Special Column to the Salisbury Post

Shirley Fetherolf- Rowan County Master Gardener Volunteer

June 11, 2002

     There are trends in landscaping just like
everything else.  From the 1950's to the 1980's,
foundation plantings were the rage.  In the 1980's,
low maintenance yards became the most desirable.
Gardening magazines today are promoting the cottage
garden look with masses of colorful flowers.
        Color energizes like a powerful tonic, affecting
emotions and physical activity.  It has the power to
communicate without words.  Police, and other
authority figures wear navy blue--a color that
commands respect, while prisoners and clowns wear
orange.  Research has shown that burgundy is the best
color to wear when applying for a loan, while gray
suits sent off strong messages of power.
     Color alters our sense of space: warming,
cooling, expanding or calming.  Dramatic color
combinations will give your wardrobe, home, or garden
a distinctive look. This article will focus on
effective use of color in the garden.

Flowering annuals are the quickest, easiest and least
expensive way to produce an abundance of brightly
colored flowers from spring to frost.  Plants are
readily available at local garden centers and chain
stores, or may be direct sown using inexpensive seed
packets.  (A $2.25 packet of seeds can yield the
equivalent of $30 worth of transplants.)  For renters,
annuals offer a cheap, colorful way to artistically
transform their surroundings.  Annuals can fill in the
gaps of foundation plantings in new construction.
        If you are an enthusiastic beginning gardener,
collecting many different plants may be very tempting.
 Plant collectors end up with a chaotic patchwork
effect in their flowerbeds.  One solution is to tie
your multicolored masses together with a silver gray
or white border plant. Chartreuse lettuce or red leaf
lettuce makes an edible as well as unifying edging
plant.  If your flowerbeds are the hopelessly
hodgepodged types, stick to one edging plant to make
everything look more organized.
        Ready to kick it up a notch?  Experienced gardeners
understand that "less is more."  Mixing colors with
wild abandon can be less effective than choosing one
key color as the common thread tying the garden
together.  Keep your color scheme simple by sticking
to no more than three colors for a planned, unified
look. One rule suggests that the key color should take
up 70% of the flowerbed and the other two colors 15%
each.  You are the artist with a blank canvas, but
achieving colors that match and compliment one another
takes a little planning for a pleasing,
pulled-together look.
        First, remember ROY G. BIV, the colors of the rainbow
we learned as children.  Red, orange, and yellow are
the warm colors, followed by green, blue, indigo, and
violet-the cool colors.  How do you decide which
colors are best?  Consider the color of your house or
fence behind the flowers.  For instance, red flowers
disappear in front of a red brick wall or redwood
fence, but white or yellow flowers would "pop" in this
situation.  Use your flowerbeds to accent the exterior
color of your home.  My house has gray vinyl siding,
which contrasted nicely with last summer's large bed
of tidal wave petunias in shades of pink and purple.
These new types of petunias are more expensive, but
require fewer plants to cover large areas.  They also
thrive in hot, dry conditions.
        Do you want to make a bold, colorful statement with
warm colors or create a simple, serene setting with
cool colors?  Flowers with warm colors can highlight
doorsteps as effectively as caution tape, but they can
also make a small yard seem smaller.  In general, the
smaller the area, the fewer warm colors should be
used.  If you have a large yard with flowerbeds to
view from a distance, warm colors stand out and are
more visible than cool colors.  Reds and oranges "leap
out" visually; green is neutral and
restful blues and violets tend to recede from the
other colors.  Cool colors give the impression of
openness and space, and are ideal choices for
accenting small areas.  Cool color flowers need close
up viewing for appreciation.  Mix them with
contrasting warm colors to stir up more excitement.
        Learning five basic patterns to follow for successful
color combinations will make it much easier to get
dressed in the morning, decorate your home or create a
beautiful landscape.  The first pattern is warm
harmony: red, orange and yellow.  The second pattern
is cool harmony: blue, indigo and violet.  Third is
contrast harmony: blue/orange, yellow/violet, and
red/green.  Fourth is triangle harmony: three colors
that are equal distance from each other on the color
wheel like red, yellow and blue.  Last is
monochromatic harmony: varying shades and tints of one
color.  White and gray go with all colors, making the
overall effect of any planting lighter and brighter.
        Purple is the most versatile color because it can be
either warm or cool.  Reddish purple is warm and
bluish purple is cool.  If you like purple, for best
results use it as a key color to tie your flowerbeds
together, but never alone.  It needs other colors to
bring it to life.  Purple fades into the background
when used alone.
        Take a trip to the garden center to experiment with
plant color combinations before buying.  Try light
tones of pink placed near dark pinks and reds, or try
contrasting colors like blue and yellow.  First, look
for ROY, flowering plants in shades of red, orange and
yellow to see warm harmony. Next, locate BIV: line up
flowering plants in blue, indigo, and violet to see
cool harmony.  Next, look for contrasting colors to
put side by side: yellow and purple is usually easy to
find, but also try three contrasting colors like red,
yellow, and blue.  Finally, locate several plants that
are shades of the same color, like yellow marigolds.
        Still feel undecided about what colors to mix or
match?  Check out commercial applications.  Ever been
to Disney World or Epcot Center?  Their spectacular
color combinations and garden designs are breathtakingly
beautiful. Theme parks have elaborate annual
flowerbeds with the latest trends in color selection,
like red/white/blue, this year's patriotic theme.
Copying or just being inspired by their innovative
ideas and creative solutions for challenging
situations will give you more confidence.  For more
ideas, look through your old vacation photographs for
family members posed in front of beautiful flowerbeds.
 Notice the flower color combinations used.
        White flowers, which create a shimmering effect at
dusk, can accent outdoor living areas like patios or
decks.  White flowers and gray foliage are also good
to separate colors that might conflict side by side.
Brighten up shaded areas of the garden by using
light-colored annuals such as white, light pink or
pale blues.  In the shade, dark colors disappear
without a lighter color to provide contrast.
Establish plants in groups large enough to form masses
of color or texture. As a rule, five to seven plants
will create the desired effect.  Different plant
types, such as verbenas and petunias, with the same
color flowers can also unify a planting area.  In an
HGTV interview, Jessie Mack Burns, a planner with Walt
Disney World's Horticulture Division suggested the
following plants:
Warm Harmony Annuals:
                              Marigolds (full sun)
                              Red salvia (full sun)
                              Pentas (full sun)
                              Begonias (sun or shade)
                              Red impatiens (shade)

Cool Harmony Annuals:

                              Evolvulus "Blue Daze"
(full sun)
                              Blue salvia (full sun)
                              White petunias (full
sun)
                              White impatiens (shade)
                              Blue pansies (full sun)

Don't forget annuals with lime green and purple
foliage like coleus and caladiums.  Also many
vegetables are so ornamental that they fit into the
flower garden.  I've used cabbage and flowering kale
mixed with blue, pink and purple flowers. Impatiens
and geraniums are popular annuals with lots of colors
to choose from for flower beds or hanging baskets.
        More exotic annuals may not be available at garden
centers, but can easily be started from seed by direct
sowing in the flowerbed.  Here are some available on
seed racks at your local store or from mail order
catalogs:

     Alcea rosea, Annual Hollyhock
     Cerinthe major var. purpurescens, Blue Shrimp
Plant
     Cosmos bipinnatus, Cosmos
     Cosmos sulphureus, Sulphur Cosmos
     Euphorbia marginata, Snow-on-the-Mountain
     Helianthus annuus, Sunflower
     Helianthus annuus, Dwarf Sunflower
     Lobularia maritima, Sweet Alyssum
     Lupinus nanus, Annual Lupine
     Mirabilis jalapa, Four o'Clock
     Ricinus communis, Castor Bean
     Tropaeolum majus, Dwarf Nasturtium
     Tropaeolum majus, Trailing Nasturtium
     Zinnia elegans, Zinnia
     Zinnia peruviana, Peruvian Zinnia

     Flowering Vines

     Cardiospermum halicacabum, Love-in-a-Puff
     Ipomoea alba, Moon Vine
     Ipomoea x multifida, Cardinal Climber
     Ipomoea nil, Morning Glory
     Ipomoea purpurea, Morning Glory
     Ipomoea quamoclit, Cypress Vine
     Ipomoea tricolor, Morning Glory
     Lablab purpureus, Hyacinth Bean
     Thunbergia alata, Black-Eyed Susan Vine

        In conclusion, read over these suggestions, pick
flowers you like, and trust your eye.  Any plant that
is healthy and thriving has its own beauty, no matter
what the color scheme.  Be courageous and just do it!