Backyard Living Magazine recently asked 100 Master Gardeners to give their best gardening tip, and I thought I would share a few of them in the coming weeks.
Master Gardener tip #2 is to use a color wheel if you need help figuring out a color scheme for your garden. I thought this was a great tip for people who feel a bit paralyzed when it comes to making color choices, but many people don’t know how to use a color wheel, so the tip is kind of incomplete. It’s too bad, because in such a small space, such as the typical balcony garden, a color plan can really help the entire garden look put together.
Photo by Claire L. Evans
In college I had to take a whole class on color theory. I won’t bore you with all the things some scientist thought worthy of putting in a textbook (did you know you can literally torture people with colors?), but using a color wheel is pretty easy once someone sits you down and explains how it works. You probably even know some of this already…
First, and perhaps easiest, you could pick colors right next to each other on the wheel. These are called analogous colors. For example, yellow, yellow-orange, and orange. Chosing analogous colors often is a more subtle approach, and can look sophisticated or modern.
Another easy way to pick harmonious colors would be to chose complimentary colors, which are directly opposite each other on the color wheel. For example, yellow and purple (technically called “violet” by color experts/scientists) or orange and blue. Choosing complimentary colors usually brings out the best in each color making them both “pop.”
A third way to chose colors would be to imagine an equilateral triangle connecting three colors on the color wheel (i.e. every fourth color on the wheel). When you go this route, you’re either selecting primary colors (red, blue and yellow), secondary colors (purple, green and orange) or tertiary colors (Yellow-orange, red-orange, and red-purple or blue-purple, blue-green and yellow-green). These color combinations tend to be the most intense and often seem “energetic” or “fun.”
Finally, remember with container gardening, you’re not just chosing the colors of the flower and foliage, but the pot and possibly the wall color behind your pots.
What are your favorite color combinations? See some flower color combos in action below the jump…
Analogous Colors:
Photo by green_lover
Photo by photonooner
Complimentary Colors:
Photo by chrisdubai
Photo by My Blue Muse
Primary Colors:
Photo by alikphoto
Secondary Colors:
Photo by Heaven’s Gate
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Cool post, Fern. I don’t ever think about these things. I don’t do much planning, since I primarily grow plants from a plant collecting standpoint. But I will definitely have to think this through with my visible front porch plants next Spring.
Zach — There is always something new to obsess about when it comes to gardening!
I like having a color scheme because it makes selecting plants easier for me. In my garden, I only have yellow, orange and purple. I don’t really like pink and purple, so it was pretty easy for me to pick a scheme.
Great post, Fern! I love purple, green, and orange together in particular – it just seems so tropical and lively!
Great post, Fern. It’s good to get some design theory background. I can’t wait to hear some of the other tips.
I like this post, too, Fern. I’m curious about the emotional and intellectual choices we make when we identify our favorite colors and choose plants–whether they “qualify” as our favorites or not.
…I think I’m more of an analogous color person — you suggested subtlety. I think it’s also related to calmness, nuance, and “quiet” in the garden. …Even your dreaded pink might quiet down or play nicely/dance in time if you partner it with corals, soft oranges, and plums.
Gen–Thanks! I hadn’t really thought about purple green and orange as a color combo until I was writing this post, but I really like how the three look together.
Invisible Bees — I hadn’t thought about that aspect, but it’s interesting to think about personality and color. I do appreciate pink flowers, so long as they’re in someone else’s garden.
I like the picture with the purple, red and hot pink.
Colorwheels sure are good for lots of things!
I’ll have to remember this.
oh, and for the dahlia lovers… the one in the primary colors pictures looks just like the ‘Sights of Summer’ I picked up last year. It was by far my favorite dahlia I’ve grown to date. Large flowers on medium plants. Flowers are mostly red with an intensely yellow center, and very fragrant too. I highly recommend picking one up if you happen to see it.