Add Color
to Your Landscape
CHOOSING PLANTS
Combinations of colorful plants can produce a stunning effect, but you may find it helpful to reveiw the basics before deciding which plants are best suited for your climate, soil type and sun exposure. Annuals bloom throughout one growing season and die with the onset of freezing temperatures. Perennials bloom during particular seasons, year after year, without having to be replanted. Bulbs, at ype of perennial, develop cycles in which they store food in underground tissues. Plan your garden with these general guidelines in mind, and you can "paint" an ever-changing landscape with a variety of textures from foliage plants as well as those that produce flowers and fruit through the seasons.
COLOR COMBINATIONS
Colors that clash indoors - or even in your wardrobe - may look perfectly fine outdoors against a background of green and neutral earth tones. Study the relationships between colors on an artist's color wheel. (right) Red, blue and yellow are primary colors. All Combinations are made by mixing them. Taking a cue from nature, you could combine many colors to simulate a wildflower meadow. Or choose one color theme and select plants that correspond to it. Use white for borders and for making transitions from one grouping to another. An easy combination to work with is three related colors such as yellow, yellowish-orange, and orange. This type of scheme give you a wider range of plants to choose from, and it keeps color relationships simple. A bold move is to contrast opposites on the color wheel: combinations of red and green, or orange and blue.
USING WHITE
Add brightness to any color scheme with white. It adds sparkle without distracting from the overall effect. at night, it has a luminous look, so use it near a patio or pool, especially if you entertain at night. If your color scheme calls for an abundance of blue and purple, white will liven it up. Conversely, white will help tone down bold combinations of reds and purples.
COLOR PSYCHOLOGY
Employ color to draw attention toward or away from certain features in your landscape. Remember that color has a psychological effect. Blue, purple and green, for example, are cool colors that generally tend to look farther away than they really are. It's best to plant them close to porches, patios or decks where they can be seen. They also tone down moods and have a quieting effect. On hot summer days, they may even help moderate temperatures - visually, that is. The opposite effect is achieved with reds , oranges and yellows. These colors enliven and heat things up. Use them to create a lively entry or dramatic focal point. Employ them, too, to draw attention away from unattractive features in the garden.
ANNUALS
This is the easiest way to start experimenting with color. Annuals are relatively inexpensive, they provide plenty of color, and if you don't like the way they look, they're gone with the first frost. Make your choices even simpler and less expensive by planting in containers and moving them around to experiment with color combinations. Annuals remain useful in the garden as seasonal borders and "fill-in's" for bare spots.
DESIGN
Study the shape of your landscape, and plan your flower beds on paper. The architecture of your home may help determine whether you'll want straight, formal beds or a more flowing, natural line. Too often, homeowners feel they don't have enough time to plan their landscapes, so they jump in and design as they go. This is a mistake, and it may cost you time as well as money. Choose plants that correspond to your lifestyle and use whatever resources of information you can find.
