A marvellous sight: a ton-sur-ton garden or patio

Using colours from the same family creates surprising effects

Ton-sure-ton, the art of combining matching colour shades, can be applied to the garden. It creates coherence with exciting contrasts.

Colour scheme: brown - green - gold

This natural mix is really an extension of nature in the autumn as a feature. Heuchera, also known as alumroot, is known for its fabulous coloured foliage. This ton-sur-ton scheme alone can use three alumroot varieties, namely the reddish-brown, the green with reddish-brown veins, and the pale green which is somewhat gold-coloured. This arrangement can be supplemented well with reddish-brown succulents such as goldmoss sedum, mossy stonecrop and echeveria. To add a different texture, red-brown ornamental grasses is an option. Broaden the palette with brown and cognac cushion chrysanthemums.

Colour scheme: pink - red - orange - caramel

With these shades you can make your garden,patio or balcony glow like the setting sun. The pink element can be found in Sebum, prickly heath and ling heather, and the rose-red element in Nandina. Vermillion Heuchera also fits with this scheme, as does Leucothoe, which changes colour from scarlet to purple in the autumn. As a backdrop you can use a Japanese maple which is at its flaming best now and extends the display of colour vertically. Cheerful additions to spread the glow even further are: orange, pink and red autumn violets, pink and red cushion chrysanthemums and the red berries and reddish-brown leaves of checkerberry.

Colour scheme: purple - blue - green - silver - white

These shades create a serene calm in your garden and on your balcony. The purple of asters and autumn violets provides the warmth that a good autumn mood should have. You can echo this with lilac ling heather and purple cushion chrysanthemums. The white reappears in checkerberry and sebum, and goes beautifully with the silver-grey plumes of pampas grass. Use bay laurel to provide a nice green note.

This combination could even last through to spring 2016;when the asters have finished flowering, you can replace them with pale blue violets and brassicas, which will give you a classic winter feel in January and February.