I’m embarrassed to admit there was a time when I banned one-half of the color wheel from my garden. In a misguided attempt to be tastefully pastel, I shunned yellow, orange and red.
Looking back I can hardly imagine where I came up with such a dumb idea. Picture a rainbow with only half its hues. Or a sunset with no orange.
Yellow was the first of the three to gain admittance. Mostly, it was a practical matter. Nature must revel in this, the color of the sunshine and gold finches, because she uses it so liberally. In both of Colorado’s wildflower seasons, late spring and autumn, the emphasis is on yellow. A prejudice against yellow just isn’t compatible with an appreciation for our local flora.
By the second year, my anti-yellow phase had ended, and a significant number of yellow flowers were ensconced in the garden. The fact that yellow brought a sparkle to my insipid blue, pink, lavender and white color palette was irrefutable.
Red made itself indispensable when pastel Shirley poppies reverted to red. Immediately I was reminded of the fields of poppies I saw in Europe and that stayed in my hand every time I tried to pull them out. Again, the addition of red actually improved the garden’s color scheme, adding zing much like paprika on a deviled egg.
My son, Keith, was responsible for orange’s change in status. Since he was born in California, he once asked why I didn’t grow his state’s most representative flower, California poppies. “Because they are orange” didn’t seem a satisfactory response.
My standards thus completely violated, I decided to herd together orange and red in hot color groupings. The side yard was isolated enough to separate from the rest of the garden those colors that still made me slightly uneasy. Because this is the west side of the house, where the sun sets just above the fenceline, I deemed it the perfect place for a garden of sunset colors, including every shade of orange and red.
Orange snuck into the backyard when I came up with the idea of coordinating flower color to the goldfish in the pond. From there it was on to three species of orange lilies in the shade garden under the Austrian pines near the pond. Orange horned poppies and orange penstemons started showing up elsewhere in the garden.
It was shocking to realize that orange had actually become my favorite color in the garden. There’s a reason the Broncos chose orange and blue for their team colors. Orange positively glows against our blue skies.
No longer is orange confined to its own corner. Orange flowers romp throughout the garden, enlivening everything they touch.
Gardens work best when embracing the entire spectrum. Nature does not play favorites when selecting colors, and neither should we.
Marcia Tatroe is a garden writer and lecturer. E-mail her at rltaurora@aol.com.
GARDEN CALENDAR
EVENTS
The Market at Belmar
SU-OCT. 9|An urban garden series and cooking demonstrations in a European-style farmers market with fruits and vegetables, fresh flowers, baked goods and live entertainment, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. each Sunday. Cooking demonstrations at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. each Sunday. Garden classes will be at 10:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. and presented by master gardeners of Jefferson County Cooperative Extension. Today’s urban gardening topic is “Butterfly Gardening.” Upcoming, July 10 “Roses,” July 17 “Bees,” and July 24 “Small Container Water Garden.” | Free|Alaska Drive at Belmar (South Wadsworth Boulevard and West Alameda Avenue)|LAKEWOOD
Composting class
SA|Learn to compost for your garden, 9-11 a.m., at the Denver Urban Gardens at Gove Community Garden| Free|East 13th Avenue and Colorado Boulevard, 720-865-6810
Garden questions answered
SA|John and Susan Spaulding of Spaulding Horticulture will visit Harlequin’s Gardens, 1-4 p.m., to answer your gardening questions| Free |4795 S. 26th St., 303-939-9403|BOULDER
Colorado Springs garden tour
SA-SU|Colorado Xeriscape Tour sponsored by Colorado Federation of Garden Clubs Inc., and Colorado WaterWise Council, 9 a.m.-3 p.m. | $15, tickets at King Soopers|begin at 620 E. Española St. or 425 Columbia Road, maps at both locations|COLORADO SPRINGS
UPCOMING
Plants of Lewis and Clark
W, JULY 13|James Reveal will speak on the plants of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, 7 p.m., at the Denver Botanic Gardens| $12 members, $15 non-members |1005 York St., 720-865-
3580, botanicgardens.org
Birdhaus Bash
TH, JULY 14|Denver Botanic Gardens will host the annual Birdhaus Bash with hundreds of birdhouses on display and then auctioned off, 5:30-9 p.m.|1005 York St., 720-865-3684 or www.botanicgardens.com
Learn to compost
SA, JULY 16|Learn to compost for your garden, 10 a.m.-noon, at the Whittier Community Garden. You must register a week in advance.| Free|between 24th and 25th avenues on Lafayette Street, 720-865-6810
Tree pruning
SU, JULY 17, 24|Mikl Brawner will discuss and demonstrate correct pruning for young trees at Harlequin’s Gardens at 1 p.m. |$10 |4795 S. 26th St., 303-939-9403|BOULDER
Master gardeners available
ONGOING|Colorado State University Cooperative Extension master gardeners in Denver County are available for gardening presentations to neighborhood and business associations, garden clubs, school and other groups throughout the year, daytime or evenings|720-913-5270
Daylily sale
SA, JULY 23|Open Garden and Daylily Show, 8 a.m.-4 p.m., at the Cat Lady’s Garden in the American Hemerocallis Society Display Garden. Sale benefits the Cat Care Society| Free |15643
E. 35th Place (near Interstate 70 and Chambers Road), 303-366-9689|AURORA
Daylily show
JULY 23|The Day Lily Society show will be at Tagawa Gardens|Free admission |Free|7711 S. Parker Road, 303-690-
4722, tagawagardens.com|AURORA
Composting class
SU, JULY 24|Learn to compost for your garden, 2-4 p.m., at the Denver Urban Gardens at Gove Community Garden|Free|East 13th Avenue and Colorado Boulevard, 720-865-6810
Mail information 14-20 days in advance to Garden Calendar, The Denver Post Features Department, 1560 Broadway, Denver, CO 80202, fax to 303-820-1679, or e-mail living@denverpost.com.
