Pinkish Lemon: The New Garden Trend with Zesty Hues

Pinkish Lemon: What Is This New Trend?

The “Pinkish Lemon” trend is a real breath of fresh air in the gardening world. It’s part of a broader movement where we seek softness, freshness and a certain poetic quality in our outdoor spaces. Pinkish Lemon creates a bright, energising tableau with a multitude of delicate pink flowers, accentuated by touches of lemon yellow. Yet it’s far from garish pink or loud yellow. We’re talking pastel tones, blush pinks, powdery, slightly pearlescent, paired with pale, golden or lightly buttery yellows. The inspiration comes from watercolour sketchbooks, modernised English gardens and even pastel Scandinavian decor. This chromatic duo invites relaxation, evoking sunny days, fresh lemonade and Sunday bouquets.

Pinkish Lemon is a trend that’s both romantic and zesty, soft and indulgent. Alongside these tender pink and yellow hues, you can incorporate similar tones like peach, creamy white, copper and bronze (with ornamental grasses for example), plus lemon green for a tangy accent!

This style also charms with its optimistic, comforting quality. In times when we seek wellbeing, this soft-yet-zesty combo evokes childhood, sweet treats and simple pleasures. It’s not just a decor trend, but a genuine mindset: cultivating lightness, beauty and a touch of everyday magic. Pinkish Lemon perfectly complements the idea of a garden refugium. Whether on an urban terrace or in a country garden, this colour palette creates a bright, joyful sanctuary.

The Pinkish Lemon trend is a soft, fruity and tangy hue, somewhere between tender pink and orangey yellow

How to incorporate it into the garden?

The Pinkish Lemon trend integrates quite easily into the garden. It’s not always necessary to rethink everything: sometimes just adding a few flowers and decorative elements in these tones is enough to liven up the whole space. With their luminous hue, Pinkish Lemon flowers have such presence that they’ll stand out immediately in borders. The aim is to add a touch of freshness and poetry without disrupting what’s already there.

The first step is to identify areas to enhance: a slightly dull border, a forgotten edge, a patio corner needing refreshing. These spots then become ideal settings to showcase the soft pink and yellow tones of Pinkish Lemon. You might choose to create a monochrome border with a gradient of pinks and yellows, or alternatively pair them with other similar tones like orange, copper, creamy white and anise green.

When combining plants, we recommend varying shapes and textures: for instance, pair the delicate small flowers of avens ‘Tempo Rose’ or cornflower ‘Pinkie’ with the large blooms of peonies, dahlias or roses. Alongside these, incorporate plants with decorative, airy foliage like ferns or ornamental grasses. This diversity helps avoid monotony and creates visual rhythm. Also consider staggering flowering periods to extend the effect through autumn.

Containers and accessories also play a key role. Terracotta pots or pale pink/yellow ceramic planters will reinforce the Pinkish Lemon atmosphere. A side table repainted in a soft hue, pastel lanterns or a pale wood bench can be enough to transform the whole ambience.

For which garden style?

The Pinkish Lemon trend adapts to various garden styles, from the most traditional to the most contemporary:

• In a romantic garden or English-style garden, the Pinkish Lemon palette enhances the existing floral aesthetic. The powdery tones blend perfectly with old roses, peonies, and lush flower beds. The mix of textures and shapes creates a living painting, full of charm and softness.
• In a naturalistic or cottage garden, this trend expresses itself through looser plantings inspired by flowering meadows. Simple-shaped flowers like cornflowers or geums, combined with airy grasses, create a lively and fluid display. The pastel tones add a sense of lightness that softens the wilder side of this garden style.
• The Pinkish Lemon trend is ideal for creating a bohemian garden, where freedom, eclecticism, and varied textures reign. Here, unstructured plantings, macramé hangers, floral-print cushions, and fairy lights take centre stage. The Pinkish Lemon hues fit seamlessly into this eclectic and warm setting, creating a relaxed yet inspiring atmosphere.
• It also finds its place in Mediterranean-style gardens. Here, opt for varieties suited to dry climates, plants with silvered or evergreen foliage, and light colours that reflect the light. Think of the luminous flowering of oleanders, rockroses, sunroses, yarrows, Banks’ roses…

With its soft, luminous tones, the ‘Pinkish Lemon’ trend is perfect for romantic gardens. Especially as many roses come in pink, orange, and yellow shades, often offering subtle nuances.

Which plants to choose for a Pinkish Lemon garden?

The heart of the Pinkish Lemon style is, of course, the plants! We choose varieties with soft hues, blush pink or pearly pink, paired with pastel yellow, buttery or lemony tones. Here is a selection of key plants to create a Pinkish Lemon garden:

Perennial plants

Perennial plants form the foundation of the Pinkish Lemon garden. They remain in place for several years, providing consistent flowering and natural structure to the borders. Among the most emblematic of the Pinkish Lemon style is the foxglove ‘Apple Blossom’, which, with its pale pink bells on tall spikes, adds height to the borders. The avens ‘Tempo Rose’, more discreet but very floriferous, offers a perfect rustic touch for edging. Dahlias, such as ‘Pink Pearl’ and ‘Masterclass’, captivate with their opulence and soft palette, ideal for lush borders. As for the Watsonia borbonica, it introduces a subtle exotic touch while remaining delicate, with its clusters of soft pink flowers. Also consider the Itoh Peony ‘Scrumdidleyumptious’, spectacular with its cream-edged pink petals, and the Agapanthus ‘Blush Pink’, one of the few pink-flowered agapanthus!

Bushes

Bushes are perfect for structuring the garden and adding depth. They can, for example, be placed in the background of a perennial border. In the Pinkish Lemon garden, roses hold a special place: we recommend, for instance, the stunning rose ‘See You in Rosé’, which blooms abundantly from May until the first frosts, offering single, pale pink flowers with red maculate centres and yellow stamen hearts. You could also choose the rose ‘Mme A. Meilland’ (also known as ‘Peace’), famous for its large pale yellow flowers tinged with pink. The Rhododendron ‘Easydendron Inkarho Belkanto’, with its evergreen foliage and vibrant spring flowering, perfectly structures a shady or semi-shady border. The Hydrangea ‘You and Me Love’, with its double, tender inflorescences, complements this ensemble with a soft texture. Also discover the Magnolia ‘Eva Maria’, which offers large pearly pink flowers in May-June, particularly elegant.

Some plant ideas for a Pinkish Lemon garden: Foxglove ‘Apple Blossom’, Itoh Peony ‘Scrumdidleyumptious’ (photo: F.D. Richards), Watsonia borbonica (photo: Forest and Kim Starr), Roses ‘Mme A. Meilland’ and ‘See You in Rosé’ (photo: Krzysztof Ziarnek), Rhododendron Inkarho ‘Belkanto’

To complete this selection

• Don’t hesitate to include some climbing plants, such as the Climbing Rose ‘David Hockney’, ideal for dressing a pergola.
• Also consider annuals like the cornflower ‘Pinkie’, which offers delicate pink flowers with rustic charm, and the love-in-a-mist ‘Persian Rose’.
• You could also add small fruits, such as yellow-fruited raspberries, for a gourmet touch!
• And to enhance harmony, some silver or soft green foliage — like that of golden heucheras, artemisias, or stachys — will soften the ensemble while highlighting the pastel blooms. Also consider the santolina ‘Lemon Fizz’, with its light green to golden foliage.

Perfect the decor

The Pinkish Lemon garden isn’t just about plants: it’s important to consider decorative elements that will highlight and enhance this aesthetic that’s both soft, joyful and poetic. Whether it’s a reading nook under a tree, a small outdoor seating area or a simple flower-adorned bench, every detail contributes to creating this particularly luminous atmosphere. Depending on the mood you wish to create in your space, you can evolve the decor towards a more romantic touch or a more bohemian style, while keeping the Pinkish Lemon codes.

For a romantic garden

In a romantic version, the decor should be elegant, refined and slightly vintage. Weathered materials or wrought iron blend perfectly with the garden’s pastel tones. An aged white bench, placed in the shade of a climbing rose, becomes an ideal observation spot. A filigree metal table with matching chairs invites you to share floral tea or homemade lemonade. Textiles also play an essential role: embroidered cushions, soft pink linen tablecloths, small white curtains fluttering in the breeze if there’s a pergola… each element contributes to this atmosphere of delicacy.

Charming objects find their perfect place here: vintage watering cans, decorative bird cages, aged small mirrors placed against a fence. Lanterns placed on the ground or hung in trees create soft light at dusk, perfect for extending evenings in a bubble of gentleness. A path of light gravel bordered by flowering plants or irregular slabs surrounded by creeping thyme enhance the “fairy tale garden” effect. When designing your garden, don’t hesitate to incorporate statues or a fountain to reinforce the romantic and timeless atmosphere. You can also install pergolas and arches for climbing plants to grow on.

For a bohemian atmosphere

The Pinkish Lemon garden can also be declinated in a bohemian spirit – warm and relaxed. Here, natural materials, artisanal objects and bold combinations take centre stage. Mix textures, layer cushions with floral or ethnic prints, let fabrics unfold under trees like floating drapes. A rattan swing chair, a hanging seat or cotton hammock can be installed between two trunks, offering a soft refuge away from the world.

Decorative objects can be vintage finds or repurposed items: an old wooden ladder serves as support for a climbing rose, wooden crates become shelves for flowering pots, palettes are converted into terrace sofas and colourful lanterns add a touch of whimsy. The atmosphere is joyful, free, almost improvised, yet always coherent thanks to the soft palette of pink and yellow that ties all elements together.

To create a bohemian atmosphere, opt for colourful garlands, lanterns, printed cushions and fabrics, macramé or rattan seating…