John has some tips on using colour in your garden on this week's show, but you don't have to live in cooler climes for hot colour:
Tropical Zone Cool colours can be a hit in hot gardens, so why not consider adding some blues and purples in the form of blue-flowered bromeliads (like Aechmea 'Blue Cone'), beach bean (Canavalia rosea) - or even passionfruit, for fruit as well as flowers: Passionfruit Fact Sheet Subtropical Zone Blues, purples and mauves can create a sense of spaciousness in compact gardens as well as giving an impression of freshness - and both native and exotic hibiscus and other members of the mallow family can offer a range of these colours: Hail the Hibiscus Article Temperate Zone Waratahs can add a blaze of late winter colour to the garden, or brighten up a shady spot, with their white, pink, red and even pale yellow flowers: Waratahs Fact Sheet Arid Zone Blazing red flowers on red sand are an outstanding sight in the bush, but you can cultivate a similar effect by planting a range of bright pea flowers in your garden - like kennedia, chorizema and swainsona species: Native Beauties Fact Sheet Cool Zone Usually when gardeners think of azaleas and rhododendrons, they think of hot colours - but there are actually a number of cool, blue or mauve cultivars you can add to the mix, like 'Admiral Piet Hein', 'Blue Diamond' and 'Bluetopia': Growing Rhododendrons Fact Sheet And if you want some ideas of what to plant in the vegie patch, don't forget to visit The Vegie Guide or Download the App |