A Bit of Pink

Pink is often described as the meeting point of red’s passion and white’s purity...a combination that results in a color symbolizing love, nurture, and compassion (as the color experts at Hunter Lab put it). It’s a beautiful reminder that color in a garden can do more than decorate; it can set a mood, focus your design, and even fold meaning into the space.

An all-pink garden has a calming, romantic quality. While pink mixes beautifully with purple, blue, or red, there’s something especially lovely about sticking with one color family. Choosing all shades of a single color—like pink—is called a monochromatic color scheme. It’s a bit like pulling a paint swatch from the hardware store and designing a garden using only those tones.

And of course, pink doesn’t have to come only from flowers. You can weave it into the garden in so many ways: a painted bench tucked into a corner, containers with a soft pink finish, cushions on outdoor furniture, or even a pale umbrella casting shade on a patio. These details echo the blooms and make the color story feel intentional. When plants aren’t in flower, these touches keep the mood alive—proof that color in the garden can be just as much about what you add as what you grow.

MONOCHROMATIC COLOR SCHEMES.

A monochromatic scheme is one of the simplest ways to make a visual statement. Here’s how to make it work:

Mix the shades. Within your chosen color (pink, for instance), use a variety of tones. Pale blushes, mid-toned rosy pinks, and a few deep, saturated pinks add depth and keep the garden from feeling flat.

Play with light and dark. Lighter tones tend to feel airy and open, while darker tones add a sense of weight and drama. Use mostly light shades and then let the darker ones act like exclamation points.

Add neutrals to highlight the color. Neutrals like green (from foliage) and white flowers can make your main color stand out even more. A sprinkling of white blooms among pink ones acts like a highlight on a painting.

Don’t forget form and texture. Color is fleeting—blooms come and go. What lasts all season is the structure of your plants: their shapes, textures, and how they fill space. These are what give a monochromatic garden lasting interest even after the flowers fade.

PINK-SPIRATION.

One of my favorite online plant databases is at Monrovia Nursery. Do your own search on Monrovia's MY PLANTFINDER site to find what pink flowering plants grow in your area.

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I had the opportunity to work with Monrovia on a HUMMINGBIRD GARDEN design with lots of pink for their 2025 LANDSCAPE PROJECT GUIDE. See the image below that was included.