It’s hard to think that only a few weeks ago our gardens were begging for water – and I believe a hosepipe ban is still in place. I took advantage of the fine weather yesterday to plant out some young cosmos plants that a friend had given me and these should give a good display of colourful flowers later on. I also dealt with as many of the weeds that I could -whatever the weather they seem to survive without any problems.

Having recently enjoyed watching the Chelsea Flower Show on television where designs ranging from the traditional to the modern were on display it highlighted the fact that gardening is all about personal choice. We may be governed by the shape and position of our gardens but after that it’s down to us. Some of us look to our garden as a place of escape and peace whilst for others it is somewhere for the family to relax, eat and play. As long as it is right for you it really doesn’t matter whether you have the whole area put down to grass or, at the other end of the scale, filled with rare and unusual plants. Colour is one of the most powerful influences in our lives and as with everything else in your garden the selection of a scheme and how you manage it is a matter of personal preference and individual choice. After all what appeals to one gardener can be a complete eyesore to another.

Once you have decided on the colour scheme that will be best suited to your own garden design and situation there are quite a few other points to take on board. To start with, colour and light are so closely linked it’s worth taking a little time to think about how different times of the day can alter colours, some are enhanced by bright sunshine whilst others fade into insignificance. Obvious examples are how dark red flowers that glow vividly at midday seem to vanish with the dusk, whereas white flowers take on a luminous quality as evening draws on. Will you be using your garden mostly during the day or is sitting out enjoying a quiet evening drink more for your thing? Choose your plants to suit your own needs.

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Readers who submit articles must agree to our terms of use. The content is the sole responsibility of the contributor and is unmoderated. But we will react if anything that breaks the rules comes to our attention. If you wish to complain about this article, contact us here