The Fowlmere and Thriplow Gardening Club has continued to flourish since its inception in 1962. Our meeting on 1st December was the final hurrah in our 60th Jubilee Year. For this important event we welcomed back Andrew Sankey, one of our favourite speakers. His subject was ‘Colour in the Garden’ and he spoke entertainingly not only about his own gardens but about many others including those of Gertrude Jekyll and Vita Sackville-West, famous for her ‘White Garden’ at Sissinghurst.
Andrew knows only too well the trap of visiting a garden centre, seeing a ‘Must Have’ plant then arriving home only to discover that there is no room or that it doesn’t fit in with anything else. Planning is key – and particularly when it comes to colour. Andrew’s own preference is for pastel shades and plenty of white plants. He illustrated this with numerous lovely slides.
He pointed out that Nature provides its own background of restful greens, against which you can put pale and delicate shades planted in drifts. Native plants produce fresh yellows in Spring to attract nectar loving insects but native plants are mainly of subdued colours, the two exceptions being the Scarlet Pimpernel and the poppy. Hot colours, reds and oranges, should be limited in use and placed near the house, perhaps in pots on terraces. The use of pastels makes the space in the garden feel bigger as cool colours draw the eye into the distance. Andrew recommended the use of Brunnera Jack Frost to light up shady areas under trees, and to mix that with shades of pink and purple; the use of different shapes like the star shape of Sea Holly for contrast; and the mix of silvers, whites and greens. Another tip was to paint any brown fences with ‘National Trust’ colourings of grey, silver or green which can then give a restful background to your plants.
Gertrude Jekyll trained as an artist and used her knowledge of colour to ‘paint with plants’. Vita Sackville-West created her white garden at Sissinghurst, using not only white but also purple, replacing the previously planted rose garden. Norah Lindsay, not so well known, also created hot and cool beds, using white flowers in both. She placed her cool border at Blickling next to the warm brick of the building.
The use of repeat planting draws the eye along a border, particularly with drifts of white creating light. Plants of different heights give the border shape but the thoughtful use of colour creates that stunning effect. Andrew’s last important tip: don’t be afraid to get rid of plants that don’t fit in, that are tired, that you don’t need any more. Keep thinking about COLOUR! For more information look out for Andrew’s book “The Cottage Garden”.
After that we were ready for the splendid Christmas buffet and the spectacular celebration cake created by Penny Grant, finishing our Jubilee Year on a high and cheerful note!
