Color

When designing a garden or container, don’t underestimate the importance of color.

Colors can help you set the mood, attract attention or make a statement. Colors can convey a style, whether elegant and traditional, or playful and fun. Color is a very powerful design element and learning to use it properly is not always easy.

There are many books on color theory; but one of my favorites was written by my hero, Sydney Eddison. In The Gardener’s Palette, Sydney conveys a wealth of information in a straightforward way to help us all feel more confident gardening with color. I heard her lecture many years back and all of us in the class left with a color wheel. What a gift! It made color theory so much easier to understand. Colors opposite on the wheel (complementary) have the most impact – great for gardens or containers that need to grab attention. Colors on the blue/green/purple side of the color wheel tend to feel calm and serene while those on the opposite side are more lively and spicy. Picture a hammock in the midst of a garden. Do you envision it surrounded by orange, red and yellow flowers or relaxing green ferns?

Color can convey a mood.

Some of my favorite color combinations are a bit unexpected. Try pinks with burgundy and silver. Orange with purple.

Purple with lavender and lime green. I even recently created a black and white container. Keep in mind that foliage has a color too. As purple and yellow are across from each other on the color wheel a pairing will give big impact. So too will purple flowers and yellow-green foliage.