An artist often uses the colors of nature as a guide to attain harmony and balance in his work. Planning a garden, however, can mean troubled thinking, for it is nature herself that tends to confuse and bewilder with a riot of colors. Very often it is the space available and climatic conditions that determine the color scheme. Possibilities are myriad if the garden is big!

Monochrome gardens are safe bets and an all-white garden can be very refreshing and unique. The conventional garden on the other hand is reminiscent of many, brightly colored flowers and plants of varying heights, textures and leaf designs. One way of being certain in mixing and matching colors for your garden is by consulting a shade card or a color wheel.

Placed at opposite ends of the spectrum are cold colors such as violet, purple, and blue and warm colors such as scarlet, red and orange. Intermediate colors such, as green and yellow are more neutral and together with cream and white help visually to draw the eye from one solid color to another. Boxwood hedges perform this function quite admirably.

In places where the summers are very hot, colors like blue, lilac, pink and violet along with creams and whites make for a cool, yet beautiful looking garden. Colder climes can show off flowers that are bright red, scarlet, orange or brilliant yellow. Seasonal plants offer more than one color combination in the same variety and every spring your garden can wear a new look.

Grouping of cold or warm colors also works and blues merge well with greens. Trees and shrubs with bluish leaves or flowers go well with lush, verdant greens that have variegated dashes of cream or white in their flora. Purple and lilac flowers look regal in such a setting. The other option would be to use opposites to compliment, such as purple/violet with yellow/cream. Red flowers on green stems are nature's own triumph and such diametrically opposing colors also never fail to please.

If you wish to have a riot of color in your garden then plant flowers and shrubs with hues such as sage, moss, lime green, lilac, lavender and old rose to tie-up vibrant splashes of red, olive or bright blue. A visit to the nursery will help further decision making for nature is right there - live and in color!

If you like Vegetables....These pages might also interest you:

Allium Directory, Amaryllis Directory, Begonia Directory, Crocus Directory, Daffodils Directory, Dahlia Directory, Hyacinth Directory, Iris Directory, Lily Directory, Tulip Directory

Also See:

Allergy Free Garden Design, Choosing Color Combo,Desinging with Seasonal Flowers, Design an English Garden, Garden Design Project, Gardening in Small Spaces, Complete Garden Makeover, Napa Garden Design, Favorite Plants for Landscaping, Perk Up a Flower Bed, Natural Garden Design, Using Pathways in a Garden, Design a White Wonder Gardens, Your Own Outdoor Coffee House, Designing to reduce noise, Designer Lanscape ideas, Do it Yourself Lanscape Design, Garden Design Foundations, Keeping Your Garden Size in Check, Gardening With Little Space, Outside the Box Landscape Design, Side Yard Design Ideas, Stone Patio Design, Theme Gardening, Trends in Landscape Design, What to Plant on a Slope, Winning Landscape Design