Bold colors brighten my summer garden
by Dee @ Red Dirt Ramblings
(Guthrie, Oklahoma, U.S. )
The back garden with bright colored flowers and blue chair accent
Pink Phlox paniculata, boldly colored daylilies and yellow foliaged plants combine their forces in the side garden.
I live in the south central United States where summer temperatures defy you to go outside unless you’re wearing light colored clothing and plenty of sunscreen. From July through the end of August, the sun shines its white light from early morning until nearly 9:00 p.m. CST. With that kind of light on them, pastel blooms wash out to a subtle white in my garden after only a few days.
So, although my garden is filled with English cottage style plants, I’ve decided to change things up and use bold colors. For one thing, they are cheerful, and when I look over the landscape, I find a spot of color never hurt anyone’s eyes.
If you live in the south, why not try bolder colors like fuschia, bold cherry red, golden yellow and orange? All play their part to make a southern garden look its best.
Also, many prairie plants like Echinacea purpurea (a good solid purple, or one of the many new bright colors) and Rudbeckia fulgida ‘Goldsturm’ (golden yellow) bloom their best during hot summer months. So does blazing star, gaillardia and Phlox paniculata. Add a few undulating grasses to soften things, and you’ll have a garden to love from summer through fall.
Dee is a fellow garden writer and you should check out her site here