Muddy Stilettos

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<figure class="aligncenter size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="667" height="1000" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/22_0430_117-667x1000.jpg" alt="Rose Bowl Tulip Collection with honesty and wisteria. Tulip 'Copper Image', 'Pink Star', 'Silk Road' and 'Creme Upstar'" class="wp-image-89872" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/22_0430_117-667x1000.jpg 667w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/22_0430_117-400x600.jpg 400w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/22_0430_117-1024x1536.jpg 1024w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/22_0430_117-1366x2048.jpg 1366w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/22_0430_117.jpg 1500w" sizes="(max-width: 667px) 100vw, 667px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">A mix of Tulip &#8216;Copper Image&#8217;, &#8216;Pink Star&#8217;, &#8216;Silk Road&#8217; and &#8216;Creme Upstar&#8217; in galvanised steel pots. Photo: Jonathan Buckley</figcaption></figure></div>


<p>It&#8217;s easy to get carried away with colour and end up with a garden or vase that looks thrown together by a happy toddler. While we can&#8217;t get garden design expert <a href="https://www.sarahraven.com/">Sarah Raven</a> into your own home, we&#8217;re sharing the next best thing. Cast your eye over Sarah&#8217;s four different palettes – an extract from her new book, to use as quick and easy recipes for success in your own green space.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-dark-and-rich">Dark and Rich</h2>


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<figure class="aligncenter size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="667" height="1000" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/180426_260-1-667x1000.jpg" alt="Large terracotta pots of Tulipa 'Slawa' and T. 'Brownie' with T. 'Black Charm'" class="wp-image-89873" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/180426_260-1-667x1000.jpg 667w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/180426_260-1-400x600.jpg 400w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/180426_260-1-1024x1536.jpg 1024w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/180426_260-1-1365x2048.jpg 1365w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/180426_260-1.jpg 1500w" sizes="(max-width: 667px) 100vw, 667px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">A mix of tulips &#8216;Slawa&#8217;, &#8216;Brownie&#8217; and &#8216;Black Charm&#8217; grown in a large terracotta pot. Photo: Jonathan Buckley</figcaption></figure></div>


<p>This palette is my first love. A rich family of colours: conker brown, nearly black, copper, gold, vermilion (or red-orange), olive green, deep purple, indigo and, above all, crimson. They suck up the light. I think of them as the velvet colours you want to wrap yourself in. These are all earthy colours and very saturated. I used to group palettes 1 and 2 together, calling them Rich and Brilliant, but have come to see them as two similar but distinct families – this one earthy yet refined, the next one more vibrant and luminous.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-boiled-sweet-brilliant">Boiled-Sweet Brilliant</h2>


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<figure class="aligncenter size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="667" height="1000" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/23_0430_049_cropped-667x1000.jpg" alt="Tulip 'Apricot Parrot' in large galvanised container" class="wp-image-89870" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/23_0430_049_cropped-667x1000.jpg 667w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/23_0430_049_cropped-400x600.jpg 400w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/23_0430_049_cropped-1024x1536.jpg 1024w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/23_0430_049_cropped-1366x2048.jpg 1366w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/23_0430_049_cropped.jpg 1500w" sizes="(max-width: 667px) 100vw, 667px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">A group of Tulip &#8216;Apricot Parrot&#8217; grown in a large galvanised container. Photo: Jonathan Buckley</figcaption></figure></div>


<p>Next come the brilliant colours: blackcurrant, raspberry, strawberry, orange, lemon, lime and cobalt blue. These, to me, are translucent, like stained glass. They are joyful and light on their feet, but we need to take care not to get carried away. This palette can quickly descend into what looks like a pre-schooler’s painting. To avoid too much razzmatazz, select just a couple of colours and stick to them. The first colour should dominate and the second should be used sparingly, as a sprinkling, filling no more than a third of the overall design. We often have a mass of orange flowers here, with a smattering of blackcurrant. Orange is also great with cobalt, as is raspberry or fuchsia with lime.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-soft-and-warm">Soft and Warm</h2>


<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="667" height="1000" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/22_0430_117-667x1000.jpg" alt="Rose Bowl Tulip Collection with honesty and wisteria. Tulip 'Copper Image', 'Pink Star', 'Silk Road' and 'Creme Upstar'" class="wp-image-89872" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/22_0430_117-667x1000.jpg 667w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/22_0430_117-400x600.jpg 400w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/22_0430_117-1024x1536.jpg 1024w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/22_0430_117-1366x2048.jpg 1366w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/22_0430_117.jpg 1500w" sizes="(max-width: 667px) 100vw, 667px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">As shown above. A mix of Tulip &#8216;Copper Image&#8217;, &#8216;Pink Star&#8217;, &#8216;Silk Road&#8217; and &#8216;Creme Upstar&#8217; in galvanised steel pots. Photo: Jonathan Buckley</figcaption></figure></div>


<p>The third family of colours have plenty of white in them, so that orange, brown, gold or crimson become peach, milky coffee, ivory, apricot (with more yellow in it than peach), faded coral and muted, smoky pink. This palette is fashionable at the moment, with a vintage, 1970s air. I think of these as cashmere jersey colours, lovely to wear and work with, but you don’t want too much of a good thing – you wouldn’t wear cashmere top-to-toe. This palette benefits from a splash of copper or bronze, or a bit of sobriety from crimson or mahogany from palette 1. This stops the colour combinations becoming too cloying.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-soft-and-cool">Soft and Cool</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="667" height="1000" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/22_0429_252-667x1000.jpg" alt="
Tulip 'Angelique' and Narcissus 'Xit' in a galvanised container" class="wp-image-89868" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/22_0429_252-667x1000.jpg 667w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/22_0429_252-400x600.jpg 400w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/22_0429_252-1024x1536.jpg 1024w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/22_0429_252-1366x2048.jpg 1366w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/22_0429_252.jpg 1500w" sizes="(max-width: 667px) 100vw, 667px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Tulip &#8216;Angelique&#8217; grown alongside Narcissus &#8216;Xit&#8217; in a galvanised container. Photo: Jonathan Buckley</figcaption></figure>



<p>Finally, there’s the cool lot, where mauves, soft blues, blue-pinks, primrose yellows and off-whites continue getting paler until you reach the purest bright white flower. For me, the perfect real life version of the white end of this palette is the White Garden at <a href="https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/kent/sissinghurst-castle-garden">Sissinghurst Castle</a> in June, when clouds of white flowers in full bloom are joined by bold, silver leaves from plants like cardoons and the giant thistle, <em>Onopordum acanthium</em>. This is what I think of as the chicest palette, very crisp and smart, like well-pressed clothes and elegant stilettos.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-mixing-palettes">Mixing Palettes</h2>



<p>If you want to be safe, you can stick with one palette – the colours will always be compatible. But we sometimes borrow one colour from a different family to refine and open up our combinations. Some borrowed colours work well, but others truly don’t.</p>



<p><strong><em>A Year Full of Pots: Container Flowers for All Seasons</em>&nbsp;by Sarah Raven is out 14<sup>th</sup>&nbsp;March 2024 (Bloomsbury Publishing, Hardback, £27) Photography by Jonathan Buckley</strong></p>


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<figure class="aligncenter size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="735" height="1000" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/A-Year-Full-of-Pots-jacket-image-735x1000.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-90099" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/A-Year-Full-of-Pots-jacket-image-735x1000.jpg 735w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/A-Year-Full-of-Pots-jacket-image-441x600.jpg 441w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/A-Year-Full-of-Pots-jacket-image.jpg 1000w" sizes="(max-width: 735px) 100vw, 735px" /></figure></div>

Get the show garden look with expert advice on colour

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