1. Combine ‘fluffy’ flowers with bold flowers of the same colour. Bronwyn combines white Zantedeschia (planted as bulbs in spring) with Orlaya grandiflora, which she grows from seed.  
2. Dwarf dahlias can be planted as tubers or grown from seed. In a choice of cheerful colours, they make great accents among smaller flowers and provide plenty for the vase.  
3. Purple foliage trees like Cercis ‘Forest Pansy’ looks magical amongst green. Be sure to plant mainly green foliage with red or purple as accents.  
4. Japanese maples look stunning near water. Their foliage is colourful in spring and autumn. Plant maples where they have protection from strong wind.
5. Chartreuse is a great ‘connecting colour’ which complement most other colours in the garden. Lady’s mantle (Alchemilla mollis) is a great edge plant. Morning dew sits like jewels on its velvet textured leaves.  
6. With attractive lacy leaves and pretty flowers in spring, Tiarella makes an easy path edge or ground cover. Being drought tolerant, it partners well with succulents like Echeveria  
7. In shady areas, big leaf plants and white flowers help to bounce the light around. Purple Ligularia Britt-Marie Crawford, looks splendid in the company of oak leaf hydrangea and a fragrant white rhododendron. Later in summer the lovely greenish white hydrangea flowers take over from the spring rhododendrons  
8. Be sure to include some ‘vertical’ accent flowers like pink lupins and blue campanulas.

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Read more at Bronwyn Towersey’s spring garden …