When The Ontario Horticultural Association announced that the 2024 colour of the year was orange, you may have asked the question – ‘Orange?’

It’s the question I’m usually asked when revealing that my favourite colour is and always has been, orange. So, I would like to congratulate the OHA on an excellent choice and use this occasion to sing the praises of a highly underrated and underused colour.

I have loved orange for decades, beginning in my teens when the glorious harvest sunrises would light my way to the fields and sometimes, when frost was close, sunsets to light my way home. Those big skies gave me an appreciation for how changeable and broad this colour was; it was warm, cool, bold, and soft. In the garden I have used and loved this wonderful colour from the very beginning. Orange punctuates a planting, instilling a sense of movement and vigour. It pairs with a broad range of colours, warm and cool both. Throughout the seasons, examples can be found in annuals, perennials, trees, and shrubs. Whether it floods the petals, or outlines an edge, orange is exciting, enticing and worthy of the title, colour of the year.

Spring brings the warmth of orange to our gardens with Crown Imperials (frittilaria imperialis) and species tulips. Both add a bold and clear colour element to the end of daffodil season. The perennial........

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