Van Bourgondien

Trendy Colors for the End of a Millennium

Remember when "2001 Space Odyssey" came out - and it all seemed so futuristic and not of our lifetimes? Well, it's almost here! Luckily for gardeners, the metallic and hard edged look that we associate with space and the future hasn't come along with it.

According to marketing companies responsible for predicting color trends Americans are more apprehensive than excited about the new millennium, and so are looking for colors that soothe. According to the color experts, the hot colors for next year will be blues. Cobalt and royal blues, yes - but the real move will be toward the cool misty blues that we picture when we think of lakes and oceans.

You may ask, "Why should I care what color next year's clothes, cars and wallpaper are going to be? I'm a gardener!" And I'm glad you asked! Are you planning on painting your house? Doing any interior decorating? Buying china, accessories, etc.? These are the colors you'll be seeing - the ones that will come to look good to you. And you will probably be happier looking through the window of your freshly painted pale terra cotta living room at a garden of apricots and blues than one of mauves and other clashing colors.

More important, our taste in color often changes because of the things that are going on in the larger world. When we live in tense times we want calming colors; when we live in times where concern for the environment is high we gravitate toward hues that express those concerns. And that is where we are at right now. Besides - the flower industry also looks at color trends - so many of these are the colors you can expect to see in flowers and plants everywhere. So getting the basics right with bulbs, shrubs and perennials will make choosing among all the new annuals that show up at your local garden center easy - they will all work together.

Blue is thought to be a difficult flower color - there doesn't seem to be a lot of it if you want something in deep sapphire. But if the blue of the year is grayed-blue, or lavender blue then there are a lot of great plants in those colors. Try the brand new Geranium 'Brookside', for instance - an improved version of the old favorite 'Johnson's Blue'. A beautiful violet blue with a white center it is perfectly stylish - and it blooms from June through September.

Other great blues are equally long-lasting. Malva 'Primley Blue' would look great behind the geraniums, and its violet-blue flowers last from July through frost. And then there's Eryngium alpinum which is a gorgeous steel blue color and goes from July through frost. Scabiosa 'Butterfly Blue' is another good choice for the front of the border and blooms all summer long.

For seasonal punch you can let a Clematis 'Blue Moon' scramble through the border and adorn it with lilac blue blooms in May and June. Add a tree peony 'Kamataniskiki' in Wisteria blue for early season excitement - and about the time it's done add a hydrangea - 'Nikko Blue' to see you through until fall. Shrubby plants are great for giving "bones" to your garden structure - and these two are superb.

Consider adding a Brunnera macrophylla 'Variegata' to this mix - it not only has lovely forget-me-not blue flowers from March through June but variegated leaves to give color and excitement all season. Variegated leaves are another hot trend in the nursery industry - and these are truly special.

Blue can be a difficult color in the garden, because the tones of blue vary just enough that the individual plants may end up clashing with each other. You can solve this with a plentiful addition of plants with silver foliage such as Artemisia, which mediate between colors and helps them blend - or use a lot of white flowers (said to be the singly most popular flower color around). You will have a garden that is calming as can be.

Maybe too calming! The first time I put together a garden of blues and some tasteful whites it almost put me to sleep. A bit of Coreopsis 'Moonbeam' and my favorite daylily, 'Hyperion' woke it right up! These are pale yellows - and I am a pastel person. But the colors for 1999 will give a much greater punch!

What colors are those? Gold, terra cottas and bronzes head the list. Gold as in the Perennial Plant Association's 1999 Plant of the Year.

Rudbeckia fulgidis' Goldsturm with its touches of burgundy in the petals, which would look downright exciting in that sea of blue. Another great plant in these colors is Calochortis 'Golden Orb' - the Mariposa lily - with golden cups blotched maroon. Another good gold is Lysimachia 'Alexandria' which blooms from May to frost.

For a more subtle effect try adding Achillea 'Terra Cotta' with its bronze flowers that age to a soft terra cotta. And the Asiatic lily, 'Luxor' in white going apricot toward the center and dotted all over with brown. Blues with apricot are absolutely luscious. Other good plants in this color range include the nonstop begonia, 'Copper' and some of the apricot flowered cannas.

Or go for drama - Gladiolus 'Burning Leaves' will light up July and August with rustic orange blooms, following on the heels of the LA Hybrid Lily 'Royal Highness', which blooms in June in a striking mandarin orange. Blues and oranges are absolutely stunning together in the garden with the blue calming the heat of the orange and the orange lighting up the blue.

Of course you could do a garden of earth tones without the blues, too. Using the gold, orange and terra cotta flowers as your main theme can look exciting . Temper it slightly by paying attention to foliage. Bronze leafed cannas like 'Wyoming' with its orangey flowers will provide season-long interest, as will Cimicifuga racemosa 'Atropurpurea' - lacy, almost fernlike bronze foliage and a stunning fountain of cream colored flowers. Cimicifuga prefers some shade, though, as do Astilbes, which have similar foliage. These plants lend great textural interest to the planting scheme - and any of the white, cream or peach varieties would work beautifully in a slightly shady position. Another great foliage plant to provide contrast is Eupatorium maculatum Atropurpureum that is a purple-y brown that sets off oranges and gold to perfection.

Add a few yellow or orange lilies, and some yellow iris with spikey foliage and you have a garden scheme that will not only look brand new and exciting but will put you in the perfect frame of mind to get prepared for the new millennium.