Astrid's Garden Design: tulips

Showing posts with label tulips. Show all posts

Thursday, February 27, 2014

White in the Garden

Fragrant Viburnum 'Burkwoodii'

White is symbolic of innocence, perfection, honesty and lightness. It is associated with the Good and The Beginning.

White brings out the true colour of those beside it.

Lots of white has a cooling, calming effect but the opposite is also true: it can cause a glare in hot, sunny climates.

Silver and silvery blue make it shine.

White brightens shady spots and adds a touch of elegance to areas of the garden.

White narcissus appear in early spring.

Cornus kousa or Chinese Dogwood puts on a dainty white display in the spring.

By mid-summer, the Oakleaf Hydrangea is in bloom

Pom-pom flowers adorn the Cranberry Bush (Viburnum Opulus)

Virburnum 'Mariesii' has a more delicate flower and grows on horizontal branches.

White lilies stand out in the garden with their knock-out colour and fragrance

Fragrant white phlox finish out the season.

What are your favourite WHITE flowers and blooms?

Please check out my food blog - the latest post is Crabcakes with ginger and lime.

Friday, January 31, 2014

Yellow in the Garden

Gardens need sunshine and what better colour symbolizes the sun than yellow? But yellow, just like the sun, can be intense. Yellow in the garden is not for everyone. But it sure is for me.

Yellow can be found in flower petals, leaves, foliage and branches. Yellow can be butter soft and pale or deep and powerful. If you are thinking of adding yellow to the garden, you should probably keep in mind the same rules we apply to red: shots of colour only or wide swatches in the distance.

The first yellow to appear in my garden will be blooming forsythia bushes. They are at the far end of my property and definitely signal that Spring has arrived. In my area of Southern Ontario, that's usually end of April.

Spring bulbs are next - many different types from the tiny Tete-a-tete to King Alfred to Tahiti.

Small bulbs appear next including Allium moly, which look super under a crown of deep blue Siberian Iris.

I still have a few surviving yellow Bearded Iris - those that haven't been destroyed by borer.

Helenium appear midsummer like yellow daisies.

Yellow roses (and ones that hint of apricot) are such an elegant change to red and pink.

Here's a ruffly yellow begonia - quite unique!

Some of the new succulents I bought last summer had Kalanchoe-type yellow blooms.

Bright yellow mums are glorious in September when so much else has faded.

Black-eyed Susans also signal that fall is coming. And then the yellows of autumn appear in full glory!

Please check out my food blog - the latest post is Grilled Italian Sausage and Zucchini with Pasta.

Wednesday, January 22, 2014

Red in the Garden

The colour RED is a power house. It can dominate and take over if used too much in a garden but it can also perk up a bland, pale garden with a solid shot of colour.

There are many shades of red: lots of yellow is found in scarlet and crimson. Others have more blue which then make red more of a burgundy wine colour.

Reds can be tamed by placing them closer to silver but if you put them close to white - you get a razor sharp contrast.

Red berries and bark stand out fabulously in winter against the white of snow.

The first red that will show up in my garden will be the small tulip "Red Riding Hood"

Many tulips are red, the most famous being the Darwin tulip. Above are some frilled red tulips that I received on Mother's Day.

The most successful annual I grew last summer was a red fibrous begonia. In the top picture, you see it paired with white and just as they said - it provides a sharp contrast.