We live in Toronto. My mother only has flowering perennials in her garden (iris, daffodils, hyacinth, lupine, daisies, daylillies, black eyed Susan, forget me knots, peony, cone flowers).
She claims that there is a colour cycle that all flowers follow. For example, In the spring the garden is full of yellows and purples, followed by purples, pinks and whites, then orange and whites and so on. Is there a natural sequence of colour or combination that nature follows regardless of the type of perennial flower throughout the growing season in Toronto? If so what is the colour sequence?
Sorry for this strange question but it’s now bugging my neighbour as she was skeptical at first but noticed that her perennial flowers seem to follow a similar colour sequence.
Thank you for contacting Toronto Master Gardeners with your interesting and unusual question.
I have tried to research a natural colour sequence of wild flowers in Ontario. I don’t really see a colour sequence that relates to each season. Yellow flowers for example, bloom from early spring to late fall. This is also true for blue, red and white flowers.
Perhaps we could explain colour sequence in nature in terms of overall colours in plants. During the winter, the trees are black and bare; in spring they become white (flowers) and green (leaves). Then comes summer: the fruits, when maturing, turn yellow and red; and as autumn approaches, the foliage becomes red and gold. With red and gold, the process is finished; it is the end of the cycle.
Happy Gardening.