The 2 Colors Every Pro Gardener Loves to Plant With – and Why You Will, Too!

Tis the season to design your summer garden in earnest – and, if you want to take a tip from the pros, it’s worth noting that there’s one 2-color planting palette that crops up time and time again.

Yes, while you could use a garden color wheel or the 60-30-10 rule to help you figure things out, there’s a far easier solution at hand: stick to all things green and purple, aka the same two colours that every professional gardener loves to work with.

It’s no secret that pros tend to return to green-and-purple planting schemes again and again, and it’s not just because they look good on Instagram. In fact, this combination works hard in real gardens, as it’s high-contrast without being shouty, calming without being dull, and quietly brilliant for wildlife.

Purple & Green

You’re probably thinking that green is already the backbone of every garden. When gardeners talk about ‘planting with green’, however, they usually mean leaning into foliage as a feature in its own right.

Different greens – acid, blue-green, olive, almost-black – create depth and movement long before flowers appear. Plus, leaves also last far longer than blooms, giving structure from early spring through winter. When you layer shapes and textures (glossy, matte, serrated, soft) the garden feels intentional even in the leanest months.

So, what about purple? Well, this stunning hue is honestly green’s perfect partner. On the color wheel, it sits opposite yellow, but alongside green it creates a contrast that’s clear yet soothing, receding ever so slightly in the landscape, which helps beds feel deeper and more spacious.

Purple flowers also absorb light rather than bouncing it back, giving borders a soft, painterly quality that works just as well in bright sun as it does on grey days.

A Pollinator-Perfect Pairing

There’s also a practical reason professionals love to use these two colors, particularly purple: pollinators are obsessed with it!

Yes, many bees and butterflies are especially drawn to violet, mauve and lavender tones, which show up clearly in their visual spectrum. A garden threaded with purples tends to hum with life, movement, sound and purpose, rather than feeling purely ornamental.

If you want a garden that looks beautiful and functions as an ecosystem, then, this palette does a lot of the work for you.

An Easy-Peasy Palette

Some of the most reliable plants in a green-and-purple scheme are also among the easiest to grow. Lavender is the obvious starting point, with its evergreen structure, long flowering and irresistibility to pollinators.

Different types of salvia, meanwhile, bring spires of purple and aromatic foliage. Nepeta (catmint) offers a softer, billowing edge that knits planting together and flowers for months. And, for deeper tones, gardeners often turn to alliums, which punch through spring borders with architectural drama, or to heucheras with plum, aubergine or smoky purple leaves that anchor beds year-round.

Geraniums and pansies in violet and blue-purple shades weave through everything, filling gaps and softening edges. In shadier spots, purple hellebores and aquilegias pair beautifully with green ferns and grasses.

Finally, remember that even low-maintenance ornamental grasses, evergreens, and foliage plants are what elevate the scheme from pretty to professional. Think a haze of purple flowers floating above a swathe of emerald – even a simple backdrop of clipped green hedging or evergreen shrubs makes purple blooms sing.

One of the biggest strengths of green and purple is how easily other colors can be layered in, so you can add your own personal stamp to it. Soft pinks feel romantic, blues deepen the calm, and flashes of white add light. Even hot colors – acid yellow, orange or red – work better when they’re anchored by a strong green-and-purple base. It gives you permission to experiment without losing cohesion.

For new gardeners, this palette is forgiving. Miss a bloom or lose a plant and the garden still holds together. For experienced ones, it’s endlessly nuanced. No wonder so many professionals keep coming back to it, eh?