The Garden Media Group says ‘Ancient Blue’ is the Color of the Year 2027 in its Garden Trends Report. It predicts that the deep indigo hue will make a striking appearance in gardens over the coming year. While blue is a familiar color in the garden, this especially rich shade is less commonly seen and is expected to bring drama to borders and container displays, from blue hydrangeas to brightly glazed pots.
Ancient Blue is rooted in the Egyptian history of synthetic pigments. As the report describes, it’s a ‘deep, storied color’ associated with ‘gods, emperors, and empires.’ According to the 2027 Garden Trends Report, the popularity of Ancient Blue reflects a growing desire for ‘rich, timeless hues over fads.’
It’s the perfect pick to create striking focal points among any garden color scheme in the coming year. Think statement blue hydrangea hedges, spikes of delphiniums and lupines in sweeping borders, and cornflowers filling gaps in flower beds (it can be as easy as scattering these cornflower seeds from Amazon).
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What is Ancient Blue?
(Image credit: Frank Hecker/Alamy Stock Photo)
As the Garden Media Group puts it, ‘the world’s oldest color is having a moment.’
Blue is considered the oldest synthetic color, dating back to Egyptian blue or ‘artificial lapis lazuli’ painted on tombs and in Raphael’s frescoes. Alongside it, another color carried high status.
‘Tyrian purple, which takes 12,000 sea snails to make one gram, was worth more than gold, reserved for emperors,’ the report explains.
‘For 5,000 years, blue belonged to gods and emperors. And now, for the first time in centuries, the ancient world’s two greatest colors are being reborn by modern science,’ it continues.
In 2027, this indigo-blue shade is set to be the most elevating choice to add richness and timelessness to planting. Through blue flowers and garden accessories, Ancient Blue can create breathtaking moments in outdoor spaces.
‘Blue reduces stress, lowers blood pressure, and increases relaxation, which is why spas are built around it. In a world of dopamine overload, people like how it makes them feel,’ the report writes.
It naturally falls under garden design to improve mental health and is an obvious choice for a wellness garden, creating an outdoor space that is visually calming and offers an escape from hectic everyday life.
‘Blue is ‘the new neutral’ in interiors,’ the report states. ‘Designers are drenching entire rooms in it for serene, cocoon-like environments. What happens inside always comes outside next.’
Ancient Blue in the Garden
(Image credit: Getty Images/Jacky Parker Photography)
Finding Ancient Blue in the garden isn’t so easy as pinks and yellows. ‘True blue appears in less than 10% of all flowering plants, the hardest color to breed, the most coveted to grow,’ the Garden Trends Report notes.
Among the choice are blue hydrangeas (like this Nikko Blue Hydrangea from Trees.com, formerly Fast Growing Trees), ‘Little Blue Fountain’ agapanthus (available at Plant Addicts), Starflower ‘Jessie’ (bulbs available on Amazon), and delphiniums (see the range available at Nature Hills).
You can also incorporate Ancient Blue into the garden through accessories. This blue vintage-style flower pot on Amazon would look charming potted up with orange marigolds as a complementary color. Or, style this metal blue watering can from Amazon on your potting bench to double as decor between use.
You can bring it indoors, too. Blue houseplants have been known to have a calming effect in interiors, like this blue echeveria from Walmart. Houseplant care accessories, like this blue glass plant mister from Amazon, can also be styled on shelves and coffee tables.
If you are considering adding a blue hydrangea to your garden to embrace Ancient Blue, our guide to keeping a hydrangea blue may be useful. It can be worthwhile to invest in aluminium sulfate for hydrangeas (like this from Amazon) if you’re keen to maintain its bright, beautiful hue.
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