Color 'waves' - has anyone else noticed this?

I would love to know if my casual observation is shared by other gardeners, of if it's just a product of my own likes.

Several years ago I went out to my garden one morning and it seemed like everything in bloom was yellow. They were all flowers that SHOULD be yellow, but it seem very coincidental that they would all be blooming on the same day (and for a few subsequent days). I noticed the same thing another time, only it seemed like everything was blue.

Yesterday, after days of rain, I walked out in my garden and I was struck by the fact that everything seemed to be purple. The allium are all purple (even though I have planted white and yellow, which don't seem to be blooming yet) and all of the iris in bloom are purple, or purple with white.

I have many other colors of iris, but today, everything in bloom is purple.

Last week it seemed like everything in bloom was white - azaleas, viburnum and a bed of 'Maureen' tulips that seems to last forever.

I definitely notice it with wildflowers, which must mean there's a connection to the color preferred by whatever pollinator would be active under the conditions of that season/day. It's most striking here in the dead of summer - the only things that try to keep blooming through Aug and Sept are exactly the identical shade of violet, although they have quite different flower shapes and heights.

lets... see I have peach, red, yellow, green, pink, coral, white. blue, hot pink and purple flowers in bloom right now all at the same time

It may just be coincidence, or it could be that some gardeners prefer a certain color, thus everything they plant is a variation on that color. I know I have to watch myself because I have a definite preference for bold, bright yellow. Every time I look at daylilies to add to my garden, I'm drawn to the same big bright gold color varieties that already dominate my border.

I have a lot of purple going on in my garden too.

Allium "Purple Sensation" and Salvia "May Night"

Lupine "The Governor"

verbascum phoeniceum "violetta"

Tulip "Dreaming Maid" and a purple azalea.

I have the same allium variety (plus 'gladiator' and 'Schubertii', which bloom later) and I love the "dreaming maid" tulips with the purple azalea!

Hi Pam! Your digitalis grandiflora has formed the most wonderful plant - huge and healthy. Can't wait til it blooms.

I see that your sensational ability with form and color and texture has not diminished one bit! Leawood, Pam's garden is one to watch.

Donna

Awww, you guys are so nice!

Wow, I consider myself zone 6b, because I'm close to the ocean, so it doesn't get as cold in the winter as other areas of Massachusetts. And everything is blooming very early this year, the lilacs have already started. But, my alliums, May night and lupines are not blooming yet. I see a couple buds just starting to come up. You are way ahead of me, pgt.

My garden seems to want to be purple. The first year I planted several types of morning glories, each kind on a different trellis. The following year, I decided to plant just light blue ones. They never germinated, but the purple star of yelta came back from the previous year. I spread the seedlings around the back trellis and haven't had to plant any again. (Instead I pull out stray seedlings, but that is alright.)

My crocuses have returned/turned mostly purple also. I had tried "mixed" packages of seeds that came up mostly purple.

My goal is soft pastels with blue/purple as accent colors. My garden sometimes tends towards purple with pastel highlights.

LeaWood, It's funny. I have Lupines and Salvia in some other beds around our property, and like yours, they are just in bud. This bed that I took a picture of must have a warmer microclimate than the other beds on my property.

'Leawood, I know what you mean about color waves.

And pgt, as always I love your garden pics.

In our garden first in bloom (March 'til April 15) are all the yellows from the different daffodils.

Then the white daffs bloom with the dogwoods and crabapples. At least we have some red foliage with the japanese maples and prunus then. And the bleeding hearts.

Then we go into a long mauvey-purple phase that I get a little tired of and makes me think I am really an OLD LADY!
Iris, azaleas, clematis, perennial geraniums, alliums, lilacs, lamiums, certain muscari, etc. (I think I went overboard on the 'color echo' thing'.) With these though I did plant some chartreuse creeping jenny which makes a nice contrast.

The mauve-purple-violet phase is what is just finishing up now~~so I went to the garden center and bought some Allysum 'basket of gold', some buttercups and some other yellow perennial flower to plant along with the mauves for next year. I also have some white ornithalgalum in bloom now.

But I can tell we're just about ready to Bust out into the Brights~~I've got my coral honeysuckles coming on strong, the salvias, catmints, daisies, eremurus, all ready to bloom next week maybe.

I wish I had some pics. Must get my camera fixed.

I'd like to see what others think about this...any more pics?

Gorgeous pix!

I have always referred to the gardens by color. The blue garden starts with crocus, dwarf iris, muscari followed by purplish stuff: lunaria and bellflowers and possibly a few others. Then the (any color) tulips which usually bloom by color. Then it goes back to purple with irises, auilegia and centaureas followed by peonies. The bee balm and lilies start after the peonies and are predominantly pink from end of June through September.

The shade garden blooms early and is all yellow: trout lilies, celandon poppy and lady slipper. The only thing red in the shade garden doesn't bloom when the yellows bloom, and that is an epimedium (barrenwort).

Yellow and red asiatic lilies are in a separate garden, but they seem to know their bloom times with the yellows first and dark reds after that.

I'm still in the purple, blue, pink phase. Here are some more pictures.

another

one more

The herb bed is almost all purple
comfrey
chives
baptisia

Chamomile is the only off color out there right now

There are a few yellow spots in the garden
Iris and a mini rose just starting

Too funny ,Iam all purple and pink right now,but i did stick lots of yellow and some orange in,Iam not a color theme gardner,I plant what I like where I like and what ever color it is...I too thought oh geeze hand me that PURPLE HAT,Great photos everyone

2 oops there is some red!!!!

This message was edited May 26, 2010 6:06 AM

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Peonys were beaten down by the rain we had a few days ago,the row of peonys is lined solid with lav phlox .

Sorry about that

Wow. Gorgeous peony hedge!

leawood ,thank you,i moved those from my parents home 25 yrs ago,the pic dosent show how deep pink they are ,but right smack in the middle is a white one !!! Iam not going to move it !!!! the row is almost 20ft long.after they bloom I use hedge clippers and trim them up shape them,so they look nice as a hedge all summer.This shot is from last summer.I now have some white blooming in my gardens LOL

huggergirl, love the wide shots of your garden beds. And I love the way your ajuga weaves down thru the edges of your border. I'll have to gry to make mine do that, although it seems to have a mind of its own!

Fortunately we are moving out of the purple phase and I have some yellow eremurus, lady in red salvias, coreopsis and daisies blooming. Don't know if there is a color theme there except 'brights'.

Thanks tabasco,ajuga makes a nice border on that side , and i do have to keep it in ck !!!!

Hugger, I LOVE your garden! And thanks from me, also, for the "whole bed" shots.

I think PGT has a good eye for color and she has the best cottage garden I've seen. It doesn't look like caos..looks organized and very eye appealing. Huggergirl has a great eye too and I think either one of these ladies could make anything grow. Pam, How difficult are foxgloves and lupines to grow? Would like to try them next year, even if I have to buy the starter plants. Tam, loved all that ajuga and is that creeping phlox or forget-me-nots? We used to have aguga at our previous home and it was the first thing that bloomed each year. It spreads quickly, great for slopes, but have you noticed that aguga has a tendency after 3 or 5 yrs. to get crown rot and will need to be replaced? Tam, love all your colors of peonies together. Gave me an idea for my peony bed if I ever get rid of these big 5 ft. plus hydrangeas. I have a white peony that I hate. It starts out with light pink outer petals but the rest is white. It is planted in between two hugh hydraneas and gets overlooked, neglected because they overpower it.
I liked the way you blended the different shades of pink peonies with that white one.

Thanks ,Tabasco,judy,pippi(Betty),Betty the peonys were not planned I just dug trenches and planted them years ago,turned out ok..got lucky.The whole row of peonies is lined solid with lav phlox.I had oceans of forgetmenots and phlox and ajuga allover the place, I still have not got all of the forgetmenots cleaned up,I always pull most of them after they are done,as they throw tons of seed so they will be back who knows where.Betty foxglove is easy to start ,lupine at bit harder,the seed needs to be soaked in a paper towel before you plant it,hard cased seed.Start some now for fall,thats when I got mine last year.OH shoot the purple cones get about 3ft talll,and they shouldnt need any staking.I need to do some more wide shots

Here is a beauty from Pam's (pgt) garden. In bloom for the second year. She was kind enough to send it to me. It's become one of my favorite plants - digitalis grandiflora.

Donna.