Container Garden Design - Color
Learn about the different styles of designs for containers.
More than likely, every gardener, no matter how large or small the garden plants containers of some kind. For some people their entire garden is containers. Proven Winners® is known for having great combination planter ideas and there are hundreds of container garden recipes available for browsing on our website that demonstrate container garden color combinations and inspiring container garden color ideas. However, you may also want your own container garden design ideas. This is one of a series of articles on designing container gardens and exploring how to design container gardens using effective container planting color schemes.
The first thing to consider when you start designing your container garden is color. There are a number of different ways to combine colors in a combination planter when creating container garden color combinations and experimenting with new container planting color schemes. I will cover the main categories of color combination in this article to help gardeners discover more container garden color ideas.
The easiest container to design is the mono-crop or mono-culture container when learning how to design container gardens. This is simply choosing a single variety for your container, although more than one plant may be used to fill the pot. It couldn't be simpler and it doesn't have to be boring. Mono-culture plantings are great for highlighting a great piece of pottery or creating a solid pop of color in container garden color combinations. When planning a mono-culture it is important to choose a plant that has staying power and will fill your container well. The pottery used adds another dimension to your container garden design ideas and works as part of your overall container planting color schemes. Any type of pot, from classic to colorful to a found object, can work with a mono-culture planting. To see more mono-crop recipes click here (they are mixed with mono-color designs).
The next simplest idea on how to design container gardens is the mono-color design. Mono-color or monochromatic designs use a range of shades of a single color - different shades of pink or purple, red or orange, yellow or blue. These types of container garden color combinations create beautiful container planting color schemes and are popular container garden color ideas. Mono-color combinations utilize at least two different shades of a color, but because you are using the same color you don't have to worry about the colors clashing. However, you still get some color variation which makes this approach useful in many container garden design ideas and visually balanced container planting color schemes. When putting together a mono-color design you want to choose a pot that is either a neutral color (white, terra cotta, black, silver, etc) or coordinates with your color scheme. To see more mono-color designs click here (they are mixed with mono-crop designs).
The rest of the container garden designs are different ways of utilizing more than one color. There are as many ways to create container garden color combinations as there are gardeners putting together planters. If you are happy with the colors you used, then other opinions don't really matter when exploring your own container garden color ideas. However, there are some general rules that can help you put together good color combination when learning how to design container gardenss. To really understand the use of color, a color wheel is helpful and can guide the creation of successful container planting color schemes.
The first way of combining color is utilizing analogous colors. Analogous colors are next to each other on the color wheel and mix together easily. These types of combinations are commonly used in container garden color combinations and many creative container garden design ideas. Some examples of analogous colors are yellow-orange, orange-red, yellow-orange-red, violet-red, blue-green, and blue-violet. Analogous colors can be bright or muted, but they lie next to each other on the color wheel. Thousands of colors exist and a more detailed color wheel can help you effectively use the many shades of color available. The photo on the left shows the analogous colors of blue and green. Below, the photo on the right is violet and red (lavender and pink). The middle photo shows red, orange, and yellow. The photo below shows red, orange and yellow.
Now we are starting to get into the really fun stuff - complimentary colors. How to design container gardens with complimentary container color combinations, is to simply look at the color wheel and choose the colors that are opposite of each other.When exploring container garden color ideas, complimentary container planting color schemes involve choosing colors that are opposite of each other on the color wheel. These bold container garden color combinations create contrast and cause both colors to pop. Be sure to consider color intensity when using complimentary colors - you may not want to mix a soft orange with bright purple. Bright orange is better with bright purple.
Don't forget that the pot and background around the pot can be a part of the container garden color combinations, too. The container itself often contributes to the overall container planting color schemes and enhances your container garden design ideas. A cobalt blue pot with yellow flowers utilizes a complimentary color composition. Choose a red and green color scheme that incorporates not only flower and foliage color, but the container as well. Try a blue-orange color scheme, utilizing Superbells® Dreamsicle® Calibrachoa and Laguna® Sky Blue Lobelia. There is some yellow and red, but the orange and blue by themselves are truly outstanding. The combination of these two colors makes each look better. Using complimentary colors is more daring than the previous color schemes and can create more drama in the garden. Many gardeners experimenting with container garden color ideas enjoy the bold contrast these container garden color combinations provide.
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The last color scheme is the triad. Triads use 3 colors that are spaced equidistant on the color wheel - the points of an equilateral triangle. Triads can be harder to pull off because you are utilizing several different colors, but they are often featured in creative container garden design ideas and dynamic container planting color schemes. On the basic color wheel, we have been using there are two triads - red-yellow-blue and violet-orange-green.
In addition to the colors we've been talking about, there are a number of neutral colors including white, black, grey, silver and shades of brown. An additional tip on how to design container gardens for these neutrals, is remembering that green also functions as a neutral in many container garden color combinations. Neutral colors can be used with any color scheme to add dimension and balance to container garden color ideas and to soften bold container planting color schemes.
Beyond just thinking about color scheme, colors tend to come in two different categories - hot colors and cool colors. Understanding these categories can improve your container garden design ideas and help refine your container garden color combinations. Hot colors are red, orange and yellow. Cool colors are blue, pink and purple. Hot colors tend to draw attention. They are great to use in areas to which you want to draw attention. When planning container garden color ideas, consider matching your color palette to your overall container planting color schemes and the purpose of each area in your garden. Place them by doors, walkways and in far corners of the garden to draw attention to spots that might otherwise be overlooked. They are great to use in spaces where people will gather. Cool colors tend to lend calm and tranquility. They are great to use in spaces where you want to relax. Consider matching your color scheme to the use you intend for each area of your garden or outdoor living space.
For more information on Container Garden Design, try these articles:
Container Garden Design - Foliage and Texture
