Learn to love pink and orange!
Sock it to the neighbours with an outrageous clashing border, says Louise Curley. Go on, we dare you!
Orange and pink flowers offer the ultimate colour clash. They’re perfect if you long to break free from the tasteful pastels and bland monochromatic schemes that have come to dominate suburbia.
Bold colours have the ability to excite and stimulate, but for many of us the strength of these hues scares us. We’re unsure how to use them and worry that they seem a little brash. What will the neighbours think?
Frankly, our winters are long enough and grey enough for us to celebrate summer with vibrant colour. Take inspiration from the late Christopher Lloyd and his garden at Great Dixter in East Sussex where he experimented with colour to bold effect. He disregarded the ‘rules’ that he felt governed the use of colour and what he thought constituted ‘good taste’ in favour of a more adventurous approach to planting. In his book Cuttings: a year in the garden (2008) he wrote: “Are there colours that we must use together? I think not. Well-handled… any two colours can be pleasingly juxtaposed.” You don’t need to be Christopher Lloyd to have fun with colour and to partner plants that sizzle together. And if you’d rather take a few tentative steps, then try out these colours in container displays first to build your confidence.