Gardening tastes - was Amaryllis
Jane McGary (Sat, 14 Aug 2004 09:56:56 PDT)

Jim wrote,

That presumably is what we know in the West as "barkdust and junipers."

As for whether brilliant colors, particularly the purple-pinks, are in good
taste, this is not just in the eye of the beholder. Colors look different
depending on the brilliance and angle of the sunlight reflecting from them
and carrying the color to our eyes, so gardeners in northern and
often-cloudy areas may prefer brighter colors than those in high-light regions.

I like lots of bright color in spring because it's usually cloudy and dull
here at that season, and when the sun does come out, the brights are very
cheering. However, I have a rather expansive garden with much greenery in
and around it, and a number of gray-leaved shrubs, so it doesn't look like
the proverbial "riot of color." Packing a lot of blazing color into a small
space is more problematic, though one sees it done, particularly in a
certain new style of urban gardening that depends heavily on tropicals and
other non-permanent plants -- a style that makes good photos, but to me, it
is as unworkable in the long term as a lot of other high fashion.

Jane McGary
Northwestern Oregon, USA