Garden Full of Gems: The Complete Guide to Jewel-Toned Flowers and Plants

Imagine strolling through a garden with blooms the colors of semi-precious stones. Featuring a riot of hues and textures, these tapestry-like gardens are vibrant and eye-catching. Read on for tips on which jewel-toned plants to include, costs, and more. 

What Is Jewel-Toned Gardening? 

Jewel-toned gardening involves choosing plants and flowers in vibrant gemstone-inspired colors like deep blues, greens, and reds. Whether on your patio or in your front or back yard, adding jewel-colored plants will boost curb appeal and upgrade your space. 

Best Jewel Garden Plants and Flowers 

Start by picking plants in the hues of semi-precious stones (amber, sapphire, amethyst, ruby, pink, peridot), making sure they’ll thrive in your climate. For a constant supply of color, aim to include varieties that bloom at different times from late spring through summer. Think tulips and alliums in late spring and dahlias in summer through fall, for instance. 

Here are some plants to consider, with the jewel tones they come in and their USDA Plant Hardiness Zones:

• Tulip: pink, red, yellow, orange (3–8)

• Dahlia: pink, red, orange, yellow (8–11)

• Zinnia: pink, red, purple, orange, yellow, green (2–11)

• Rose: magenta, yellow, pink, purple, orange, red (7–9)

• Crocosmia: orange, red (4–9)

• Gladiolus: orange, pink, purple, red (6–9)

• Kniphofia laxiflora: orange, yellow, red (5–9)

• Harlequin flower: red, orange, yellow, lavender (7–11)

• Calendula: orange (8–10)

• Canna: orange, yellow, red (9–10)

• Allium: purple (3–8)

• Echinacea (Coneflower): purple-pink (5–8)

• Lily: orange, red, purple, yellow (8–11)

• Honey bell bush: yellow, orange (8-plus)

• Butterfly bush: purple, pink, yellow (5–9)

• Sunflower: gold (4–9)

• Freesia: red, purple, pink, yellow (9–10)

• Hydrangea: pink, purple, blue, red (3–9)

• Flowering finger: red, orange, yellow (7–10)

• Tithonia (Mexican sunflower): orange, red (3–10)

• Rudbeckia: yellow, orange (4–9)

• Delphinium: purple, blue (3–7)

• Nerine sarniensis: red, pink (8–10)

• Helenium: orange, red (3–9)

• Glaucidium palmatum: purple (6–9)

• Clematis: purple, pink (4–9)

• Cypripedium: pink, magenta (2–6)

• Euphorbia: green (7–10)

Tips for Creating a Jewel-Toned Garden

Fashion your own rainbow of a garden on your property. 

Choose a Spot and Create a Bed

Pick a sunny, sheltered space. Ideally, the soil should be loamy, featuring a balance of sand, clay, silt, and humus. Sandy loam, as it’s called, features high calcium and pH levels with a gritty texture. You can expect to spend an average of $2,000 to create a 5-by-12-foot garden bed, according to HomeAdvisor. Hire a local gardener to help create your dream jewel-toned garden. 

Add Windbreaks

Plant windbreaks at a distance around the perimeter to shield your future blooms from the wind. Choose evergreen trees and shrubs that will thrive in your USDA Plant Hardiness Zone, such as Colorado blue spruce, ponderosa pine, and arborvitae. Plant in two to three staggered rows.

Install Filler Plants

Just as white space in art galleries helps art pop, understated shrubs in jewel gardens let colorful blooms shine. Choose plants that serve as a subtle green backdrop, like boxwood or holly. 

Consider a Container Garden

If you don’t have the space or budget for a bed, you can always go the container gardening route. Plant flowers in pots and group them close together for visual impact. Choose understated pots so the blooms can hog the spotlight. 

Plant in Drifts

Wait until the first frost has passed before planting annuals. Then, install flowering plants in irregular groups (called “drifts”) along your garden borders. Since you won’t include as many types of plants along the edges, your garden will be less chaotic, and each plant variety will make more of an impact. 

Include Stakes or Trellises

Support plants with heavy blooms, like dahlias, delphiniums, zinnias, and lilies, with stakes (about $25 for 20 stakes). For climbers, like clematis, use trellises (about $15 to $25 each). 

Mulch and Deadhead

During the summer, add 2 to 3 inches of mulch ($30 to $150 per cubic yard on average) around plants to help keep the soil cool and moist. Check your garden frequently, deadheading spent blooms and treating plants with a high potassium fertilizer (about $10 for three pounds) every two weeks.

Treat the Soil

In the fall, cut back plants, letting your garden hibernate until spring. To improve the condition of your soil, amend it each year. In late fall, after your plants have died, pull them from the ground and place them on top of the soil. 

Make compost for your garden, then add a 2-inch layer to the surface. Wet the area well, then leave in place over the winter. In the spring, turn the soil with a shovel to a depth of 6 to 8 inches.