Part 4: Planting design

7. Use of colour

The colour wheel represented as a flower shape.

Pixabay / Licence

The colour wheel

Made up of the three primary colours (red, yellow and blue) and the three secondary colours (green, purple and orange), the colour wheel provides, at a glance, the foundation for colours that are complimentary, or contrasting, to each other.

Colour wheel with cool colours (blue, purple, green) and hot colours (red, orange, yellow) highlighted.

Contrasting (opposite each other on the wheel) colours will create an exciting planting scheme.

orange and blue

orange and blue dots

yellow and purple

red and green

Adjacent (next to each other on the wheel) colours will create a more subtle colour combination.

blue and purple

yellow and orange

red and orange

A carpet of tulips in contrasting colours of reds, yellows, purples and orange.

Amber Crowley / public domain

In this planting scheme contrasting colours have been used for a bright and bold display.

A variety of flowers planted together in shades of purples and white with greenery.

Amber Crowley / public domain

This scheme has been limited to the cool colours – mainly blue and white, which creates a calm and peaceful atmosphere.

small clumps of red.orange flowers with yellow centres.
Daisy-like flowers with petals which are white or yellow in centre with pink or orange edges.
A close-up of a large, faded red poppy.

Amber Crowley / public domain

The warm, or hot, side of the colour wheel (reds, yellows, oranges and warmer purples) gives a hot, sunny and vibrant look to the garden.

Activity

Make a list of 6 plants which would grow together in a sunny border in a hot planting palette (reds, oranges, yellows and warm purples).

Make a list of 6 plants which would grow together in a semi-shade border in a cool planting palette (blues, whites, greens and cool purples).