{"id":3216,"date":"2018-12-23T23:22:37","date_gmt":"2018-12-23T23:22:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ongardening.com\/?p=3216"},"modified":"2019-03-06T23:20:50","modified_gmt":"2019-03-06T23:20:50","slug":"color-combinations-in-the-garden","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/ongardening.com\/?p=3216","title":{"rendered":"Color Combinations in the Garden"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Combining\nfloral and foliage colors can be an enjoyable and challenging aspect of garden\ndesign. The plant kingdom offers a vast range of possible color combinations,\nincluding mixes of the various shades of green. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When\nplanning floral color combinations in the garden, a basic consideration is to\nselect plants that will display their colors at the same time. This issue alone\ncan require compiling notes regarding the bloom periods of plants under\nconsideration, drawing on reference materials such as Sunset\u2019s Western Garden\nBook. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In addition,\nthe selected plants should have similar requirements for exposure, irrigation,\nand drainage. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then, it\nwill usually be desirable to select plants of similar size, so that the\nblossoms will be in fairly close proximity for optimal effect. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once the\ngardener has satisfied these placement and cultivation considerations and has\nidentified a good number of candidate plants, the focus can be on deciding the\nactual color combinations. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unless the\ngardener has a natural gift for visualizing and evaluating color combinations,\na color wheel is a useful tool for combining colors in a systematic manner,\npresenting the spectrum of colors in the familiar sequence of red, orange,\nyellow, green, blue, indigo and violet (ROYGBIV). They vary primarily in the\nrange of hues presented. A very basic wheel will show just the three primary\ncolors: red, yellow, blue. A more advanced wheel will include the secondary\ncolors: green, orange, purple. An even more detailed wheel will include the six\ntertiary colors, which are created by mixing primary and secondary colors. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A search of\nthe Internet will produce numerous examples of color wheels for convenient\nreference in planning color combinations in the garden. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Color theory\ncan be a lengthy study for visual artists and others seeking to appreciate the\nsubtle relationships among colors.  Most\ngardeners will need only familiarity with the basic color relationships on the\ncolor wheel: complementary (opposite colors), analogous (adjacent colors),\ntriadic (three colors evenly spaced), etc. For illustrations of these and other\nrelationships, search the Internet for \u201ccolor harmonies.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Real-world\ncombinations might be reflect one of the formal color harmonies, but are as\nlikely to be only a rough approximation. For example, this photo shows a chance\nmix of a blue-purple salvia blossom and a pink\/white geranium blossom. This is\na roughly analogous combination, but because the color green adds to the\ndisplay, it qualifies as a roughly triadic harmony. In any event, if it pleases\nthe gardener, it\u2019s a success! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Salvia and Geranium combine pleasing colors<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Another\nexample of a chance mix shows succulent foliage in various shades of green.\nThis too is a roughly analogous combination based on a small sample of the many\ngreens that appear in many gardens. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Succulents provide several green hues<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Here is a\nbrief reality check on color combinations in the garden. <\/p>\n\n\n\n