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Bask in Blue – cool plants for your garden

When the summer heat hits, a cool, restful garden retreat is an essential. My ultimate would be a serene spot free of anything electronic, imbued with sensuous fragrances, shaded by delicate foliage and surrounded by beautiful blue and white flowers. It would contain a trickle of water to soothe the mind and an urn filled with tropical waterlilies for a touch of the exotic. My real garden is nothing like this, of course – kids, trampoline, balls flying, etc. But I’m working on it!

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WHY BLUE & WHITE?

Blue and white flowers against a tapestry of greens are easy on the eye, refreshing for the mind and peaceful for the soul. The overall visual effect is understated and classically elegant. An all-blue garden can tend to be somewhat melancholy, especially if too many dark blues are used.

Adding white separates and individualises the many hues of blue, increasing their presence and bringing the garden alive. And while an archetypal all-white garden is undeniably romantic, especially in the glow of moonlight, a sea of white flowers can cause undue glare and lacks definition. Add blue, and the white flowers immediately gain mana. As the infamous Gertrude Jekyll once said, “Harmony without contrast, or contrast without harmony, degenerates into monotony.”

oooDY BLUES

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Blue is both subliminally cooling and resistant to fading, making it an excellent choice for the summer garden. Blue is also a reticent colour, happy to sit in the background – unlike red, which jumps right out at you. Red light has a shorter wavelength than blue, thus taking less time to reach our eyes. This makes red flowers seemingly advance toward us, making them appear closer than they really are. Conversely, blue flowers recede, drawing our eye away from the foreground and visually increasing dimensions. This quality makes blue useful for creating the impression of a much larger area – an excellent “trick of the eye” to use in small spaces. oid to- pale blues work best when creating spaciousness. Dark blues add a lovely sumptuous quality and help anchor pale blues, but they require good light as they can get lost in shaded areas.

THE WHITE TRACK

White is elegant, clean and pure. Technically, it is not a true colour. It is completely neutral, only becoming active when juxtaposed with colours, enhancing and reflecting their nuances. White ranges from cold, icy white to rich cream, but all hues of white need a darker background to provide contrast and make them stand out. Blue goes particularly well with white – think of adding a dash of blue to sheets to enhance their brightness. The same can be said of white and blue flowers planted together. Unlike blue, white has fantastic reflective qualities, keeping the garden alive in the low light of early morning and evening when many blues fade into the shadows. oany white flowers are also highly scented, making them a valuable addition to a relaxing summer retreat.

FoLIAGE EFFECTS

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Dappled shade is an important factor to consider when planting white flowers. The dancing shadows play with white, changing its saturation and enhancing its appearance. Shade is also an essential ingredient for a summer garden retreat. Deciduous trees, such as flowering cherries, Indian Bead Tree (oelia) and Jacaranda, are a good choice (see box at right for other summer-flowering trees). Robinia ‘Frisia’ or Gleditsia ‘Sunburst’ would add a lively touch of gold to the garden without spoiling the blue-and white effect of the flowers. A smattering of grey, silver and blue foliage is also a good addition to provide relief from too much green. Add more splashes of blue or white with urns, a pergola, garden seats or by painting a wall. Just remember that less can sometimes be more and don’t overdo any one colour!

Blue and white blooms for summer

TREES

Jacaranda

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oagnolia sieboldii

Davidia involucrata

Stewartia pseudocamellia

Styrax japonicus

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CLIoBERS

Clematis hybrids

Jasminum azoricum

oandevilla laxa

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Pandorea ‘Lady Di’

Roses

Stephanotis

Thunbergia

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grandiflora

Trachelospermum

FLoWERS & SHRUBS

Up to 50cm:

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Alyssum

Anchusa

Anthemis cupaniana

Cranesbill geraniums

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H eliotrope (cherry pie)

Liriope

Lobelia

Salvia ‘Victoria’

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50cm to 1m:

Agapanthus

C ampanula (summer-flowering varieties)

Cosmos

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English lavender

Felicia amelloides

Ground cover roses

I r i s (Japanese, Siberian and late-flowering bearded varieties)

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oarguerite daisies

Up to 2.5m:

Ceanothus

Cistus

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Delphinium

Gardenia

Hydrangea

Philadelphus

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Plumbago

Roses

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