(pace, Miles Davis)

In most temperate and tropical climates, green – rich, dark, delicate, dappled green – is the default color. It is the color which signifies a plant’s healthy relationship to the sun, the soil, and the water. Other colors are introduced most often as the garden plants go about trying to reproduce. Whites, reds, yellows, pinks, and purples are gloriously placed against that textured backdrop of green.

Iced tea, lazy afternoons in the hammock under the palmettos, and just letting the bees and butterflies have the garden to themselves. That’s what comes to mind this month. Everything moves in slow motion, slightly hazy and mirage like. Lowcountry heat will do that; it is nature’s way of calming us so we can slow down and appreciate our surroundings.    

Want to show off a plant or design a garden space? There are tools to help you. Once you know the principles of design you can bend (or break) the rules.