Sliver of silver makes purple pop
The beautyberries (Callicarpa americana ) are ripening behind the stock-tank planter, and as I looked at the composition today—all silver, silvery greens, and dark purple—I was pleased with the way bright silver and somber purple make each look better than they do alone.
From left to right in this photo: daylily foliage, black sweet potato vine (Ipomoea batatas ‘Black Heart’), silver ponyfoot (Dichondra argentea ), squid agave (Agave bracteosa ), manfreda (Manfreda maculosa ), purple heart (Setcreasea pallida ), and gopher plant (Euphorbia rigida or E. biglandulosa ). The silvery gray tree trunk belongs to an Anacacho orchid tree, and the American beautyberry backs it all up.
More popping purple on the other side of the beautyberry. I finally painted my cream-colored bench purple. It would have looked better if I’d color-matched the bench to the berries, as someone suggested, but I already have some purple trim on my house so I matched it to that instead. Still, I like the way the colors play off each other, and it’s definitely more fun to have a purple bench than a white one. As Carol knows.
One last shot of color—my bottle tree. I bought the glazed finial in Tulsa.
Pam, thanks so much for another shot of your bottle tree, I’ve been longing to see it again! (Oh, I really want one). And you Austinites and your beautyberry…I’d never heard of it before I saw it on yours and Annie’s blogs and now I’ll always associate it with Austin, though I’m sure it grows elsewhere too!
American beautyberry has quite a large natural range, actually—across the south and southeast all the way to central Texas. I’ve heard from more-northern bloggers who are growing cold-hardy varieties of beautyberry too. Maybe you’ll find one for your garden. That and a bottle tree. —Pam
And P.S….I think you picked the perfect color for your bench, it really complements the beautyberry. It looks like a photo from a gardening magazine!
Thanks, Lost Roses. —Pam
Welcome to the Purple Garden Bench Society! Remember you were the one who got me to paint my bench a color. (Ah, the power of the Internet.) I’ve never regretted painting it purple and I like the way yours looks, too. Is anyone else “out there” going to add a purple bench to their garden?
Carol at May Dreams Gardens
Yes, I remember. I had a number of colorful accessories in my garden but plain white benches. What’s with that? Actually, my front garden accessories (benches, pots) remain neutral. I cut loose in the back garden, and now with this purple bench along the driveway. —Pam
I love that purple and silver combination and you are right, they do make each other look better! The bench is perfect in purple and the bottle tree is always a treat to see! Nice finial!
Thanks, Layanee. —Pam
I’m a big fan of gray foliage, though I don’t always use it as intentionally as I should. One use that I’ve heard of is to use it to separate colors that don’t work together as well as they should. Have two plants that flower simultaneously but look hideous together? Separate them with some gray and it reduces the clash. That said, I don’t think I’ve ever seen two flowers that clash so much that I feel the need to separate them with gray, but in smaller spaces that might be an issue.
I tend not to mind unusual color combinations in my garden either. However, I did plant a ‘Powis Castle’ artemesia to separate my orange flame acanthus from the pink ‘Belinda’s Dream’ rosebush. For me, that feathery, silver foliage visually separates the orange and pink. —Pam
The bench looks great, Pam, and I think you were right to match the house rather than the Callicarpa berries. Once the mockingbirds pass the news they’ll be gone, but the house color will be there all year.
Along with LostRoses many of your readers will agree: We love to see photos of the blue bottle tree!
Annie at the Transplantable Rose
I seem to have a number of purple and blue items in my garden these days. Let’s hope it doesn’t start looking like a bad bruise! —Pam
I love the purple and silver combinations, too. Not that I have any…but I love yours.
I was looking at all those blue bottles on your bottle tree and thinking…did I really drink that much sake? or did you find some other bottles elsewhere? Oh, wait. Some with different necks are water bottles aren’t they?
There are about 1/2 dozen of your sake bottles. There’s a chardonnay bottle. The rest, I believe, are your water bottles. I’m glad you’re not a water-straight-out-of-the-tap kind of gal. 😉 —Pam
I also love the silver/gray/purple combo. I live in Tulsa, where’d you get the finial? I just this summer saw my first bottle tree (in Jackson, MS) and am trying to figure out where I’d put one in my yard, I may use the old squirrel feeder post.
Thanks for commenting, Becky. I’ll bet Mississippi is a hotbed of bottle trees; they’ve been a Deep South tradition for more than a century. I got the idea for mine from my mother’s bottle “shrub” in Tulsa.
I got the finial at one of the Windsor Markets in Tulsa. I love those stores. You never know what you’ll find. —Pam
Very loverly. The purple is wonderful. I so enjoy beautyberry…I had it in another garden. I am needing to add fall interest to my current garden…and it would fit in perfectly where I need it. Thanks for reminding me how much I like it!
You’re welcome—at this time of year, it recommends itself. —Pam
That is a stunning combination! And I like the color of your bench.
Thanks, Phillip. I know you like purple too. I can’t forget about your wall. —Pam
Purple looks wonderful with silver. The Beautyberry is a great colour – your bench blends perfectly. As far as I’m concerned, there can never be too much purple!
The bottle tree is stunning – and I’ve now learned that MSS contributed to the growth of the tree. Very cool!
Yes, she did. When I mentioned to her that I was building a bottle tree, she offered up oodles of beautiful blue bottles. She’s been generous with her plants as well. —Pam
I love the purple bench! What a difference it makes adding the color! I also love the silver purple combination.
Thanks! Silver works with everything. I also love using silver with pink, and purple with red. —Pam
Are you an artist or what? I can only dream of silver and purple combinations that turned out as lovely as yours did. I like the bottle tree in one shade of blue. It looks better than the mixed versions. Another great tip is to read “Diary of a Wannabe Gardener.” It is a creatively humorous account of gardener trying to create the perfect garden. You can preview the book at http://www.bbotw.com It will help pass away time when you are not gardening. Enjoy nature and enjoy life.
Thanks for the compliment, Dorothy. I also appreciate your tip about the “Wannabe Gardener” book. I’ll look for it. I started out with a multi-colored bottle tree, but I love the blue bottles best too. —Pam
You’re right–that delphinium in my post does remind one of your bottle tree. Well, now you have to plant a small clutch of delphiniums! What a groovy visual echo that would make.
Wouldn’t it, though! —Pam
Oooh… what an absolutely stunning combination in silver and purple. That it’s mostly leaves and berries just makes me admire it all the more! Wonderful job, Pam. And I’m sorry to hear about your camera. Whether you had planned to retire it soon or not, it’s still no fun to have it leave you unexpectedly instead. 🙁
Thank you, Kim! Yes, the camera loss was unexpected and shocking, but I’ve moved on. My new baby should arrive today or tomorrow. —Pam
I love how you’ve arranged your beautyberries with the silver foliage. We have beautyberries all over our yard in Bastrop, they’re like weeds, but in a much wilder setting :).
They look great that way too. I often see beautyberry growing wild along the greenbelts when I go hiking. Thanks for your comment, Carol. —Pam