Colour names are visual language, not laboratory measurements. The Ledger preserves useful source wording while explaining how light, opening stage, soil and neighbouring flowers change what a gardener sees.
Keep the source phrase
Apricot, smoky violet, soft pink and black are recognisable garden descriptions, but they are not exact coordinates. A photograph can show one moment and one light level, while a catalogue may describe a closed bud or a later fade.
That is why each colour field is labelled as wording from a source, an editorial family or an unresolved comparison. The label tells a reader how much weight to give it.
Design with contrast
A pale flower can disappear against a bright wall and glow beside dark foliage. A deep colour can read as flat in shade but show its edge in morning light. Think about the background and the opening sequence rather than choosing a swatch in isolation.
Pair the seasonal bands bands with a garden plan to decide where a colour should appear and what it should sit beside.
Photographs are evidence of a moment
The images here are original illustrations made for the Ledger. They are not colour standards and they are never used to infer a cultivar fact that the named source does not state.
For identity and registration, use the KAVB cultivar database; for a correction, write to the desk.
Continue the reading
Compare flowering times, Angelique record and garden plan.