Colour can be decisive in the way we experience a garden, it is one of the aspects that enhance the outdoor atmosphere. Be it a vibrant, calm, inviting, energetic or meditative environment. Colour is a very powerful ‘tool’.

With the excitement for gardening may sometimes come the tendency to mix a wide variety of colours without having reflected upon shades that have the strength to convey the intended ambiance. When working with colour, the concept ‘less is more’ can create stronger gardens with an environment that meets expectations, so that you can make the most of your exterior areas.

Colour can be present in materials, walls, furniture, but also, obviously, on plants. Nature can be a great source of inspiration to better understand the plants you enjoy. You can select two or three colours that are complimentary, or that pair harmoniously.

While thinking of plant colours, we instantly make associations to flowers, but we can also pick foliage, fruit and branch colours, which will grant a longer lasting effect since a lot of plants have short flowering periods.

Creating a seasonal dynamic in your garden allows you to experience and observe its evolution.

In order to best choose garden plants, we always need to take seasonality into account, if the goal is to maintain the same colour throughout the year, then it is important to combine plants that have different flowering seasons.

Colour has a big impact on a garden’s ambiance, and should be taken into consideration for every element.

This example of a garden by Luciano Giubbilei, for Chelsea’s Garden Festival in 2014, perfect illustrates deliberate colour choices. He contrasts the monochrome from concrete and stone with the green from the plants, in which yellow, white and blue flowers become the highlight, thus creating the desired environment.

When it comes to vegetation, texture/volume also play a huge role in the final result.

And always keep in mind that it’s necessary to analyse soil, brightness, climate, maintenance, among other things.

Amália Souto de Miranda, Landscape Architect, Loci Studio