I
always like to include a blog each year featuring the Pantone color of the year.
This year we are doubly fortunate because for the first time there are two Pantone colors, Rose Quartz and
Serenity, to help guide our design choices and for this gardener, my plantings.
As the website below suggests, the feeling
of respite and relaxation was what the colors are meant to invoke. What better place
for respite and relaxation than our outdoor rooms and gardens. Yes, they have
made a challenge for us with Serenity. It is a challenge to find soft blue
blooms in the garden consistently throughout the growing season. Annuals just
don’t come in that color. My perennial Lungwort (Pulmonaria), & my biennial
Forget-me-knots , all early spring bloomers, come pretty close. Both plants as they
mature take on the Rose Quartz tones too and where the colors blend is the
beautiful soft shade of lavender. So with the serene blue sky readily available
most days in the garden, we can focus the rest of the summer on the soft pinks
and delicate purples. The important thing to remember is not to plan these soft
shades in a planter or bed that is drenched in sunlight because the shades will
appear washed out. Also, the subtlety of the colors will be lost if planted too
far from your choice viewing areas unless planted en masse.
