First, I really should show you a better photo of the spring bulbs you see above (a photo withOUT me in it - LOL). Look at all the gorgeous spring bulbs in full bloom! There have been countless books written about designing gardens with color, as well as countless books just on color theory and color design in general. A few of my favorite garden books on this topic are: "Color by Design", by Nori and Sandra Pope; "Color in Your Garden", by Penelope Hobhouse; and "Shocking Beauty", by Thomas Hobbs. But there are plenty of other excellent books on this topic, too. Regarding any references that I make about the artist's color wheel, if you would like more detailed information than I might be giving here, please go to the following excellent website, and then click on the color wheel that you see on their Home page: www.tigercolor.com I also want to thank all three of my former gardening / landscaping bosses for so generously sharing with me so much of their own valuable insights and "tricks of the trade" into how to use garden color to its best advantage. So, to Allen, Ed, and Chip, a tip of the old garden hat to you!! And now, here are some of my own views on the topic of garden color... First and foremost, the most important color in any garden, regardless of whatever your garden plans hope to be, is that you'll have to deal with the color GREEN. Without some good-looking shades of green in your garden, your little plot of outdoor Heaven is going to look more like that, ummmm... "opposite place!" The good news is: there are MANY different kinds of green in the Plant Kingdom! There are lime-greens, "forest" greens, jungle-greens, reddish greens, silvery-grey greens, blue-greens, and even variegated greens. Then there are also: matte greens, shiny greens, translucent greens, solid greens, waxy greens, and even flax-y greens! You name it, there's practically every color in the rainbow shade of green, and then some... Having made the above comments regarding the color green, the next color to be aware of in any garden is the opposite color, RED. A small amount of red, even if just a hint, if planted near to your lawn or favorite green shrubs, for example, will help make your green foliage in the garden look even more green! But, please be aware of what can happen if you use "too much" red.... That much color contrast (because red and green are opposites on the artist's color wheel) can easily become very jarring and unsettling to the eye. A more calming and restful garden look is when red is softened a bit by adding in some white, to create the tint commonly known as the color PINK. But, it really all depends on what effect you're going for in your garden, and what colors you most naturally gravitate towards. Complimentary colors, especially at full saturation, will provide high contrast in your garden. Harmonious colors (AKA analogous color schemes) - picking colors that are next to each other on the artist's color wheel, rather than opposites - are considered more natural and peaceful to be around. Do you primarily want to create a garden look of "excitement"? Or, conversely, are you more interested in having your garden feel like a calm refuge? Or maybe even a bit of BOTH? Using color intelligently in your garden can create the outdoor atmosphere that you most powerfully long for, making your garden an extension of your home in the same way that the indoors gives you that sense of sanctity and serenity, as well as a joyful expression of YOU!! It's just as important to think through HOW you plan to plant your garden, though, as much as what exact colors you wish to include in it. I've found that planting in large color "drifts", or in bold color "blocks" is more satisfying to look at than planting too many different random "sprinklings" of color. The best example I can think of is when I worked for Ed Kaenel and he had a client who owned a commercial piece of property up in the North Bay. Every year Ed would dig up a triangle-shaped bed of spent summer annuals in the fall, amend the soil, then dig five deep holes for tulip bulbs, planting three different kinds of tulips in each of those holes - an early-season bloomer, a mid-season bloomer, and a late-season bloomer, all of which were planted very closely together in every hole. Usually each variety of tulip would be a slightly different color for each of the three different bloom seasons; but all three colors were harmonious to look at together, usually in the shades of apricot, peach, and maybe one that was a more brilliant two-toned orange/red in color. After covering the five large areas of tulip bulbs with soil, he would then plant a cover crop of yellow winter-blooming Primrose. When it came time for the tulips to erupt through that cover crop of yellow Primrose, the explosion of color that would happen was traffic-stopping! The secret to Ed's success was that he thought through his color scheme very carefully beforehand, packed his tulip bulbs very tightly into those five holes that he dug for them (odd numbers looking more natural in a garden space than even numbers would), and then also planted a cover crop that was a compatible color with the tulips that were hiding deep underground. It all starts with a plan. To begin, you first have to be willing to work with whatever size yard, deck, patio, or other amount of outdoor space you own. Gone are the days when folks had so much land that they could create many different garden "rooms" - only the very wealthiest of society's upper class can afford to even remotely approach that level of gardening! In any case, here are some color theme ideas to consider for your own garden... Gardening with "Hot" Colors The colors that are considered "hot" on the traditional artist's color wheel are yellow, orange, and red. However, in a garden that deals with living plants as your "palette", a hot-colored garden can expand a little bit more than that. Including strong and vibrant pinks, reddish-violet and neon-purples, as well as some lime-greens and jungle-greens, all contribute to a garden that is very alive with color! If you wish to have your garden as tropical-looking as possible, then I also suggest a lot of big, bold foliage-interest plants like palms (if you live in a climate that allows it), ginger plants, bamboos, and any trees and/or shrubs with large, broad, lush-looking leaves. If you prefer your hot-colored garden to look a bit more Mediterranean, then add a lot of terra cotta colors, including apricot and peach colored flowers, a large variety of succulents, as well as some nice silvery foliaged plants to go with all of those vibrant colors, not to also mention just planting a lot of lavender and/or an olive tree nearby! The American Southwest provides the perfect setting and opportunity for doing this kind of theme, because bold colors look great under the strong California, Arizona, or New Mexico sun. Gardening with "Cool" Colors Again, referring to the traditional artist's color wheel, the "cool" colors are purples, blues, and greens - the closer to blue, the "cooler" the color. I have a friend who is extremely fond of blue flowers, which are very rare in the Plant Kingdom (as far as TRUE blue flowers, that is). She once told me how she could easily enjoy a garden devoted to that color theme. I also shared with her the fact that I had just watched one of Penelope Hobhouse's garden videos, where she mentioned that by adding in a little bit of white to the flowers in what is often called the "midnight shades", that this little sparkle of brightness lightens up a garden that would otherwise look too somber. Garden Theme of Pink and Mauve Flowers Similar to gardening with cool colors is the soft garden theme of focussing on pinks and mauves. Famous British gardening book author Gertrude Jekyll (David Austin's fragrant pink English rose is named after her), who lived long ago (back in the days of HUGE gardens), firmly believed that pink should be the predominant flower color in any garden. To me, too much pink in a garden would put me right to sleep! But, by just adding in a few mauves, the garden gets to keep its same sense of peaceful tranquility, while yet at the same time adding in a bit more garden color interest. Other pastel shades could be easily incorporated into this kind of garden, too - as long as the colors are not too jarring or garish. People who live in more northern climes than California often find that pastels are more greatly appreciated in the softer sunlight, rather than in our strong summer sun. Classic Color Combinations or Themes One of my favorite color themes is that of having a lot of golden-yellow, apricot, and peach colored roses; and to compliment them by having the violet-blue haze of planting Nepeta, Lavender, purple Salvias, and even a few sky-blue Delphineums nearby for contrast. It's best in this case to pick a primary color theme (let's say "apricot", for example), and then to have a secondary harmonious color or two included (let's say the golden-yellows and also some coppery-peach), with only a small amount of color contrast to add some accent to the whole picture (in this case, the strong blues and/or some deep purples). Another completely different classic color combination would be to plant a lot of dark purples, violets, and deep blue colored flowers next to plants that have bright lime-green foliage. This is an example of both bringing out the very best in each other - without the lime-green foliage, the flowers with all those "midnight" shades wouldn't stand out to the eye quite as noticeably; while without those dark, cool-colored flowers, the lime-green foliage alone might even look a bit anemic! And then there is the theme of having a "white garden" (AKA "Moon Garden") - a garden dedicated to having only white or cream-colored flowers, so that the full moon will reflect off the garden's floral beauty at night, as well as day! Vita Sacksville-West, of course, was the first gardener to have made this idea really famous, back in the day when she gardened at Sissinghurst; but it's not necessary to literally own a castle in order to try out this same idea out for yourself; just plant a lot of light-colored flowers near any patio, terrace, or balcony where you come out to visit the garden on moonlit nights, and you'll never ever regret it! Probably the most famous color combination of all, though, is the pairing of red and green --- what would Christmas be without it?!! But, just red and green alone is usually not quite sufficient. If you want the reds to really "sparkle", just add in a few subtle small white flowers and/or silvery foliage into the mix (this is also just as flattering to have near pinks, by the way). My friend Chip used this technique in many a garden I have worked in, and it always proved to be a guaranteed winner! Remembering to Always Value Green Last but not least, it's always best to remind ourselves again of the most important color of all in any garden: green!! How you use your greens, what exact type of greens, as well as utilizing other factors of foliage interest (like leaf shape, size, texture, etc.), all will help make your garden become the refuge of beauty and peace that you could ever hope it to be!

For more information, contact me:

[ Rose Basics ]
[ Gallery of Roses ]
[ Rose Companions ]
[ Climate of Northern California ]
[ Gallery of Northern California Plants ]
[ Garden Color ]
[ Links ]

[ Main Page ]