Between blue and purple, the Future Dusk colour brings the garden to life

What colour is 'Future Dusk'?

Future Dusk, literally ‘the future dusk’ in English, is an enigmatic colour. Alongside the « Mocha Mousse », the official Pantone® colour of 2025, WGSN, the leader in trend forecasting, defines Future Dusk as its colour of the year. Dark and captivating, it sits at the boundary between the deep blue of twilight and violet hues of a sky on the cusp of night. It offers an alternative to the usual deep blue or violet. With its classic look, but subtly reinvented, it oscillates between familiarity and futurism, perfectly embodying the spirit of an era seeking renewal and balance in the face of major changes.

It evokes that suspended moment when light gently fades, enveloping the horizon in a mysterious, almost hypnotic veil. Dark without being cold, bold without being flashy, it exudes a velvety intensity, half-luminous, half-dark, like an echo of the passage between shadow and light, between the end of a day and the promise of a new one. Future Dusk suggests the infinite depth of the night sky, while hints of amethyst reflections shimmer with the lighting. Both soothing and intriguing, this colour embodies a subtle balance between strength and gentleness, modernity and timelessness.

In a world shaped by uncertainty, comforting colours become essential signposts. Future Dusk meets this need by blending depth and softness, to inspire serenity and confidence throughout 2025. This colour, with its understated elegance, adopted in our interiors, now also graces the most inspired gardens.

Future Dusk colour is a deep, enigmatic blue-violet, evoking velvety softness, the shimmer of minerals, a starry sky…

How to incorporate Future Dusk into the garden?

Future Dusk acts as an anchor colour, bringing depth and character to planting schemes. Dare to embrace unusual contrasts! Future Dusk is a colour with a contrasting personality that adds a unique depth to the garden.

Future Dusk had a very noticeable place in many scenes at the Chelsea Flower Show 2024 giving body to Iris germanica (Iris germanica ‘Profond Soupir’, Iris germanica ‘Deep Dark Secret‘) for a refined atmosphere or to Lupins ‘Purple Emperor’ in a more natural effect.

Future Dusk pairs wonderfully with tones that reveal its depth. Soft hues such as silvery lavenders, bluish greys or sage greens temper its intensity, while brighter colours such as vivid purples, fuchsias or touches of pure white create interesting contrasts. By pairing it with rich purples, deep blues or deep violets, you will reinforce this mysterious and captivating ambience.

It sits well with earthy, taupe and beige tones for ambiences that are both soft and bold. Imagine it paired with golden grasses or flowering displays in sandy hues: Future Dusk then brings a velvety depth that highlights the warmth of these natural tones. This play of contrasts allows the colour to vibrate with changing light, shifting from twilight freshness to almost luminescent reflections at sunset.

These combinations will give life to sophisticated, graphic or even dreamlike ambiences. If it may seem somewhat dark for spring and summer, it is precisely this contrast that gives it its charm: Future Dusk should be used sparingly to highlight vibrant blooms.

It never dominates the palette, but acts as a guiding thread, a visual anchor that gives coherence to the whole. It brings a touch of modernity to a minimalist garden, a hint of mystery to a romantic space and a chic bohemian vibe in a wilder setting.

We have imagined three inspiring variations around this shade that is both familiar and futuristic!
Also discover our ‘Future Dusk’ plant selection in our online nursery.

Some examples of plants that bloom in a Purple Dusk shade: Aquilegia ‘Clementine Dark Purple’, Helleborus orientalis ‘Slaty Blue’, Agapanthus ‘Purple Cloud’, Eryngium planum ‘Jade Frost’ (photo : P. Van Rijssen), Allium atropurpureum and Lupins ‘Purple Emperor’

Sophisticated and enigmatic ambience.

Imagine a border bed where deep tones converse with shifting reflections. The Allium atropurpureum, with its almost-black purple spheres, stands as graphic silhouettes that catches the evening light. Their geometric shapes pair with the elegant verticality of the Gladiolus ‘Nori’ and ‘Deep Purple’, with flowers in a rich violet-purple that is lightly iridescent, bringing movement and grace. Add Iris germanica ‘Black Dragon’, a tall garden iris with very dark flowers in a violet-purple that is almost black.

To soften this composition, the Agapanthus Pitchoune Violet introduces gentler touches, its airy umbels in a bright, luminous dark violet that floats above the foliage in June–July. Helenium ‘Moerheim Beauty’ with its flowers in an intensely copper-orange, almost burnt, will offer a striking complementary contrast to the purples and dark violets. In a more subtle version, consider Iris germanica ‘Evolution’, which stands out for its well-contrasted flowers, with bronze-copper petals and blue-grey sepals. Punctuate the scene with a few clumps of very architectural grasses, Pennisetum, Stipa or Miscanthus, in coppery or amber tones.

This palette plays on the sophistication of contrasts, perfect for a contemporary garden, where the Future Dusk colour will find a natural echo.

Allium atropurpureum (photo : Peganum), Gladiolus ‘Deep Purple’, Helenium ‘Moerheim Beauty’, Stipa tenuifolia and Iris germanica ‘Evolution'</caption]

Natural and poetic softness

For a composition that seems to have flourished without constraint, let yourself be inspired by the spontaneity of easy-care perennial plants! Verbascum phoeniceum ‘Violetta’, stately as it is, produces chandeliers studded with deep purple flowers, punctuating romantic borders and gardens with a touch of wildness. With luminous violaceous purple flower spikes, brimming with vitality, the Salvia greggii ‘Arctic Blaze® Purple’ will make a good companion. To complete the scene, Hibiscus syriacus ‘French Cabaret Purple’, adds a poetic and delicate dimension with its delicately crumpled, violet flowers, nuanced with blue-lilac and purple. This quartet thrives in a loose, subtly understated setting. You can soften the mood by incorporating Ammi majus and its light umbels of pure white, almost ethereal. They will bring an airy, soothing touch. At their side, ‘Echinops ritro or Globe Thistle with a graphic silhouette will also contribute, with its pretty blue spheres leaning toward violet, to soften the intensity of the rich and dark colours surrounding them, while highlighting their depth.

Verbascum phoeniceum ‘Violetta’, Hibiscus ‘French Cabaret Purple’, Echinops ritro and Ammi majus

Summertime vibes

Intense colours and contrasting textures intertwine to create a lively, light summer scene. The Canary Sea-Lavender (Limonium perezii) unfurls its flowering spikes in an intensely violet hue, almost electric. Its dense umbels provide generous volume and an exotic touch in sandy, dry, well-drained soil in full sun, though. Echoing this intensity, Clematis viticella ‘Glorious Day’, covered all summer with flowers whose petals are a deep violet, climbs gracefully on a fence, a trellis, or even through a rose bush (head in sun and feet in shade!). To complete this colour harmony, Lavandula stoechas ‘Magical® Posy Purple’ delights us with its compact, fragrant spikes of a luminous blue-violet.

This bold trio swings between vibrant colour and airy lightness. An Achillea millefolium ‘Terracotta’ with flat umbels of copper-orange with golden reflections, slightly softened by ochre tints toward the end of flowering, will bring a warm contrast to the deep, blue-toned violets of the display. To reinforce this dynamic, majestic irises in warm tones, tawny or apricot, such as Garden Iris ‘English Charm’, notable for the delicacy of its apricot-copper sepals edged with cream, bring the softness required. In dry and inhospitable soil, Verbascum bombyciferum ‘Polarsommer’ will deliver the complementary colour note with its tall spikes of acid-yellow flowers, while its downy, frost-white leaves temper these twilight harmonies.

Achillea millefolium ‘Terracotta’, Limonium perezi, Iris ‘English Charm’, Verbascum ‘Polarsommer’ and Clematis ‘Glorious Day’