Colour by Design Nori and Sandra Pope (Conran Octopus, 1998).
This is not just 'yet another' gardening book on colour, for in these pages Nori and Sandra Pope demonstrate that colour can add drama or induce a contemplative mood. Colour is a living thing and not static.
Beginning with the premise that we see colour subjectively and that we recall colours differently, the Popes argue that the perception of colour and how we deal with them is a very personal thing. They then go on to cover how light, climate and light can affect colour and the development of their, now famous, garden and nursery at Hadspen in Somerset, United Kingdom.
The book deals with nine colours in individual chapters. From brilliant blues and oranges through to soft peach each is colour is examined for its various qualities and elements. The garden use of each colour in the Pope's garden is discussed, and illustrated with wonderful photography. The borders are shown through the seasons so that the effect of the colour in spring through summer, autumn and winter can be seen. This is followed by a double page spread of plants chosen to illustrate that colour, closing the chapter.
The fact that this is an English book means that some of the lessons will not apply in our far brighter conditions in New Zealand. The intensity of light and the amount of glare mean that some of the colour combinations will not work for us, appearing washed out or insipid in our brilliant light. This does not rule the book out for southern henisphere gardeners; the lessons are the same, the application differs. Colour is a living thing and not something static, and we have a personal, subjective view of colour. That is the lesson of this book.
Colour by Design provides valuable new insights into colour and how we use it in the garden, as well as providing colour combinations and practical planting ideas can be applied anywhere. Read it if you can!
