Painting with plants
Flowers are the new paint. There’s a growing recognition for
the skills involved in getting a garden design scheme to fit perfectly into its
surroundings. This could be by complimenting the landscape or being in total
contrast to it-and all of the variables in between. It’s a vast subject and as varied and individual
as the person designing the schemes for a garden.
Combining colours
Before planning your garden scheme, makes notes of items of
clothing, furniture or any other factors in the day that catch your eye because
of the colour contrasts. These can help you plant a colour scheme when looking
for plants.
Colour theory
Colour theory is based on the colour wheel, which is
basically the spectrum (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet)
bent into a circle. Particular relationships between colours give certain
results. The wheel is a great help for planning the garden scheme.
Harmonious colours
are next to each other on the colour wheel and have a soothing effect. These softer
colour combinations include blue and violet, orange and red, and orange and
yellow. Using harmonious colours unifies a garden.
Complementary colours.
Colours that are opposite on the colour wheel are described as complementary.
High in contrast, complementary colours add creative energy and vitality to a
garden. Examples of complementary colours include yellow and violet, orange and
blue, and green and red.
A monochromatic colour
scheme is composed of plants of the same colour. You may have an all-white
garden or a garden that is "in the pink." Create extra interest in a
monochromatic garden by using a mix of tones or shades of the same colour in
addition to various textures, shapes and sizes.
Foliage colour
should be considered in any scheme. Foliage with green and white or green and
yellow variegated leaves adds interest to the garden. There are also plants
with chartreuse, lime green, bronze or reddish/purple leaves that add a bold
element to your garden. Bearing in mind that most foliage is green, and that,
on a good day, the sky is blue, it is difficult to be strict about this theory,
because the majority of colours in the garden go well with blue and green.
However, it is undeniable that blue and orange do combine very well, and that
yellow and purple create a pleasing match.
Pastels and muted colours
set a peaceful and tranquil mood Soft pink, powder blue, lavender, and peach --
these gentle colours set a mood of tranquillity. They are familiar colours of
cottage gardens, those English-style gardens that contain a carefully designed
hodgepodge of old-fashioned flowers. Pastel colours look best when viewed from
relatively close up, and they can look washed out in the harsh mid-day sun,
which can be attractive in itself.
Bright or primary colours
include red, orange, magenta and bright yellow. These colours are guaranteed to
energize the garden. The colour will show well in the bright sunshine and also
attract your eye from a great distance. Limit planting bright colours with less
intensely coloured plants as the brighter ones will steal the show.
White flowers are in a class by themselves. They blend well
with every colour and can also be used as a transition between colours that do
not normally work well together.
Warm colours
include red, orange and yellow. They tend to make flowers appear closer than they
really are.
Cool colours such
as blue, violet, silver and white lend a calming effect and make plants appear
farther away in the garden.
Adjacent colours
Use two or three adjacent colours to create a harmonious
effect. For example, red and orange (and yellow) Adjoining colours, which sit
side-by-side on the colour wheel, create more subtle combinations. The most
striking combinations are complementary colours that lie directly opposite each
other: red and green, purple and yellow. You can use complementary pairs as
great accent colour, for example, a single purple-flowered plant in a bed of
yellow.
Based on colours spaced at equal distances around the colour
wheel, contrasts work best in groups of three, for example, red, blue and
yellow, or purple, green and orange.
It’s up to personal taste but as a rule of thumb up to five
colours can be contrasted before it gets too much for the eye. But this needs
careful planning - use a dominant ‘theme colour’ and work the rest round it.
Position
The colour combinations might depend on the gardens
position. Does it get full sun; is it shaded, wet or dry? All of these factors can be taken into
consideration when choosing permanent shrubs, perennial or annuals for the
scheme.
Once you know the effect you wish to create and you have
chosen your anchor colour, it's time to head to the garden centre or friends
house for plants that fall within your colour scheme. If you are unsure about
combinations, let them sit side by side in pots for a few days to see how you
like the effect.
The wonderful thing about a garden is that it is always a work
in progress. Move and play with colours until you find the effect that makes
you smile. That's what gardening is really all about.
