Let’s keep it simple and start with green which will work for 99% of you, if you are the other 1% best you message me! When it comes to colour theory in garden design, for me, green goes with everything, and there are so many shades of green. In fact, it’s thought that humans can recognise more shades of green than any other colour in the spectrum. We think because it helped us with hunting and staying safe, when we were hunter-gatherers.
Think about what tones of green you want as your base layer: dark & deep, which lends itself to tropical, light ‘n’ sunny which is more cottage garden style or a sage-y silver giving a more mediterranean vibe. Think of this green as your neutral like taupe, black or tan for an outfit.
With the neutral sorted as your base you can start to plan your accent colours; think about the mood you want to evoke in your garden, how do you want to feel when you are in it. This should help as a springboard for your ideas.
Colour plays a pivotal role in garden design, influencing the mood, perception, and overall aesthetic of the space. Understanding the basic colour theory is a great starting place and can help in choosing complementary or analogous colour schemes.
Colour Theory in Garden Design
The colour wheel was conceived in the 18th Century by Issac Newton (what didn’t he do!). It was then expanded on by French chemist Michel Cherveul and others. It is a useful tool which can be applied to many things including garden design to help develop a pleasing palette for planting. It’s based on the three primary colours – red, yellow, and blue. A full colour wheel resembles a rainbow, with red and orange next to yellow, followed by green, blue, purple, and violet. Warm colours are red through chartreuse, while cool colours are green through violet.
Warm Colours: Reds, oranges, and yellows evoke warmth, energy, and excitement. They are attention-grabbing and can make a garden feel more vibrant and livelier.
Cool Colours: Blues, greens, and purples tend to have a calming effect. They can make a garden feel more serene and relaxing, perfect for spaces intended for rest and contemplation.
One way to combine colours in the garden is to choose complementary colours. That means selecting flowers and foliage in colours that are across from one another on the colour wheel. For example, red is across from green, orange is across from blue etc. As you can see from the images below (apologies to the colour blind!) selecting complementary colours creates a scheme which is bold and energetic.
Specific colour palettes can support thematic designs. For example, a white garden can evoke elegance and purity, while a garden dominated by tropical colours might feel exotic and adventurous.
For a more harmonious scheme you can select colours that are beside themselves on the colour wheel or go crazy and use all the colours! Don’t be afraid to try unusual colour combinations to see what works in your specific garden context. Remember to consider the background; the colour of walls, fences, or other garden structures can influence how plant colours are perceived.
Mood board tools, like Pinterest can be very useful to help you plan out your colour combinations in planting before committing to purchasing plants.
Edging and Pathways
Use colourful plants along garden edges, pathways and borders to draw the eye and define spaces. For instance, a border of bright orange Geums or purple lavender with contrasting path materials like white gravel or red brick paths can enhance the colours of the plants and provide a striking contrast and pull the eye forward.
Bright, bold colours can draw attention to specific areas, creating focal points. For instance, a splash of bright flowers in a sea of greenery will naturally attract the eye.
Perception of Space
A trick 18th century landscape painters used was to add blue tones into the paint which was used for views in the distances as it mirrors the way light particles scatter over distances, but it can be used to great effect in planting schemes too:
Expanding Space: Light, cool colours like pale blues and greens can make a small garden appear larger as they appear to recede into the distance.
Intimacy and Enclosure: Dark, warm colours can make large spaces feel more intimate and cozy by advancing visually and enveloping the space.
Seasonal Colour Transitions
Different plants flower at different times of the year, providing changing splashes of colour throughout the seasons. Planning for this can ensure year-round interest and variety.
Summer sunlight means you can plan for a much bolder scheme in these months; with lots of bright contrasting combinations and it won’t feel overwhelming. High Summer is the only time I enjoy strong yellow like Rudbeckia, probably as the sunlight feels more yellow at that time of year!
Traditional Autumn colour is dictated by the cessation of deciduous trees in our temperate climates and it’s well worth planting a small tree or shrub which will make a dramatic autumnal focal point; like Acers, Rhys or Euonymus alatus to name a few.
Winter is the gardens downtime, and I find the brightness of white variegation from Pittosporum Elizabeth, Pale Narcissus and White Hellebores sufficient to lift my spirits. And don’t forget about the colours of bark, stems and seedheads especially at this time of year.
Spring is synonymous with the soft fresh greens of new foliage so plan your scheme with that in mind plus some Tulips in complementary tones. I love Orange Ballerinas with Purple Vincent Van Gogh, if you like things to be more subtle you can’t go wrong with Tulip Spring Green combined with Forget Me Nots and the blossom of a Cherry Tree.
Right Plant Right Place
Sometimes, plant health can affect colour. A nutrient deficiency or disease might change the expected colour of flowers or leaves, impacting the overall design. You might want to recreate the white Sissinghurst garden but if you have a south facing or open aspect west facing garden it won’t look how you envisage it, just rather washed-out. However, pops of white and blue in the shade are effective at drawing the eye into the shady spaces.
Ultimately, the choice of colours should reflect your personal tastes and the intended use of the garden space. Personal connection to certain colours can make a garden feel more meaningful and enjoyable.
If you would like to enhance the use of colour in your garden design why not complete the contact form here and we can arrange an initial consultation.
