Every winter, the start of a new year invites us to consider something new in the garden as we dream of spring. From trying our hand at a new style of gardening to giving a new-to-you plant a grow, winter is the perfect time to be bold and plan for a change. One of the easiest ways to make a splash is with color – and experts are forecasting teal, a captivating blend of blue and green, as the front-runner for the garden’s must-have hue in 2025.
Why Teal?
Teal is exceptionally versatile, pairing beautifully with a wide range of colors, from soft pastels to bold, vivid shades. It’s both invigorating and calming, capturing the imagination and evoking an inviting atmosphere in your garden. Finally, this distinctive shade offers the perfect foil for bold and neutral hues alike, making it the ideal foundation for truly dynamic plant combinations.
Incorporating Teal into Your Garden
While cool blues can be on the rarer side of foliage offerings, their uniqueness only makes them that much more exciting in garden beds and containers! Clarity Blue™ Dianella and Coolvista™ Dianella are excellent choices for a teal-tinged plant in the garden with striking blue-green foliage. Use these varieties as stunning standalone accent plants, as part of a mixed border, or even in containers. These evergreens provide visual interest and vibrant color throughout the year. Beyond Blue™ Fescue adds a cool, calming touch to the garden and texture to the landscape, with foliage displaying a captivating blue-green color that perfectly complements surrounding hues. Skyscraper® Senecio creates structure with an upright growth habit that is unique for a succulent. Long, narrow, and plump blue-green leaves fill a tall and slender form.
Garden accents and statuary offer other opportunities to pull trendy teal into your landscape. Teal-colored vessels, such as glazed pottery or metal pots with an aged teal patina, can add a vibrant pop of color to your patio or balcony. Similarly, teal ornaments like bird baths, statues, or wind chimes can serve as eye-catching focal points in your garden. For a touch of elegance, consider incorporating teal furniture accents, such as cushions, pillows, or outdoor rugs, to enhance your outdoor seating area.
Finally, teal pops in the cool blue hues of a water feature or pool. If you’ve got a teal-hued pool, pull in contrasting foliage and bloom colors into your poolside planters. Crisp white blooms near a teal pool evoke the white crest of a seaside wave. Tropical hues like red, pink, orange, and yellow also shine against teal, creating a lively color combination. And a monochromatic green poolside planter palette pulls out the blue hues in the water, making it appear more saturated.
Terrific Teal Combinations:
If you’re looking to pair plants with blue foliage, try one of these creative combinations:
- Teal and White: A classic combination that creates a clean and airy look, this look can best be achieved with grasslike blue-hued foliage together with cloudlike white blooms like White Wedding® Hydrangea or Jubilation™ Gardenia.
- Teal and Purple: This eye-catching pairing can be achieved with a cascading option like Purple Pixie® Dwarf Weeping Loropetalum.
- Teal and Yellow: You can snag a bit of wintertime sunshine with this cheerful and sunny combination by using the cool weather yellow blooms of ‘Soft Caress’ Mahonia with one of Southern Living® Plant Collection’s blue-hued dianella varieties.
By incorporating teal into your garden, you can create a space that is both stylish and serene. So, don’t be afraid to experiment with this versatile color and let your garden bloom with creativity!
