Фиолетовый стал любимым цветом цветов в Великобритании: исследование RHS

New research reveals purple is Britain's favourite flower colour, while experts explain how different shades could influence the atmosphere of your garden. Purple could be the UK's favourite flower colour, with more than one in four people choosing the shade in new research involving 11,569 visitors to RHS Wisley Garden . The study, which explored people's favourite flower colours and the emotions they associated with them, found that 26.67% of participants chose purple as their favourite colour across three seasons. But the research also revealed a striking difference in the emotional associations of different colour families. Saturated warm colours such as red, orange and yellow were associated with higher levels of positive emotion and emotional intensity, including happiness, joy, excitement, enthusiasm and energy. Meanwhile, light and muted colours were associated with lower emotional intensity, including relaxation, serenity and peacefulness, while cooler hues including green, blue and purple were linked with lower-arousal emotional responses such as calmness. The findings come as outdoor maintenance experts at PBSR CO explored how homeowners can use colour psychology to create gardens designed around the atmosphere they want, whether that's a peaceful retreat or a more energetic space for entertaining. Alex Essex, garden specialist at PBSR CO, said: "We tend to think about garden colour purely in terms of what looks attractive, but there is growing evidence that colour is also closely connected with how we emotionally experience a space. "The really interesting thing is that you can use this to your advantage. If your garden is somewhere you want to escape and unwind, a very different colour palette may work better than if you primarily use it for entertaining friends and family." Of all the colours included in the RHS research , purple came out on top across three seasons, with 26.67% of participants selecting it as their favourite flower colour. The shade was the most popular overall, although red took the top spot during winter. The research also found that saturated colours were the most popular overall, accounting for 60% of favourite colour choices, compared with 17.9% for muted colours, 12.39% for dark colours and 7.97% for light colours. This suggests that while softer shades may be associated with calmer emotional responses, people are not necessarily choosing the most muted colours when deciding which flowers they like best. For homeowners, that creates an opportunity to use colour strategically rather than simply choosing plants based on appearance. Want a calmer garden? Go green, blue and muted The latest research suggests that cooler and less saturated colours are particularly associated with lower-arousal emotional responses, including calmness, relaxation and peacefulness. A 2025 systematic review of 132 peer-reviewed studies involving 42,266 participants across 64 countries also found systematic associations between colour and emotion, with blue, green, blue-green and white associated with positive, lower-arousal emotions. For homeowners wanting to create a more relaxing outdoor space, Alex recommends considering: - Green - closely connected with nature and associated with lower-arousal positive emotions. - Blue - commonly associated with calm and tranquillity. - Purple - associated with empowering emotional responses in wider colour research. - White - associated with positive, lower-arousal emotions. - Muted and pale shades - associated with relaxation and serenity. A garden dominated by soft greens, pale blues, lavender and white can therefore create a visually softer atmosphere than one dominated by highly saturated warm colours. Want a happier, more energetic garden? Turn up the colour The RHS research found that saturated warm colours such as red, orange and yellow produced some of the strongest associations with positive emotion and emotional intensity, including happiness, joy, excitement, enthusiasm and energy. That makes warmer shades particularly interesting for gardens designed around entertaining and socialising. Experts recommend using them strategically rather than allowing every planting bed to compete for attention as yellow can introduce brightness, orange can create a warmer and more energetic atmosphere, whilst red is particularly attention-grabbing adding drama and intensity. The result can be a garden that feels livelier and stimulating rather than purely restful. The surprising colour rule: it's not just the shade, it's the intensity One of the most interesting findings is that colour saturation and lightness appear to matter alongside hue. Saturated warm hues were associated with higher emotional intensity, while light and muted colours were associated with lower-intensity emotional responses such as relaxation and serenity. This means homeowners don't necessarily have to abandon their favourite colour if they want a calmer garden. Instead, they could experiment with a softer version of the same shade such as dusty rose to replace red, pale buttery yellow, soft lavender and muted terracotta instead of bright orange. This allows homeowners to retain the colour family while reducing its visual intensity. According to Alex, the biggest mistake isn't choosing a particular colour, it's using too many highly saturated colours together. “A garden packed with intense reds, oranges, yellows, pinks, purples and blues can create multiple competing focal points and make the overall space feel visually busy, but y ou don't need to remove colour from a garden to make it feel calm,"Alex said. "It's more about controlling the relationship between the colours. A garden with one dominant colour family, a supporting shade and a few accents can feel much more cohesive than one where every plant is competing for attention." A study involving 16,307 people across 18 countries found that recreational visits to green spaces were associated with higher positive wellbeing and lower mental distress. Together, the findings add to wider evidence that green space can be associated with better wellbeing suggesting the natural greenery already present in a garden may be an important part of its overall atmosphere. Alex concluded: "Colour gives homeowners a relatively simple way of changing the atmosphere of an outdoor space without completely redesigning it. If you want somewhere to switch off, look towards cooler and more muted colours. If you want somewhere that feels lively and sociable, warmer and more saturated colours can help create that feeling. "The key is to think about how you want the garden to feel before deciding what you want it to look like."