Echo colors!

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Just a very quick post concerning echo color combinations.  In reviewing some pictures from past year, I came across these great shots.  The one above is siberian iris with baptisia.  This combination was in a friend's garden.  The colors are pretty true to actuality.  I love the soft blue, almost pink tones. 

This picture is of a bearded iris named 'Sultan' with a red lupine in front of it.   Maybe the lupine is a bit bright for the iris but it does seem to pick up the deeper color on the falls. What do you think?  The 'Sultan' is luscious and I was given a piece. We shall see if it will bloom this year! 

Echo colors don't have to include flowers.  This combination of color and texture is just so pleasing.  Again it is in a friend's garden.

A monochromatic color scheme within a container can be very interesting provided there are different textures  which stand out.  I like these from last season.  Again, not mine but thoughts for the future!

Just a short post with combos to think about while perusing the plant catalogs.  What is your favorite echo combination in your garden?

Comments

[Lisa at Greenbow]

I only found one picture of echo coloring going on in my garden lately. I tend to make a more contrasting look in my garden. This is something I will keep in mind this spring when I am making combos. I really like more vibrant contrasting looks by the looks of my pictures.

[eliz]

I had the impatiens in combo number 4. They are awesome!!! They grew abundantly and lasted until November. Regardless of what you mix them with, you should get them.

Excellent, BTW, that you are going to Austin. I had not seen you on the list before.

[Pam/Digging]

These are great. Well, I'm not sure I like the orangey iris and red lupine together, but the lupine knocks my socks off anyway. Like Lisa, I tend to favor color contrasts.

I'm not ready to troll back through my summer pics quite yet though. I'm still enjoying winter, such as it is. :-)

And I'm with Elizabeth---it is great that you're coming to the Spring Fling. I'd intended to do a post at Digging about the growing guest list, but my site is down with the flu. Maybe tomorrow.

[Meems]

I really like the idea of echo colors in a garden which I have done for many years... never really knew what it was called. In your post I especially like the iris and the baptisia. Planting with different textures and shapes but same color family is just another way to express our artful side don't you think?

[kate]

I am lusting after the Lupine. It jumped out at me - I had to go back and look at the other blooms. The Iris in combination with Baptisia is appealing - as is the peach-coloured container. You make a good point about a mono-chromatic colours and how well it works when is lots of texture.

Yum ... seeing these blooms tonight was a treat!

[Dave]

Very nice combinations! Like colors do work well together. I like the use of driftwood in the background!

[Dave]

Very nice combinations! Like colors do work well together. I like the use of driftwood in the background!

[jodi]

These are all fabulous, Layanee. I have a few echo spots in our garden, which are more accidental than planned, but I love surprises and outbursts of colour of all sorts. This is fun, and it's gonna be fun to see where we all go with the gardeninggonewild colour seminar.

[Katie]

Layanee - these pictures are amazing! I tend to just plant stuff randomly and if it looks bad, I move some of the plants. But these are well-designed!

[Mr. McGregor's Daughter]

Have you read the book "Color Echoes"? I can't remember the author at the moment, but I read the book several years ago & remember the main ideas. I've been trying to do something like that with crimson, but the plants required just won't cooperate! I like all the photos above except for the Lupine/Iris combo. My problem with that 1 is that the red of the Iris is more orange/yellow while the red of the Lupine is more blue. I don't like mixing warm red/pink with cool red/pink, but then, I'm not quite that adventurous in the garden.

[entangled]

After I read Pamela Harper's Color Echoes, I rearranged a few plants to take advantage of her ideas. I have a similar baptisia/Siberian iris combo, but with darker colors. Another one I like is shasta daisies and yellow daylilies.

[Nicole]

I have to go to my garden and look-and definitely rearrange some pots. But these pics sure gave me some great ideas, esp for container combos. That red lupine is stunning!

[Kylee]

Layanee, these are beautiful combinations showing echoes of color. Those lupines...maybe mine will bloom this year! I hope so! Love the coleus combo the best!

[Shirl]

Hi there Layanee :-)

Oh... I do like this kind of planting - great photos too :-D

[kerri]

More lovely things to think about..I love the echo colors! The iris and baptisia are gorgeous together. I actually like the Sultan iris and red lupins together. The photo is bright and beautiful and gives me a needed lift!
The yellow impatiens with the coleus is gorgeous too. You know how I love containers!
Thanks for the shot of color!!

[Yolanda Elizabet]

On the first colour combo a resounding yes and the second an equally resounding no. On the pic the irises are an orangy red while the lupines are a pinkish red so I would go for either yellow or orangy lupines. Or change the irises of course! ;-)

Yes for all the other combo's too, very nice each and every one of them.

[Sue Swift]

Lovely colour combinations! I shall be copying some of them for my balcony.

This is to let you know that one of your posts has been nominated for the Garden Blogger's Carnival. If you've not heard about it before you can find more details here : http://balcony-garden.blogspot.com/2008/01/comments-and-carnivals.html

I hope you'll be happy to take part. If so, you don't need to do anything, but if you do have any objection to me posting the link to your post please let me know.

Sue

[Shady Gardener]

What a Beautiful set of photographs! Hence the name of my blog: Does Everything Grow Better in My Neighbor's Yard? ha! ;-)
Honestly, I usually think in terms of contrast. Goes to show that you often have enough contrast with the size, shape and texture of the blossom as well as the foliage. Great inspiration. Thanks!

[Priscilla]

I love the effects of the echo coloring. The containers are my favorite but I'm a container junky. I'll need to try this some time.

[Nan Ondra]

Sorry I'm a little late, Layanee, but allow me to curtsey prettily in thanks for your lovely lupine shot. Yes, maybe the iris isn't the perfect color for an echo. But if I could grow lupines like that, I doubt I'd care *what* they were growing with.