Color Drama for Your Garden

​Want to know the quickest way to add drama to your garden?  Simply add complementary colors.

​If it’s been awhile since your last art class, here’s a refresher:  Complementary colors are those on the opposite side of a color wheel.  These contrasting colors create a vibrant look and feel when combined in the garden.

When you are ready to start planting, just remember:  Orange goes with blue;
Purple goes with yellow; and Red goes with green. 

Orange and Blue

Purple and Yellow

Red and Green

The most dramatic effect in a garden is often created with only a few colors.  When incorporating complementary colors, it's important to keep it simple.  Too many colors may create sensory overload!   But not to worry, the most important element is to have fun!  Experiment with a few colors to see what makes you smile. 

Red and Green

• Dahlia ‘Red Rock’ and Lambs’s ear (Stachys byzantine)           
• Colrain red bee balm (Monarda didyma Colrain) and Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis)
• Firecracker penstemon (Penstemon eatonii) and Dwarf Mugo Pine (Pinus mugo var. pumillio)
  

Purple and Yellow

• Clematis (Clematis jackmanii) and Stella D’ Oro Daylily (Hemerocallis)
• English Lavender (Lavendula angustifolia) and Common coreopsis (Coreopsis grandiflora)                                     
• Gayfeather (Liatris spicata) and Yellow coneflower (Rudbeckia fulgida ‘Goldstrum’)     
  

Orange and Blue

• Orange Oriental poppy (Papaver orientale) and Nikko Blue Hydrangea (Hydrangea macrophylla ‘Nikko Blue’)

• Orange sun rose (Helianthemum nummularim ‘Henfield Brilliant) and Big blue sea holly (Eryngium ‘Big Blue’)

Author: Susan Combs Bauer, Landscape Architect, Copyright © 2018 BauerCombs & Associates, Inc. www.bauercombs.com (425) 496-7772