Anyone gone from pastels to hot colors?

17 years ago

I have been gardening about 4-5 years now and have mostly gone with pastels (pink/purple/white/yellows). However this year I was given some flowers that were bright orange and a magenta pink glad. I found places for them and boy did those colors pop. They created a totally different feel, and I find myself wanting to switch to more hot colors. Has this happened to anyone else? I have some peach/light pink daylilies and I'm thinking perhaps I should pull them out and put in something a little brighter. Perhaps its just the evolution that you go through with gardening - those that have been at it a lot longer than I can probably provide some insights.

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Comments (14)

keesha2006
17 years ago
I wouldn't switch...if you have mostly hot colors..they won't "pop" anymore, you will have much of the same things......instead add them in for the surprise factor..then they will shine and actually POP for you! Use them as the WOW factor! Good Luck
Theresa24 (NeFL9a)
17 years ago
I agree with keesha though I am exactly where you are. I am about 4 years into this garden and have always planted pastels. This year I created a hot color area that is out of the way and away from the pastels. Well, I had a lot of fun doing it and I REALLY like that area and am thinking of adding more color the the larger pastel garden. I think instead of adding alot of HOT colors though I will maybe add a little red next to a light pink to set it off a little and maybe a medium yellow next to a purple to help it "pop". But not too much. I will just go enjoy my hot color area when I tire of pastels, lol.
Theresa
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flowerchildky
17 years ago
I have done much the same thing- when I started my garden in 1997, I thought I would do pink/purple/white

In the next few years, I added some red and darker purples and yellow

then, I added orange and more red! I love it!
I have noticed that a lot of the pastels seem to bloom early -then, as the summer comes on, the hot colors 'take over'- like sunflowers, rudbeckias, hibiscus, amaranths etc.

I say add some hot colors- you will know when 'enough is enough'

hope this helps,
Linda in Louisville
faltered
17 years ago
I have both. I have a hot color bed in front of the house for that pop. Then pastels on the side of the garage. Then a mish-mash everywhere else. I love it.

Tracy
balsam
17 years ago
wannabe - don't yank out your daylilies! Well, at least find them another home if you do :o)

flowerchildky is right - the pastels seem to be early to mid-summer dominant, then the brighter colours take over by mid-summer. At least that's how it works here in New Brunswick, Canada with my perennial beds. I have the most glorious pink/white/yellow dominant beds in June, but by the first of August the Rudbeckias, Echinacea, Monarda, and Asiatic lilies are showing their true (hot!) colours. We had almost no snowcover last winter, so I lost a lot of Asiatics and have been replacing them with daylilies (hardier here). For the most part, I've leaned towards deeper colours and later bloom for these. Orange is becoming a favourite of mine, too, but in small doses.

I also planted a bunch of new hardy roses. For anyone who is in a similar climate and loves red, I strongly recommend finding "Bassino" rose. It is a ground cover type (about 24 inches high with 5 or 6 foot spread at maturity) and has the most gorgeous single scarlet blossoms! Definately and eye catcher!
fammsimm
17 years ago
I have hot colors interspersed amoung my pastels, too. I like the effect. I believe the hots and pastels play off each other nicely.

I've been adding zinnias and lantanas as my hot colors, and I can't believe how much of a zing they give my white nicotiana, nigellas, pink roses etc. and vice-versa.

This is a very fun thing to experiment with! :-)

Marilyn
gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
17 years ago
I am not a huge fan of pale colors, so much of my garden is saturated or "hot" colors - strong reds, yellows, oranges, deep purple/burgundy and electric blues. I use white to tone it down and blend the colors, as well as silver toned foliage. OTOH, flowers are not my primary source of color in the garden - I rely more on foliage colors to carry me through all the seasons with flowers as the accents. And we seem to have a lot of somewhat gray days, specially early in the season, and the strong colors really zing.

Pastels or pale colors I prefer for the shade - for one thing they are very prevelent in shade plants and also carry better visually in low light conditions than more intense or saturated colors.
gardeners_hands
17 years ago
For years I gardened selecting colors I liked on their own merits, made a few beds where everthing blended and they were boring. I didn't understand that they were boring, but I did know I had to observe closeup, or like in a cut flower arrangement to enjoy them. Then I experimented (cautiously) with a few flowers that were 'too loud', or not exactly to my taste, I guess you could call that stretching myself. My gardens began to look brighter and livlier.

Then at my sister's insistance I added some white flowers. I had avoided white, considering it a non-color. Wow! What a difference! Of course then over the next year or two I went overboard in adding white (my White Phase?) but I believe I am back to more balanced now.

Who knows what lies ahead? Experimentation, excitement and adventure!
GH-
diannesjmo
17 years ago
GH - I so agree with you about adding white. I intersperse it with my purple, pink and yellows. It makes them stand out more, and keeps the garden from being too busy. I wish people who buy for our nurseries around here would think about that when ordering. This year, everything was pink! Luckily, we have one greenhouse (the most expensive, of course), where she has a great eye for color and combinations!

Dianne
ntaylor_2006
17 years ago
My garden seems to change throughout the seasons. I start with hot, go to pastels, and right now it is veering back to hot. Can't remember what fall is - lol. Guess I'll find out soon!!
MizJoy
17 years ago
I always thought I wanted a blue-pink pastel garden until I toured a local garden that had everything but pastels. The blues were cobalt blue the pinks were screaming magenta and the yellows were sulphur yellow. The lavenders were deep dark purple. The garden art was in similar jewel tones. I fell in love! My garden now is mostly pastel, but I'm moving soon and I've been inspired to make a saturated color garden next time. I can hardly wait to get started! That's one of the great things about gardening - every season starts anew, it's never boring.
Steveningen
17 years ago
Eye of the beholder! In the spring, vibrant colors are a wonderful thing, waking us from our winter doldrums. It seems to give way slowly to softer colors as spring progresses and columbine, foxglove and other perenniels really strut their stuff. I don't know about everyone else, but that transition between spring and the heat of summer is always an awkward period for my garden. Things start to look haggard and done. But all of a sudden, bam, summer is in full swing. Out come the sunflower, hollyhock, herbs, second flushes of rose, and a host of things you had kind of forgotten about. This is really a great time of year to play with strong color. This is my favorite thing about gardening. It is a canvas that you constantly paint and is never finished. Play with the paint boys and girls!
gardengirl_17
17 years ago
I am exactly where you are in terms of switching from pastels to more vibrant colors. I originally planned the garden of soft yellows, blues, pinks and white. In our summer intense sun it looks washed out. In the Spring I love the pink peonies and delicate Amsonias but as summer comes I find myself more satisfied by richer colors.

It came to me by accident -sort of. I started getting in to daylilies and purchased some red ones and bright yellow. I planted them on the border facing the street and outside the fence to the backyard. When everything started to bloom I was overjoyed by the color! It was so pretty IMHO. I have realized that the colors I really like are the magenta pink, bright lemon yellow, purple, red and Orange! I love my orange daylilies. My favorite combination this year was White Liatris, Yellow Helenium, Poppy Mallow and Balloon Flower mixed among the daylilies, including a really screaming red/orange one called Alabama Jubilee.

I've decided to start moving these colors into the back yard and moving away from the dreamy soft pastel look. The peonies can stay but for summer I want knock your socks off color! I say plant whatever colors are making you the most happy and release yourself from the burden of any rules you imposed on yourself about what colors you will not allow in a certain part of your garden. Enjoy!
solana
17 years ago
There's a saying: as gardeners grow older, our gardens grow shadier, as the trees & shrubs fill in.

I used to use only cool colors (pastels + dark blue & purple) on the theory I'd be gardening in the heat of the summer, they'd be more refreshing.

Bored, I've enjoyed the occasional orange/magenta/hot pink POP. Trick? compliment it with complimentary colors: true blue, lime green, etc.

Anyone gone from pastels to hot colors?

Comments (14)

keesha2006

Theresa24 (NeFL9a)

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