Alfred Austin Poet Laureate (1835-1913). Quote: Show me your garden and I shall tell you what you are.

Most of us at some time will succumb to persuasion and in this case it may not be a bad thing. I’m talking about how we plan our gardens, and make the important decision what to plant where, what will look good throughout the season, and will it come up to our very demanding expectations? After all, a garden comes into being by parting with some hard earned cash most of the time and some mistakes can be costly.

 With the vast array of seeds and plants available it can be difficult to decide what to choose, however help may be at hand. There have been many suggestions in the past for ‘themed’ gardens which are all very well but you may not be keen to develop a Japanese water feature or Surfing in Cornwall type of garden for example; and often we find that we are still ‘designing’ when we should be enjoying our gardens. (I am talking from experience here.)

 We all need different things from our gardens, a place to relax, grow vegetables, flowers, the ‘manicured’ do not step on lawn, a play area for the kids the list goes on, so this year, if you are feeling creative, why not go for a colour trend garden, planting with flowers in colours that reflect your mood and creating that all important atmosphere?

 We tend to create our indoor living areas according to our personalities and this is reflected in our choice of wall coverings, paint colours artwork, furniture, object de’art etc. Current trends and an abundant array of paint colours to choose from can inspire us to put the ‘zing’ into our overall colour schemes, especially at this time of year, but how does this help to make that all important decision in the garden, and will it be right?

 The artist Frenand Leger put into words a wonderful definition of human nature when he wrote:

‘The craving for colour is a natural necessity just as for water and fire. Colour is a raw material indispensable to life. At every era of his existence and his history, the human being has associated colour with his joys, his actions and his pleasures.’

 So if you would like a more symbolic garden – one that reflects optimism and individuality, one that lets go of convention and structure – the world’s your oyster! Choose from an unexpected mix of colours and release the inner artist.

 Colour is capable of changing the way we feel about life – Reds make us feel energetic, vibrant and glowing, Orange gives a feeling of comfort and well being, Yellow suggests comfort and reassurance, Green lights up space bringing us closer to nature, Blue a sense of freedom and happiness, Violet daring and dramatic, White – subtle and atmospheric, Grey – cool and shy.

 Elizabeth Murray – author, photographer, painter and garden designer – best known for her work helping to restore Monet’s gardens and photographing them for 25 years, Quotes:’ Gardening is the art that uses flowers and plants as paint, and the soil and sky as canvas.

All we need now is some sunshine!

Tags: colour inspirations