I know it’s corny, but Spring has finally sprung. I can’t tell you how happy this makes me. What really delights me is the color palette of early Spring. The early leaves are various shades of bright green: chartreuse, lime green, apple green, celery green, andmoss – just to name a few. It seems only fitting that the most prevalent flower colors in the Spring are pastels, like pinks, lavenders, and yellow, that all resonate with the pale green leaves. It’s almost as if we are being gently guided into Spring with it’s gentle colors. Imagine if the first colors we saw in April were the bright oranges and reds of the late summer flowers. I think Nature waits for the full heat of summer to inundate us with the hot colors of red and orange.
Given that the most prevalent color in the garden is green, what color combinations can we choose to create either dramatic or calming effects? The answers can be explained with the color wheel and a quick lesson in color theory.
There are primary colors: red, blue, and yellow. The secondary colors are made by mixing pairs of primary colors to get orange, purple, and green. In order to get pastel colors, white is mixed in (for example, white and green make light-green). Conversely, to get shades, black is mixed in (for example, black and blue make navy blue). Colors that are located across from each other on the color wheel are called “opposite.” If they are mixed, you get a dull brown. Have you ever mixed orange and blue, purple and yellow, or red and green? Try it sometime and see what an unpleasing color you get.
Instead of mixing opposite colors, if they are next to each other, they react and seemingly vibrate off of each other. For example, the opposite of green on the color wheel is red. If they are next to each other, the red seems redder and the green seems greener. Have you ever noticed that red flowers are the most dramatic in the garden? I love red flowers, but only in small doses. It’s amazing how much visual punch a garden can achieve with just a few red flowers. A garden can be filled with colorful flowers and one grouping of red tulips and the tulips will grab and hold your gaze every time. This phenomenon holds for colors close to red, such as bright pink and orange. By using flower or foliage color combinations that are opposite, you can achieve dramatic results in the garden. Examples of perennials that have reddish foliage are New Zealand Flax (Phormium tenax), Smoke Tree (Cotinus coggygria) and Barberry (Berberis thunbergii). Because their foliage is so dramatic in the garden, use these plants sparingly as accents. Too much of a good thing can cause visual overload.
If you are trying to create calming effects in your garden, try choosing color combinations that are analogous. This combination is created when 2 or 3 colors are next to each other on the color wheel. An example would be the triplet of green, yellow-green, and yellow. In planting design, one could group Yarrow (Achillea) and Spurge (Euphorbia characias). The Yarrow has grey-green leaves and yellow flowers. The Spurge has pale green foliage and chartreuse and lime green flowers. This color combination is easy to achieve given how many local flowering plants have yellow flowers.
Another analogous color combination is lavender and pink paired with green. Lavender and pink are both pastels and are derived from purple and red which are neighbors on the color wheel. This color combination can be seen in the plant pairing of Pride of Madeira (Echium candicans) and Rockrose (Cistus purpureus). This is an outstanding combination because both plants bloom simultaneously and for a relatively long bloom. Truly great!
Caption: Pride of Madeira (Echium candicans) and Rockrose (Cistus purpureus).
In addition to analogous color groupings, plants with secondary colors can be grouped for a pleasing effect. One of my favorites is purple/lavender and light/dark green. They seem to have enough contrast to be interesting, but aren’t so different that they clash. An example of this color combination is the Spring bloom of so many purple-flowering plants like Pride of Madeira (Echium candicans), Spanish Lavender (Lavendula stoechas), and Statice (Limonium perezii). The other secondary color, orange, is seen in the early bloom of Aloe (Aloe saponaria). There aren’t many early Spring flowers with orange flowers. Summer holds those hot hues.
Caption: Aloe (Aloe saponaria).
Whether using analogous or opposite color combinations, different effects can be achievedin the garden. There is a certain comfort in knowing that our tendency toward certain color combinations can be explained with science. Once we understand why plants look better in some locations than others, we can replicate that scenario in other parts of our yards. Choose wisely and happy planting!