PALE & INTERESTING PLANT PALETTES

PLAN A STRONG LAYOUT This is key, as seen in Vita Sackville-West’s world-famous White Garden at Sissinghurst in Kent. ‘The structural layout is quite formal, in essence; a series of paths and small box hedges on a grid pattern that really holds the garden all year, regardless of the season and whether there are lots of white flowers in bloom,’ says Sissinghurst head gardener Troy Scott Smith.

CREATE CONTRAST Avoid monotony by varying plant heights and shapes. ‘Spires of tall flowers add impact; those with blowsy ‘Duchesse de Nemours’, add weight. Plant the same varieties in groups, repeating the combination,’ advises garden designer Claudia de Yong.