Our lavender is doing exceptionally well this year, particularly this pink variety which has come back nicely to blur the edge of our pool deck with the start of the garden. It’s an enchanting plant, which appears differently every time I see it. Sometimes it looks like a black and white version of what I’m so otherwise accustomed to seeing, drained of the typical tints of purple that symbolize this plant. Other times, I see the faint pink that almost gets lost among the more vibrant shows being put on at this time of the year.
Either way, its effect is soft and subtle – two things that are much appreciated in the garden right now, when the sun works to fell even the hardiest of heat-withstanding soldiers, and the colors battle back as if reflecting the brightness might repel some of the heat. Lavender adds a coolness to this, especially when it goes pink, and the gray foliage works to further subdue the scene.
It reminds me of the importance of such cooler color schemes, especially at those moments when the heat rages, as we’ve already had this week. As much as I love a striking shade of chartreuse, or a fiery orange asclepias, there is a calming magic that occurs when the palette goes a bit quieter.
