The Color Wheel

Color is arguably the single most powerful tool when it comes to designing your garden. Certain color combinations have an emotional impact comparable to that of music.

A color wheel is a simple and unique way of showing relationships between colors. The colors on the right side of the wheel are considered warm. The colors on the left side are counted among the coolish hues.

Colors adjacent to one another are analogous. They contradict. Opposite colors are complementary. A conversation among kindred souls. What is important to gardeners, is how colors work with and of one another to form an overall evocative impression.

Gardening with Color

With a wide selection of annual flower colors available, you can change your color scheme from year to year. To create visually appealing and alluring gardens you must know how to effectively combine colors. The distinction between warm and cool colors is important to the gardener for several reasons. Here are some tips for selecting your color combinations :

•   Cool colors are good for close up viewing and warm colors are good for dramatic displays.

• To the eye, cool colors tend to recede, and warm colors to advance. In practice, this means that cool colored flowers at the far end of the garden tend to disappear and warm colors stand out.

• Planting warm colored annuals around a warm area will make it seem even hotter. However, if you plant with plenty of cool green, blue, violet, and pastel colors, the area won't actually be any cooler, but it will seem so and be a more inviting place.

• Be careful of cool and warm color combinations. If your garden is primarily cool colored, a mass of flame orange zinnias in the background would divert attention from the more subtle colors in the foreground and disrupt the harmonious effect.