Issue link: http://digital.canadawide.com/i/137882
home + garden » expert advice PRO PICK Stylish and minimal, Born in Sweden's watering can features a flexible, silicone hose that attaches to the base with a magnet when not in use. ask the experts... In this issue our experts punch up your garden with vibrant perennials, invest in furniture with little ones underfoot, go contemporary with houseplants, let nature be the guide when it comes to decorating with { trendy green, unearth a low-maintenance, summer garden showstopper and a create master bedroom that does double duty Q } I have a lovely spring garden, but once summer rolls around there is very little colour left. What can I do? GARY LEWIS answers: Most of us do our garden shopping in the spring, so we have beautiful spring gardens that become pale versions of themselves by summer. There are three ways to avoid the summer doldrums. First, visit nurseries in the summer to see what's blooming when you need colour most. Then, include new perennials that have been bred to give as much flower power as annuals. Geranium Rozanne will bloom from June until fall. Also try 'Havana Blues', 'Orkney Cherry' and 'Cheryl's Shadow'. The new not-so-purple coneflowers (Echinacea) will bloom all summer in hot dry spots with poor soils (once established) while red-and-white sage, Salvia 'Hot Lips', will produce hundreds of flowers. PHOTO Phoenix Perennials Echinacea 'Coral Reef' Q I see that green is a popular colour and I'd like to incorporate it into my interior. Somehow I can't seem to get it right. Any tips? HEATHER ROSS answers: Green is indeed a popular colour in design and it is a lovely and natural choice for interiors. I always say nature is the best teacher, so look to your environment for cues on how to bring your home alive with verdant greens. Green can be surprisingly challenging. If you get it wrong, it can look like hospital green or have a dated '70s look. Pantone's colour of 2013 is emerald. By their very nature, emeralds are sheer and beautiful, but translate that tone into a flat, opaque paint and it risks looking artificial or overpowering. Rarely in the natural world is colour flat, static and uniform. So, think about texture and translucency when making your choices. Sunshine floods through leaves and blades of grass giving it a fresh, golden edge. Softer greens like For more tips on decorating with green lichen, succulents and sage tend to have downy textures and grey undernotes. PHOTO Heather Ross go to bcliving.ca/decorating-green 30 | BC HOME & gaRdEN July/August 2013 p30-33_AskTheExperts.indd 30 13-06-07 11:42 AM