While Zach Galbraith was busy unpacking boxes after moving into a Burien, Washington, house in 2006, wife Manda (floraandbee.com) was outside planning the garden. At the time, it was covered in invasive blackberry brambles, English ivy, and weed-laden grass. “I wanted something bright,” Manda says, “something alive with color.” At the nursery, she reached for plants with lime or purple foliage, drawn to the way the complementary colors pop.
The lime green home forms a backdrop for plants in greens, yellows, and purples. They include reddish purple ‘Rose Glow’ and ‘Sunsation’ barberries; Hinoki cypress; Monterey manzanita; orange sedge; low, variegated ‘Mickie’ rockrose; and witch hazel.
Manda made a home for not only herself—the garden is a certified Backyard Wildlife Sanctuary too. She now shares the landscape with kinglets, goldfinches, hummingbirds, and chickadees. Manda’s penchant for brightness extends even to her attitude about Washington’s notoriously gloomy weather. “Under cloudy skies, vibrant colors offer a particularly amazing contrast.”