How can lots of Color not be Sophisticated?

I saw an HGTV show last night that listed the 25 worst landscape mistakes. In case you're wondering, the number one mistake was "Not Planning". Somewhere near the top was a mistake of "Having Too Many Colors". The reason? "It made the yard look like a box of crayons had exploded." Well that's serious stuff I guess. The landscape experts said one should have no more than 3 colors in the garden in order to look "composed and put together" and even went so far as to highly recommend a monochromatic color scheme in order to achieve sophistication and to soothe the eye. How can this be? While I agreed with over half of their 25 worst landscape mistakes, I just couldn't get myself to agree with that one.

I guess that since I'm a little eclectic regarding my home decorations, food, and clothes, it must follow that I'd like lots of color and texture in the garden. For that matter, didn't God make lots of colors and textures for us to enjoy? Well, I've decided to go ahead and enjoy them.

I love color in the garden - lots of colors. Right now the main flower garden in my yard is sporting purple phlox, maroon columbine, pinkish-purple moneyplant, one red (w/yellow center) peony, dark purple irises, several orange and black poppies, three pink and white clematis blooms, a dark red japanese maple, some tiny white flowers w/silver gray leaves(?), pink coral bells, a few little white lilly-of-the-valleys, every shade of green possible (lots of hostas), and two yellow mustard weeds (because I didn't have enough yellow in the garden) - and I love it. The nearby Weigelia bush next to the Hobby House (whose hobby is to store forgotten treasures belonging to my Aunt and Mother) has bloomed for the first time, and it is loaded with pinkish-white blossoms.

And I have plenty more color planted just waiting until the right moment this summer to appear: dark purple Veronica, yellow lillies and orange ones, white peonies, a maroon iris, lots of pinkish-purple cone flowers, yellow black-eyed susans, pink Joe Pye Weed, and some chocolate (purple) Joe Pye, too, white clematis, yellow yarrow, red and pink yarrow, pink and white cosmos, white English daisys, painted red and yellow daisys, 5 kinds of lush and striped green and blue-gray grasses, other green and red japanese maples, pink/light purple/dark purple butterfly bushes, yellow/orange sunflowers, purple lavendar and over 40 kinds of hostas, the dark purple leaves of coral bells, lingularia and digitalis, etc., etc., etc. Not to mention the 8 "mystery plants" my cousin and I purchased from some Master Gardeners last weekend - well they're a mystery to me until they mature and bloom. Anyway, can you tell I like color?

And I've tried to encourage these flowers. I've weeded, de-leaved, split and moved, Preened, Miracle Grow'ed, weeded some more, watered and applauded the rain. I've given some away and moved some others to other gardens in the yard. And I've marveled at the diversity and incredible beauty of this flora. So often I think I can see my Father's hand....

So, after all that - boy, I hope my garden does look like a crayon box exploded! I hope it is exciting and interesting and full of amazing colors and textures and butterflies, humingbirds, and bees. I hope it is lush and gorgeous and does not look too overly planned. I like to think it will grow just the way God wants it.

But don't tell HGTV, for I wouldn't want them to embarass them because I don't agree with their show. And I don't want them to try to shame me into changing this garden into a sophisticated, monochromatic, soothing-to-their-eyes kind of oasis.

However, if they'd be interested in tackling the dead bushes in my front yard where that poor dear old lady used my front porch to stop her car as it detoured from the icy road last winter, well I just might consider that ....:)