Countdown to COLOUR

Easy ways to a flower-filled summer

- CHRIS MORLEY

Happy hues

The race is on to fill the garden with a kaleidoscope of colour, from washes of pastel to vibrant, bolder hues. The easiest and cheapest way to grow a rainbow is to sow hardy annuals, which rush headlong from seed to bloom in as little as 12 weeks. Use them to weave strands of colour between shrubs and perennials, to make a cutting patch, or you can mix them with bedding plants for crowd-pleasing containers.

Pastel pleasures 

Choose pastels for a relaxed feel. Try a row of Larkspur 'Giant Imperial' (H. 90cm) at the back of a border for striking floral spires in pink, lilac, mauve and white, set off by feathery foliage. For best results, pop the seeds in the freezer for a week before sowing to improve germination. To mark pathways and border edges, or bring sparkle to pots, try Candytuft 'Crown Mixed' (H. 20cm), which produce soft domes of pink, crimson, lavender and white.