flower and foliage colour combos

Iris x germanica

When this Iris flowered last week, I thought of two things; the Hawthorn Football Club and that 70's cop show Matlock Police where it was possible to wear a brown suit with a canary yellow shirt and be considered the height of fashion. Fashions for particular colours in flowers and in garden design come and go and I am no longer sure what is in. For awhile there burgundy and black reigned supreme especially during the last decade when foliage colour allowed for year long interest in the garden, as opposed to the brief splash that flowers often supplied. Variegated leaves which were once considered of dubious taste are now celebrated for their unique leaf pattern. The gold and yellow variegation can still appear a little harsh and scream at you when placed in a sunny position but plants in that mode can light up a dull corner which is in in shade for much of the day. I am thinking here of the variegated Gardenia called 'Tropic Snow'. My favourite variegated plants are those which have silver and cream stripes with added pink tips to the leaves.