Colour in the flower garden — Story, Setting & Ideas

From Collection to Composition

Jekyll draws a sharp distinction between possessing many plants and making a garden. She writes that a quantity of plants, however good, only makes a collection unless used with careful selection and definite intention. This principle is demonstrated throughout the excerpts, where she describes intergrouping plants such as the pale form of Helianthus laetiflorus taking up colour when the Rudbeckia 'Golden Glow' is failing. She also trains plants like Clematis davidiana over bushy rue, and drops in pots of Plumbago capensis with branches trained rather than stiffly tied. These details show a gardener who thinks in terms of living arrangements, not just labels.

Grey Foliage as Structural Foundation

Grey foliage appears repeatedly as a key element in Jekyll's borders. In the September border, she describes a groundwork of grey foliage with white, lilac, purple, and pale pink flowers, broken in two or three places by pale yellow. The grey bordering is not merely an edging but a general front groundwork, running a yard deep into the border. Specific plants include Artemisia stelleriana (imitating Cineraria maritima), Stachys, grey-blue Lyme Grass, Phlomis, and a silvery-leaved willow kept small by pruning. This systematic use of foliage colour as a constant is a practical technique, not just an aesthetic preference.

Seasonal Timing and Plant Behaviour

Jekyll's planning is tightly bound to when plants bloom and how they behave. She devotes one double border to September alone, mainly for early Michaelmas Daisies, and mentions a later border for other asters that follow in time. She notes that the September borders have a very different appearance because of pink and yellow flowers absent in the later season. She also addresses practical problems: bulbs die down and their place is forgotten, leading to damage. Her solutions include training plants to cover those out of bloom, as with Clematis and Rudbeckia. The excerpts show a gardener who observes and responds to plant life cycles, not just colour charts.

Readers will find that Jekyll's text is less a theoretical treatise than a detailed record of decisions made in a specific garden. The excerpts reveal a writer who values precise plant names, seasonal behaviour, and the interplay of foliage and flower. Those seeking practical guidance will benefit from noting how she uses grey foliage as a constant, plans for successive bloom, and integrates tender plants like Plumbago and Ageratum into permanent borders. The book rewards attention to its specific examples rather than general principles.