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Landscaping Color Theory
Color plays an extremely important role when it comes to landscaping. Improper use of colors can create visual disarray and raze the unity of the overall design. On the other hand proper use of colors can help you turn your landscape into something that is visually appealing and relaxing.
Using Color Theory for Effective Landscaping
To understand color theory, you got to know the difference between primary, secondary, tertiary and neutral colors. The following table will clear things for you.
Table 1: Primary, Secondary, Neutral Colors:
| Primary Colors
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reds, greens and blues
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| Secondary Colors
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yellows, violets (purples) and oranges
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| Tertiary Colors
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Blends of the primary and secondary categories
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| Neutral colors
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White, grays and silvers
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Creating Harmony between Colors
Proper use of colors is all about creating perfect unity or harmony among the colors presented. To create this kind of harmony you would need to use do extensive color combination studies to find colors that match well together. A simpler way of achieving this would be to match colors with similar characteristics like warm colors with warm colors and cool colors with cool.
Table 2: Warm and Cool Colors:
| Warm Colors
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Red, Yellow and Orange
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| Cool Colors
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Blue, Pink, Purple and Green
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Using colors based on your needs
Try and choose your landscape colors based on your purpose behind creating the landscape. For instance if your basic idea behind creating the landscape was of a place to relax, then you can settle for colors such as greens, violets or oranges which by nature are relaxing colors. On the other hand if you intend to make your backyard into a lively and exciting place, then you can go for more of vibrant colors like reds, yellows and oranges. Neutral colors like whites and greys can be used with the primary or secondary colors to give the landscape a diverse look. Tertiary colors act as middle or transaction colors and can be used to separate primary and secondary colors. You can use a color wheel to find out which colors to use adjacent to others.
Exterior colors complimenting your interiors
Using color schemes that compliment the interior of your house is a great idea. This will help you get more harmony between your landscape and your property. For best results try and design using plant colors that seem matching when viewed from the interior of your house.
Using Seasonal Colors
If you select flowers that bloom only in certain seasons you will have to overlook a dull landscape for all the other days. The best way to eliminate such a situation would be to make use of seasonal colors to make your landscape look dynamic and colorful year round.
Using warm colors cautiously
While the use of cool colors can help create intimate landscapes; warm colors like red, yellow and orange have a striking effect and actually look closer than they really are. This characteristic of the color can make the landscape look smaller in size by giving a scaled down look. So if your landscape is small try and use warm colors cautiously.
Using few colors in Large Groups
In a smaller landscape, making use of few colors in large groups would be a good idea. Using diverse colors in small proportions would reduce the visual appeal and in-turn creates visual confusion.
The color tips given above are pretty basic. You can get better insight into the color theory by reading some good books solely written on it. In addition you can also make use of some software tools that can help you experiment with different color combinations. One such really useful landscape design software tool is color wheel pro. You can download a free trial version of this tool by clicking here.
Continue to: Dealing with Weeds and Pests
Do it yourself Landscaping Guide
Introduction
Devising a Landscaping Plan
Selecting Plants for your Landscape
Things to bear in mind while purchasing plants for Landscaping
Landscaping Color Theory
Dealing with Weeds and Pests
Dealing with Insect and Animal pests |
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