A primarily pink garden may not be everyone’s idea of heaven, but it can certainly be a paradisiacal place with a myriad different shades and blends of pink. From the palest and most delicate shell pinks, you can go for the blisteringly hot pink of a zinnia or a gerbera, which can be so shockingly pink that they don’t look real.

In the modern trend of single colour gardens, the greens, blues and creams of complementary foliage plants are allowed without breaking the basic rules. Pink-themed gardens are surprisingly popular, far outnumbering red ones, because it is far easier to source an extensive range of pink flowering plants than it is to source red ones.

Perhaps, people feel more comfortable with pinks than with vibrant shades of red, which are difficult to ignore. A red garden bangs its own drum and refuses to be ignored, while a pink one leans heavily towards the realms of dreamtime, peacefulness and tranquility.

Picture archways and trellises of headily fragrant, pink roses in all of their various single and double forms — the archways leading from dense plantings of pale pink, through to plantings of mid-pink, and on to beds of the brightest pinks of all, each planting artfully enhanced by the attractive foliage of hosta plants and free-flowing ferns.

Combining pale and ethereal pinks with vibrant magenta, pink monochromatic gardens are an indulgence well worth investing time and effort in, with potentially priceless rewards

Think of a tinkling fountain or tranquil pond of pink water lilies over which glittering dragonflies dart and dance. Around pond edgings, swathes of velvety, silver-leafed, pink-flowered stachys play host to helpful ladybirds, seeking solace in the downy comfort of its leaves. There is something softly romantic about a pink-themed garden, because it exudes its magic in the day and night, unlike a red one. The moonlight and starlight pick out and magnify the paler shades of pink.

Here in Pakistan, the most difficult part of creating a pink garden is to ensure that the selected seeds and plants you purchase really are in pink shades. The vast majority of seeds for species such as hollyhocks and larkspur, for example, are sold in packets of mixed colours, and you have no idea what these colours will be until the plants finally burst into bloom.

Some seed suppliers do sell seeds in single colours, but these are not always easy to find, and you may even have to resort to buying them online. It is well worth the effort though, especially if you avoid buying hybrids. Eventually, in future years, you can harvest and save seed from your own plants, when purity of colour will hopefully be guaranteed.

If buying plants from a nursery, before the plants come into bloom, there is no guarantee that what is being sold as pink is actually pink. The nursery person is only interested in making a sale and not in the colour theme of your garden.

All possible obstacles aside or otherwise catered for, creating a balanced, pink-themed garden is an indulgence well worth investing time and effort, with potentially priceless rewards.

Some suggestions for a pink-themed garden:

Annual and bi-annual flowers: Cosmos, larkspur, sweet alyssum, candytuft, hollyhocks, foxgloves, lupins, pansies, violas, pinks/dianthus, sweet williams, corncockle, petunias, lobelia, godetia, poppies, nicotiana, scabosia, ageratum, antirrhinum, aster, balsam, cineraria, clarkia, cornflower, penstemon, statice, zinnia, verbena, begonia, brachycome, sweet peas, candytuft, phlox and portulaca.

Perennial flowers and bulbs/corms: Amaryllis, ranunculous, gladioli, carnations, geraniums, pelargoniums, dahlias, rain lilies, day lilies, waterlilies, thyme, chives, monardia, stachys, chrysanthemum, cyclamen, tulips, anemones, Asian lilies, oriental lilies, orchids, hyacinth, gerbera, sweet peas and gloxinia.

Shrubs: Roses, hibiscus, frangipani, ixora, jatropha, crepe myrtle or lagerstroemia indica, azalea, hydrangea, oleander and ravenia spectablis.

Creepers and climbers: Roses, bougainvillea, antigonon or Sandwich Island creeper, passion flower, wisteria and quisqualis indica or Rangoon creeper.

Trees: Crepe myrtle or lagerstroemia indica, magnolia, camellia, pithelocobium saman or rain tree, bauhinia or kachnar, cassia grandis or pink shower, gliricidia maculate or madre and cassia nodosa or pink mohar.

• Please keep in mind that you will need to check if the species mentioned are suitable for your locality. In addition, some species may be listed under more than one heading as their treatment is variable.

Please continue sending your gardening queries to zahrahnasir@hotmail.com. Remember to include your location. The writer does not respond directly by email. Emails with attachments will not be opened

Published in Dawn, EOS, December 19th, 2021