Shades of Grey in the Garden

Private Garden in Burlington, ON

We are heading into November, which is a bit of a grey and gloomy month. By late fall, winds have stripped the garden of most of its autumn color. Neutrals like tan, brown, grey and black carry the garden through the winter.

This seems like a perfect time to be talking about the uses of grey in the garden.

A grey church steeple in a garden in Rosedale, ON.

Shades of grey and beige are restful colors. 

They are undemanding and that makes them feel calm and serene.

In this pathway, grey and beige work together to great effect.

Brain Folmer's garden near Walkerton, ON

To break up to endless variety of green in any garden, the natural tendency is to think of foliage variegation. Grey foliage can the same job.

Liz Mallcki's garden, Mississauga, ON

The Harrison sister's garden in Hamilton, ON

Not only does grey sing sweetly in amongst the greens, it also provides a nice foil for brighter colors.

Blue Seakale, Crambe maritima in front of blue Salvia at the Royal 

Botanical Gardens in Hamilton, ON

Brain Folmer's garden near Walkerton, ON

Vivid colors seem even more vibrant against a neutral backdrop.

In terms of grey foliage, there are leaves splattered with grey like this Lungwart, Pulmonaria.

Lost Horizons Nursery

Here is the Pulmonaria in a garden (see lower left corner). (Going forward, I am trying to make a point of photographing plants in the context of a garden and not just doing close-up glamour shots.)

And there are also leaves broken with grey like this Brunnera 'Jack Frost' ...

or this Coral Bells, Heuchera, 'Berry Marmalade'.

Here is another Heuchera to show you an example of how this plant might be used 

in combination with other perennials.

There are also solid greys like Lamb's Ears.

(And here is Lamb's Ears in a garden setting.)

A lovely bonus of grey foliage is that often it has a soft, downy texture.

In the next part of my grey series, I will look at some of the many grey plant options.