Garden Topics:
Give Your Garden Color Power

1. Create a canvas.

 Colors come alive when seen against a background. Your house, a fence or a row of shrubs will provide a backdrop.

2. Look around.

As you select a color scheme for your garden, take into account the color of your house, other outbuildings or focal points such as large trees, hedges, fences and benches. Use them to contrast or harmonize with the plants you select.

3. Choose a mood.

Cool colors in pastels, blues and lavenders feel soothing and calming, while hot colors in bright yellows, reds and oranges convey warmth and excitement.

4. Orchestrate four seasons of color.

By combining different kinds of plants, you can compose crescendos of color throughout the year. For instance, a framework of evergreens, berried shrubs and trees with interesting bark and branches creates a subtle interplay of color in winter. The foliage of deciduous plants is also important, so choose a few that are especially showy in spring and fall. By knowing when perennials and bulbs will flower, you can plant them in just the right spot so their wave of color appears right on cue.

5. Be bold and generous.

Broad sweeps of color, with one shade diffusing into the next, are more effective than dots and splashes here and there. Try large swaths of color' that combine three slightly different shades. The subtle variations make the composition more interesting.

6. Anchor your color with foliage.

There is a whole world of color in a leaf. To give your garden's palette staying power, train yourself to look beyond flowers to more lasting foliage colors.

7. Put it all together.

Coordinate garden furnishings, art and structures (trellis, arbors, and gates) with the selected landscape color scheme.

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