette. The dark green and deep burgundy combination is quiet and elegant, and can be achieved almost entirely with a variety of foliage plants; you don't have to even choose blooming plants if you don't want to.
The last combo is red, yellow and white. Here's a cheery group, full of fun and passion and energy! Red and yellow and nothing else would be like the equivalent of a whole handful of candy in your garden: way, way too much excitement and no where to rest! That's why white is thrown into the mix, to cool things down and add a calming note. Red is a very strong color, and your eye will be drawn to the red first, so keep this in mind and balance a large patch of red flowers with swaths of white and yellow.
So many ideas for us to think about! The next hort club meeting is on Wednesday, June 20, and this is a members only meeting. Please call Liz at 782-2830 or any hort club members for details. Till next time, have a good week in your garden!
