The Gardener’s Palette: Creating Colour Harmony in the Garden

Designer Thompson, in cooperation with the Royal Horticulture Society, ponders not just the “colours in the garden, but the meanings and effects created by them and their interactions” in this eye-catching survey. Thompson analyzes the “gloriously specific” Royal Horticulture Society’s Colour Charts, a system “used by horticulturists worldwide for recording plant colours” and examines gardens for color palettes using the chart’s specific tones: there’s a garden that combines pink and purple for an “Impressionist Violet 1” palette, similar to the one used for Monet’s Branch of the Seine Near Giverny (Mist); a purple and white “Spring Combination with a Twist” full of hyacinth and narcissus; and a Mediterranean “Tumble of Light” with “a soft and naturalistic style” that uses yellows and greens. Throughout, Thompson rhapsodizes (“There’s nothing like pink to make us feel good”; “The dark green of the tree canopy is a comforting embrace of serenity”) and advises (“Echoes are essential”; “it is important to remember to introduce colour at different heights”). New gardeners may find themselves a bit overwhelmed, and some color schemes don’t seem so different—Thompson herself admits that the “Strawberries and Cream, with a Drop of Wine” array “looks very similar to the scheme shown in ‘Wild Pastels.’ ” Still, serious gardeners interested in design and artistry will find this a worthy take on ways to use color. (July)