The term jewel tones sounds like a description of crystalline music, but it refers to color. Jewel tones are saturated colors that have the vibrancy of gemstones. Examples include emerald green, amethyst purple, ruby red, topaz yellow, sapphire blue, and turquoise. Gardens featuring bold jewel-toned flowers are exhilarating and, if done right, a theme garden of rich colors that sparkles like no other. But luxe tones must be used in moderation or the scene can become an overwhelming cacophony rather than a scintillating song.
Clear jewel-toned colors can be dazzling in an outdoor space. For a striking effect, use a variety of colorful blooms, from deep magenta to vibrant yellow, all mixed together. Or, instead of combining different bright hues, plant several species of flowers that sport the same deep color together. For this, try the magenta celosia ‘Intenz’ (Celosia argentea ‘Intenz’), an easy-to-grow annual, interplanted with the sun-tolerant SunPatiens compact purple. They have the same magenta coloring. The flowers must be equally rich in color or one will overwhelm the other.
The most important tip for successful jewel-toned plantings is to add light and dark green foliage plants to cool it all down. Or insert some silvery foliage such as the hybrid ‘Ghost’ painted fern (Athyrium ‘Ghost’), which grows in USDA hardiness zones 4–8. Try the spreading, tender perennial, variegated licorice plant (Helichrysum petiolare ‘Licorice Splash’) to set off the other colors.
The subdued, late-season light at the end of summer and into autumn enhances these sparkling colors. The vivid colors seem to shine more brightly then. For example, in late summer the marvelous bright colors of late-blooming dahlias can be matched with the light green foliage of sedum ‘Angelina’ (Sedum rupestre ‘Angelina’) and the low-growing globe amaranth ‘Purple Gnome’ (Gomphrena globosa ‘Purple Gnome’), an annual. This floral mix is an eyepopper, for sure.
A jewel-tone theme can also apply to metallic planters, as shown here. (This was at Walt Disney World’s annual Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival.) The bright blue planter is toned down by the soft pewter leaves of ‘Silver Falls’ dichondra (Dichondra argentea ‘Silver Falls’), a vigorous plant with trailing stems. Zones 8–10.