Pantone Colour of the Year - Very Peri!

The bets are off! Pantone has named its highly anticipated Colour of the Year for 2022. This is an annual trend forecast by the colour giant that determines which colour is set to appear all over our homes and gardens in the following year.

This year, the Colour of the Year is, Very Peri! Considered the ‘happiest and warmest of all the blue hues’, Pantone describes Very Peri as a ‘dynamic periwinkle-blue hue with vivifying violet-red undertones’, which makes it perfect for a calming garden designed for thoughtfulness, personal inventiveness and creative thinking – the inspiration behind the colour.

Very Peri Florals

In terms of picking out plants for your garden in 2022’s trendiest hue, there is so much to choose from.

Here are 8 examples of plants found at #BBCGWLive 2021 that cover the spectrum and would give your garden the Very Peri seal of approval! 

Catananche caerulea Cupids Dart 1
Designed by Jessica Nicholls Jessica Louise Landscapes and Garden Design

Featured: Blue Cupidone/Catanche caerule 

The bright blue, cornflower-like blooms of cupid’s dart, Catananche caerulea, appear continuously from early to late summer, peaking in midsummer. 

Grow Catananche caerulea in full sun in well-drained soil, such as a mixed herbaceous border or gravel garden. 

Featured: Woodland Sage/Salvia nemorosa

Perennial sages look wonderful in ornamental borders, producing summer-long displays of spiky, nectar-rich flowers. 

For best results grow Salvia ‘Caradonna’ in a sunny, sheltered spot in well-drained soil. Deadhead spent blooms regularly to encourage flowers into mid-autumn. Mulch annually with well-rotted manure, or garden compost.

Dahlia Patio Rose
Designed by Lynn Cordall Landscapes

Featured: Garden Dahlia/Dahlia pinnata 

Summer wouldn’t be summer without dahlias. Their beautiful flowers come in almost every colour imaginable, from pale pastels to hot, vibrant shades. They come in a range of flower shapes, from small tight balls to lily-like blooms the size of dinner plates. 

Dahlias require a fertile, moist but well-drained soil, and a sunny, sheltered spot.

Featured: Anise hyssop/Agastache foeniculum 

Anise hyssop, Agastache foeniculum, has aromatic leaves and colourful flower spikes beloved of bees and other pollinators. Its fragrant leaves can be dried and used to make a delicious tea. 

Grow agastache in moist but well-drained soil in full sun.

Flower Power for the Bees - Designed by Nikki Hollier
Hardys Stand

Featured: Bellflower beardtongue/ Penstemon campanulatus

Penstemons are valuable garden plants, grown for their long-flowering season and popularity with bees

Grow penstemons in moist but well-drained soil in full sun to partial shade. Mulch annually with well-rotted manure or leaf mould, and feed weekly in summer. 

Featured: Anise hyssop/Agastache foeniculum 

Agastaches are scented perennials from North America, China and Japan, where they grow in poor, dry ground. They’re perfect for growing in gravel or Mediterranean-style gardens, and may also be grown in containers on a sunny patio.

For best results, grow Agastache ‘Blue Boa’ in full sun, in well-drained soil. 

meadow boarder Designed by Tina Worboys Landscape and Garden Design
woodland fall - Designed by Antony Lionel Garden Design Tony Nutley 3

Featured:  Catmit/Nepeta faassenii

Catmints add a lovely, soft, floppy, gentle touch to cottage gardens. Nepeta gigantea ‘Six Hills Giant’ has grey-green foliage, which is covered all summer in masses of short spikes of lavender-like flowers which attract lots of bees

Light, well-drained soil is the key to success. After the first burst of flowers, shear over the growth to get a second crop of leaves and flowers.

Featured: Lobelia / Lobelia speciosa 

Lobelia speciosa flowers are  a popular garden plant that particularly attracts hummingbirds and butterflies. 

Grow in deep, fertile, reliably moist soil in full sun or partial shade. Feed with a balanced liquid fertilizer every two weeks until mid-summer and a low nitrogen fertilizer from then on. 

Find even more spring gardening inspiration at BBC Gardeners' World Spring Fair
Interested in bringing a Beautiful Border to the Fair? Find out more about applying below.

New year, new garden, new trends!

We’re through the garden gate into 2023, with a host of gardening trends blooming throughout the country. From house plants reaching dizzying heights of popularity, to the colour of the year ‘Viva Magenta’, read on for our full list of trends.

To get up close and personal with fresh garden inspiration, new plants, the latest gardening kit and more, join us in 2023.

Colour of the Year 2023

Hand-picked by Pantone, the colour of the year has been named as ‘Viva Magenta. 

Pantone describe the colour as ‘brave and fearless, and a pulsating colour whose exuberance promotes a joyous and optimistic celebration, writing a new narrative.’

Discover a world of colour and scent in the stunning Floral Marquee,  bursting with award-winning nurseries and display.

Sustainable gardening

Whilst your garden might seem to already be very green, it can always be greener!

Discover ways you can make gardening more sustainable, like upcycling common items to make stylish features. What was a pallet, hessian bags, bits of pipe, and tin cans, could become a planter, grow bags, water features, and wildlife habitats.

Be inspired by the BBC Gardeners’ World Magazine editorial team as they’re joined by experts to give tips and advice.

Grow your own food

Looking to go from soil to supper this year? Get brilliant advice from the National Allotment Society at the event.

Peat-free gardening

Learn about the latest peat-free compost from exhibitors who can offer face-to-face advice.

Indoor gardening

Foliage doesn’t just belong outside – bring nature indoors and be inspired by the Houseplant Hub.

Mindful gardening

Beautiful Borders returns with this year’s theme ‘My Garden Escape’ to give you space savvy ideas.

Gardening on a budget

Discover different ways you can let your garden bloom under a tighter budget, with advice from expert gardeners.

Fermented foods

Visit the BBC Good Food Summer Show (with free entry with your ticket!) and discover the latest foodie trends.

Feeling inspired? Find out what else is happening at BBC Gardeners’ World Live this June!