Don't Be Afraid Of Color In The Garden

Do bold colors in the garden scare you? I have to admit I don't get very creative with the color choices in my garden. I like the safe colors and combinations. I guess I'm not much of a garden daredevil, preferring dark colors or the same colors everyone else around me has. Today I took a photo walk with Garden Faerie who was visiting Chicago for a few days. We walked the length of Grant Park taking in the garden sights and characters on the street. One of the places we visited was the Lurie Garden in Millennium Park and afterwards we headed down Michigan Avenue to see the public plantings. The contrast took a bit of getting used to.

If you've ever visited the Lurie Garden in the spring you may understand why the color scheme in Chicago's plantings was a bit jarring at first. We went from a cool and subdued color pallet to something that looked like it sprouted after someone sowed a bag of Skittles.

This beautiful tulip is comprised of all the colors used along Michigan Avenue south of Randolph.

We tried to figure out what the yellow and orange flowers in this planter but neither of us could remember the name. After a few blocks we decided they were anemones, but after I labeled the picture and uploaded it to this post the name came to me, ranunculus. Several business and buildings had planters full of blooms, but their pastel color choices looked pathetic in comparison to the explosion of color around them.

The parkway planted with red, yellow, purple and orange tulips. Congress facing east with Buckingham Fountain in the distance.

The same parkway looking west. Normally, I'd say this combination of yellow, red, purple and orange tulips would be garish and something I wouldn't ever try in my garden. But after a dull winter that seemed to have sapped my creative energy; experiencing these colors was exactly what I needed. I feel reinvigorated and see the promise of everything around me and my garden. Maybe I'll even add some yellow and red blooms to my garden, maybe.

One of my favorite parts of spending the day with Garden Faerie today was coming across this forest of trees painted orange and yellow. The trees appear to have been dead and were painted and installed here to make a statement. Have you ever walked through a forest of orange and yellow trees? I have. It was awesome.

Here's a larger pic of one of the scenes from above. Click on it for the larger view. Go ahead, click it. It's only color.

Big, beautiful, life-affirming color.