2Any child who has ever gotten a box of crayons has been exposed to the color spectrum. Incorporating the color spectrum into a garden can be as inspiring to a gardener as getting that first 24-pack box of crayons is to a pre-school child.
You can experiment in your garden with different colors and color schemes, but a basic knowledge of color can be valuable, too.Sketch paper
Color crayons or colored pencils
Color wheelUse the color spectrum to decide what colors to add to your garden space.Public Domain
- Sketch the area. Try to sketch the garden area--even a rough sketch is helpful. Pay attention to any areas or objects of color that are permanent. For example, a large expanse of lush green English ivy or a bright red tool shed should be clearly illustrated.Use the color wheel. The color wheel is useful as a basic guide. Light will affect the colors, depending on the texture of the flower or leaf, and depending how bright it is and how it is angled.Use complementary colors. On the color wheel, the colors opposite each other are known as complementary. These colors nearly always go well together. For example, pillar-box red is opposite dark green on the wheel, and true blue is opposite orange. These colors usually look attractive together in a garden.Use contrasting colors. Colors next to each other on the wheel usually look good together, too, although less arresting. Some adjacent colors are more successful than others. For example, red and purple often associate well, but yellow does not always look its best next to another yellow.Consider the entire garden. Think in terms of the garden as a painting--one section my show one picture, but the overall effect should be unifying. Colors will affect each other as well. A particular red may look very bright against a pale color, but become toned down if it is next to a deep color.Visit public gardens and plant nurseries. After you have decided on your color palette, plan a trip to a garden or nursery to see blooming examples of plants. Take a digital camera and photograph the whole plant, not just the bloom, for later comparison.Sketch the garden. After deciding on the plants and flowers, sketch out the garden design using color pencils to use a guideline while planting. Plant by color, and watch as the garden begins to become alive with the colors of the spectrum.
