How to Use Color Theory to Transform Garden Design

As growers prepare for spring, many have already started making a list of all the plants they’re hoping to sow or purchase this year. However, what about plans for the colors or the layout of the garden? At times, growers can start with a desire for certain plants or flowers, maybe plants they’ve been thinking about all winter, but it’s helpful to take a step back and think about the overall look and flow of the garden. Color is a wonderful tool used for evoking feelings and moods or making the most out of the colors already present in the landscape. Growers strategic about the colors and layout can make a garden that truly pops.

What is Color Theory?

According to My Modern Met, “Color Theory is the science of how we perceive different hues and the creative way in which artists mix, match, and blend a wide range of colors to please the eye.”

Think of the garden as a canvas. Unconsciously, growers may already be drawn to their favorite colors, but they aren’t paying attention to how the colors interact with the rest of the garden. Is there a way to incorporate other colors to make them stand out?

Using color theory and a handy-dandy color wheel can make a major impact on how the garden comes together. Whether starting from scratch or filling in gaps, this is a useful tool at a grower’s disposal.

How to Work With Color

A good place to start is with a pocket color wheel. It may seem silly, but having this while shopping greatly helps with choosing the right plants and streamlining options. It all centers around the relationship a color has with other colors, and a color wheel is the easiest way to visualize this.

Contrasting Colors

For a striking garden design, choose contrasting colors. These are colors that are opposite to each other on the color wheel. Yellows and blues together or reds and greens show the boldness in each color. A helpful tool to visualize this contrast is putting a phone camera in black and white mode and looking for different shades of gray. If colors look like similar gray, then it’s better to separate them with a darker gray/black in between, which creates desirable high contrast.

Complementary Colors

With split complementary, the colors are contrasting but with less tension than contrasting colors. Instead of using colors that are directly across from one another, and the use of two colors on each side of the complementary color gives a more subtle boost. The colors complement and enhance the focus color without competing.

Analogous Colors and Color Gradients

Using colors that are next to each other on the color wheel can provide a pleasant palette selection. Sticking to a palette of reds, oranges, and yellows gives a warm feel, while in contrast, sticking to blue, green, and purple has a cooler vibe. This gives growers a more cohesive range and an easy frame of reference when plant shopping.

Monochromatic

Monochromatic means focusing on one color throughout the garden, often involving different shades of said color. As seen in the recent popularity of the Noire (or Goth) garden trend highlighted by Gardening Know How, monochromatic color schemes have become a popular trend. Having one color makes a bold statement and can give a unique personality to the garden while also leaving room to highlight different textures and shades.

For additional information on using color theory for landscape and garden design, as well as many visual examples or color pairings, read the original article written by Ayla Stults-Lopez on the Terra Nova Nurseries website.