Who doesn’t want mood-lifting colour in their garden? It’s easy in summer with masses of flowers in bloom but, as A Year of Colour by Ann-Marie Powell shows, the other seasons needn’t be dull.
(Review copy given. Not paid.)
The award-winning designer is known for her love of vibrant colour – a self-confessed member of the ‘gardens should be thrilling camp’ – and her latest book shows how you can creat memorable displays in your own patch.
Working through the year, she outlines combinations that she’s used in her own modest sized garden, covering areas such as shade, and differernt styles, including naturalistic layers and container gardening.
Some of the partnerships are understated – white and blue scilla with pale lemon primroses – others are more fiery, such as the oranges and purples of helenium, allium, helianthus and echinacea.
Often though colours are “bold, unapologetic and occasionally gloriously over the top – exactly the kind of combinations that make gardening such fun.”
Each suggestion comes with details of each plant, including size, cultivation preferences and hardiness. There are also tips for success, such as whether and when to deadhead.
Even winter has its own colour palette and we are encouraged to look for it in cornus stems or betula bark: “. . . colour need not be abundant to be meaningful.”
While each seasonal section ends with ‘What to Do’, woven through the book are projects: how to create a pelargonium display; winter sowing of sweet peas; ‘the Hampton Hack’, a variation on the Chelsea Chop.
There are tips on which tulips are the most likely to flower again in subsequent years, a spotlight on the “underused” Trifolium rubens, and how to combine flowers and veg.
We also learn a lot about how Ann-Marie likes to garden from early morning inspections armed with tea to how autumn sees her becoming a ‘deadheading obsessive’.
Most of all A Year of Colour is a glorious celebration of how gardens can improve our mood, what Ann-Marie describes as “the infectious joy of gardening with colour”.
A Year of Colour by Ann-Marie Powell, photography by Julie Skelton is published by Frances Lincoln with an RRP of £25. #Ad You can buy it here for £17.69. (If you buy via this link, I receive a small commission. The price you pay is not affected.) Alternatively, you may wish to buy from an independent bookseller here. All prices correct at time of publication of this post.
Enjoyed this? You can read more of my gardening and garden-related book reviews here.
Make sure you don’t miss future posts by adding your name to my mailing list.