Zara inspired me to take a look around and see what we could offer in the spirit of the 2008 color trends. Here are some ideas for color trends in 2008.

Trend # 1 – Pinks – Especially yellow pinks and raspberry pink.

 
Plants with the right colors tones.  Astilbe taquetii ‘Superba’ and Kalmia latifolia ‘Raspberry Glow’

Acamp is offering these chairs in a rainbow of colors, but here in our Yellow-pink. – I am not sure what dahlia this is? Does anyone know? But what a gorgeous shade of yellow- pink!

Trend # 2 – Whites with a luminescence or shimmer

I thought that this trend might be tricky, but take a look at these.

Aglaonema ‘White Lance’

For indoor gardens or interiorscaping look at shimmer on the leaves of Aglaonema ‘White Lance’

Luminescent, white furniture is having a moment and I think would be great en masse for a hip hotel or restaurant.

The heavy heads of Clematis ‘Belle of Woking’ are beautiful and like many white blooms with appear to glow when they reflect light in the evening.

Trend #3 – Colors that morph as the light changes

Of course many thing do this naturally over the course of a garden year – but I’ll focus on things other than a bunch of deciduous trees and shrubs.
These floating solar lights have really nice colors (available from Frontgate) they have two settings to cycle through different colors.

Looking around for some plants I found this at Macgregor’s Daughter (Phlox paniculata ‘Nicky’). Apparently in the morning it looks like this – purple.

But later in the day looks like this…..raspberry pink.

Trend # 4 – Cool grays and lots of shine. 

I love this trend…..it seems so sophisticated. Silver plants are so useful in the garden but I would love to make a whole garden of just silvers. I read that Wave Hill Garden in New York did just that. But I haven’t seen it and can’t find any pictures. Does anyone have some they can send?

Chrysocephalum apiculatum (grey leafed form)

Add something shiny with a collection of Stainless steel witches’ balls from John Lewis

When I was in design school, I like to use Garrya Eliptica whenever I was presented with a cold north wall…and one of my instructors always marked me down for it. He said that it was depressing and had no structure. Maybe he is right, but I still like it and it fits perfectly here in our grey theme. Send me pictures if you have used this plant to stunning design success. I would love to make a point.

See trends  #5, and #6 in posts later this week.