The Casper Journal :: Casper's Community Newspaper

The importance of a thoughtful selection of a color scheme for your flower beds cannot be overemphasized.

After researching information on designs for flowerbeds, several references mentioned using a color wheel to pick color schemes. It is widely known that artists use the color wheel to create visually harmonious color combinations, and it seems gardeners should also.

For instance, dark purple petunias used in combination with bright yellow snapdragons are stunning. Yellow and purple are opposite each other on the color wheel and are considered to be complementary.

The complementary color scheme offers stronger contrast than any other scheme and draws maximum attention.

The split complementary scheme is a variation of the standard complementary scheme. It uses a single warm color against a variation of cool colors to put an emphasis on the warm color (red versus blues and blue-greens, or orange versus blues and violets).

There is also the monochromatic color scheme, which uses variations in lightness and saturation of a single color. Use tints, shades and tones of the key color to enhance this scheme. The monochromatic scheme is easy on the eyes, especially with blue or green hues.

Try the analogous scheme. This color scheme uses colors that are adjacent to each other on the color wheel. One color is used as a dominant color, while others are used to enrich the scheme.

The analogous color scheme lacks color contrast. Some say to avoid using warm and cool colors together in this scheme.

The triadic color scheme uses three colors equally spaced around the color wheel. This is supposedly popular among artists because it offers strong visual contrast while retaining balance; gardeners also should use this scheme.

The triadic color scheme is not as contrasting as the complementary scheme. One suggestion: choose one color to be used in larger amounts than the others.

The tetradic (double complementary) color scheme is the richest of all the schemes because the four colors are arranged into two complementary color pairs. This scheme is the hardest one to balance.

All of these color schemes offer pizzazz in the garden. So the next time you are ready to plant an annual or perennial flower bed, unless you have a trained eye, dig out your color wheel, or head to your local art store and purchase one.

Use the wheel to select plant colors. I know from experience that you will be amazed.

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