Using Color In The Garden

Color is such an integral part of any garden, and one which can be used Complementary colors with flowers. Image licensed through ©iStockphoto.com/Desiree Walstra, photographer. effectively to achieve various moods and affects. Let's explore some uses for color in the garden, some "tricks of the trade" for enhancing your views!

There are some tricks to using colors in the garden which offer a pleasing effect. Optical illusion can also be used to give a garden depth, to emphasize a focal point, or to create the illusion of mystery:

To create the illusion of a larger garden bed, place the warm colors in front and the cool colors in the back. If you want a bed to look smaller and a bit more narrow, reverse this and place the warm colors in the back and the cooler colors in the front of the bed.

Following the same idea, to create the illusion of a larger garden, use the cooler colors extensively. If you wish to create the illusion of a smaller garden, use the warmer colors extensively.

Shady areas benefit from the lighter hues of cooler colors with a touch of white. If you use deeply colored plants particularly of warm colors, these tend to recede and get "swallowed up" in the shade.

If you have an area of unrelenting sunshine, warm colors with a touch of white will not fade in the bright light. Cooler colors will tend to "wash out".

If you have an undesirable focal point such as a utility pole or utility box, you can draw the attention away by planting a garden nearby.

Entrances to your home can be a bit tricky. Warm and welcoming colors can be used to evoke the feeling of hospitality and cheerfulness. A blend of warm and cool colors evokes feelings of warmth, yet serenity. The use of cooler colors makes the visitor feel calm and relaxed.

Colors can be partnered or used for various visual and mood effects:

You can use complementary colors. Some examples of complemetary colors are red and green, blue and orange, and violet and yellow. By using three complementary colors, a triad is formed: some examples of a complementary triad is red, yellow, and blue and orange, light green, and violet.

Blues and blue-violet create the feeling of coolness, mystery, and serenity. Use in seating areas or around water gardens with a touch of white to cool the visitor on a hot, summer day!

White creates the largest amount of attention, so use it wisely. White draws the eye, so if you have a piece of garden architecture or a particular plant that you want to emphasize, use white plants as types of "spotlights" to draw the eye in. White also works well to create contrast and is a great way to separate warm and cool colors that might clash if they were placed directly together, such as pink and orange. White can be used a bit more freely in shaded areas to brighten up a nook, and by itself, white can be stunning, such in a moonlight or all-white garden.

Light yellow and cream work much in the same way as white. Use light yellows and cream shades for color breaks the same as with white, but with a softer effect. For example, if you wish to emphasize a statue or other feature, a light, creamy yellow can offer the same effect as white without the starkness of a pure white.

Reds, yellows, and oranges create a sizzling palette. The effect can be dramatic or tiring to the eye, so keep that in mind.

If you want a harmonious, non-clashing blend of colors, try to keep a ratio of about 15% warm colors in the blend. You can use different plants to achieve this effect, but remember to make the groupings such that perhaps only three warm-colored plants are grouped in an area which has a grouping of twenty or so cooler-colored plants of one or many different varieties.

You can also pick three or four basic colors, perhaps blue or blue-violet, a warm orange, and yellow or white and repeat the colors throughout the garden. You can grow many different plants in that color scheme, so your choices won't be limited. Choose plants in these colors that bloom throughout the year, and repeat the color scheme at regular intervals of all the different plants for balanced color throughout the season.

You can use variegated foliage to also help soften the look of a garden and to give it depth. There are many different shades of green; in fact, green is the predominant color in any landscape and ranges from cooler tones to warmer tones. Keep this in mind as well when planning a garden.

Use some of these tips when planning a color scheme for your gardens. You will undoubtedly find many uses for all the different warm and cool tones with your different shaded and sunny areas!