M O N  J A R D I N

 There is something magical about dining outdoors. A beautifully set garden table has a way of slowing the evening down—inviting us to linger a little longer, pour another glass, and enjoy the people around us.

There is something wonderful about a garden overflowing with flowers. But some of the gardens I find most beautiful aren't necessarily the ones with the most color. They are the ones where the colors feel intentional—where the planting seems to belong together, and where the house, garden, and landscape feel as though they were meant to be seen as one.

When I begin designing a landscape, I don't start by asking, What flowers do we want?

I start by asking, How do we want this garden to feel?

Romantic and abundant? Quiet and sophisticated? Fresh and playful? Old-world and timeless?

Once we know that, the color palette begins to take shape.




I like to keep outdoor tables rooted in a light, natural palette of soft whites, warm woods, and subtle neutrals. It creates a quiet backdrop that allows the surrounding garden to become part of the tablescape.

Rather than introducing too many competing colors, I prefer to let texture provide the interest. The result feels relaxed and collected while still being elegant.

Creating a garden that feels beautiful and cohesive begins with choosing the right colors—but the secret is knowing when to hold back.

Begin With Your Home

This is one of my favorite parts of the design process.

Instead of beginning with a plant list, begin with a feeling.

Perhaps you want your garden to feel:

Romantic — blush, lavender, cream, soft green

Classic — white, green, pale blue, restrained pink

European — muted lavender, dusty rose, creamy white, silver, deep green

Cottage-inspired — soft pinks, blues, whites, and abundant greens

Fresh and modern — white, chartreuse, green, and one stronger accent

Once you identify the feeling you're after, plant selection becomes much easier.

You aren't simply choosing pretty plants. You're choosing plants that contribute to a particular atmosphere.

Choose a Feeling Before You Choose a Flower

Start With Your Greens

Limit Your Flower Colors

One of the easiest ways to make a landscape feel more sophisticated is to resist the temptation to use every color you love.

This doesn't mean your garden needs to be boring.

In fact, limiting the palette often makes individual flowers feel much more special.

For many of my designs, I like to work with two or three primary flower colors, then allow foliage, neutrals, and subtle variations within those colors to fill in the rest.

For example:

White + soft pink + green

or

Lavender + white + silver

or

Blue + white + green

Within those colors, there can be plenty of variation. A pale blush rose doesn't have to match a deeper pink hydrangea perfectly. The relationship between the colors is more important than exact matching.

Repeat, Repeat, Repeat

One of the secrets to a garden that feels cohesive is repetition.

If you use a particular flower or color in one bed and nowhere else, it can feel disconnected. But repeat that same color throughout the landscape and suddenly the garden begins to feel intentional.

Perhaps a soft lavender appears near the front entrance, then again around the patio, and once more along a garden path.

The repetition creates a visual thread.

This is one reason I love planting in generous drifts rather than scattering individual plants everywhere. Repetition gives the eye somewhere to rest and helps the garden feel designed rather than simply planted.

 the Perfect Color Palette for Your Landscape

Image by Lynn Phillips

The most successful garden palettes don't exist independently from the house.

Look at the colors already surrounding you: the stone, brick, siding, roof, doors, trim, and even the color of your outdoor furniture. These elements become the foundation for your garden palette.

A warm limestone home might be beautifully complemented by soft whites, blush pinks, dusty blues, and silvery greens. A home with darker architectural details might invite deeper greens, burgundy foliage, or richer flowers.

The goal isn't necessarily to match your house. It is to create a conversation between the architecture and the garden.

I like to think of the landscape as an extension of the home—not something that begins at the edge of the lawn.

It may seem strange to talk about green when we're discussing color, but green is the quiet backbone of almost every beautiful garden.

And there isn't just one green.

There are deep, glossy greens. Blue-greens. Silvery greens. Yellow-greens. Soft sage greens. Evergreen greens.

Think about your foliage as the fabric of the garden, and the flowers as the pattern layered over it.

A garden with beautiful foliage can feel full and finished even when very little is in bloom.

This is especially important if you want a garden that looks beautiful throughout a long season. Flowers come and go, but the structure and foliage remain.

h o w  t o  c h o o s e 

Image by Lynn Phillips

Image by Blush Photography

Laura

Don't Forget the Colors That Aren't Flowers

Some of the most important colors in a landscape don't come from plants at all.

Consider:

Stone and paving
Fences and gates
Pots and planters
Outdoor furniture
Umbrellas
Architectural details
Garden structures
Water
Even the color of your mulch or gravel

A weathered terracotta pot brings an entirely different feeling to a garden than a crisp white planter.

A warm limestone path feels different from cool gray stone.

These materials become part of your palette whether you plan for them or not.

I always want the hardscape and garden to feel as though they belong to the same story.

Let the Seasons Have Their Moment

A garden doesn't need to look exactly the same from April through October.

In fact, I think it is much more interesting when it changes.

Perhaps spring brings soft pink peonies and lilacs. Summer transitions into white hydrangeas and lavender. By autumn, deeper foliage and warm grasses take center stage.

Instead of trying to force one color palette to work equally throughout the year, think of the seasons as different chapters of the same story.

The colors can evolve while the overall feeling remains consistent.

The Garden Should Feel Like You

There are no rules that say you must have a white garden, or a cottage garden, or a blue-and-green garden. The best color palette is ultimately the one that feels right for your home and for the way you want to live.

Start with the architecture.

Consider the feeling you want to create.

Build your foundation with foliage and structure.

Choose a restrained collection of flower colors.

Then repeat those colors throughout the garden and allow the seasons to bring their own variations.

 Because the goal isn't simply to have a garden filled with beautiful colors.

The goal is to create a garden where all of the colors feel as though they belong together.

Image by Blush Photography

Image by Blush Photography

Image by Blush Photography

Image by Blush Photography

Image by Blush Photography