A “Hues” Improvement - Plan Your Garden for Color

Take a look at your garden? Or, if you are just in the process of planning to plant a garden, picture it in your mind. Many people think of garden colors in terms of reds, blues, yellow and the like. However, nature doesn’t just contain the reds, blues, and yellows. She has countless shades and hues – degrees of color in a flower. Whether planning or planting a garden, it’s important to take into consideration these hues and use them effectively to have the best looking garden possible.

For those unaccustomed to what “hues” are, think back to your childhood. Remember that first crayon box you ever received? The first crayon box in 1903 had eight colors.  They were big and bulky, but worked just fine for learning to color inside the lines. Now you can buy a crayon box with hundreds of colors. All of them are based off the basic colors found in nature. The difference is the “hue” – the degree of color. That’s why the red in your first crayon box suddenly turned into scarlet, burgundy, and brick red.

So what do crayons have to do with your garden? When people start to plan or plant a garden, they tend to think in terms of the basic colors – mixing of reds and blues, or blues and yellows, and don’t think about the effect that the hues of various flowers can have on the garden.

Before you start a garden – or before you buy more plants if you are adding to an existing garden – take a glance through pictures of the mature plants to acquaint yourself with what hues each species has. If possible, take a digital camera to the nursery and photograph each one in their natural light. With the pictures, you can see what hues will match and which ones will clash.

When it comes time to purchase and plant flowers, use the hues to accent sections of the garden. Don’t be afraid to use three different colors of red in the same area. This will add a depth of color that is just like what is seen in nature. Or you can plant light blue plants with rows of dark blue through it to give an oceanic effect. A plain yellow patch of flowers can turn into a beautiful ornate sunburst by adding deeper and lighter hues of yellow throughout the patch. Don’t forget to use the greens as well. Green is not just reserved for stems and leaves, but there are some plants that can lend a great emphasis with various hues of green.

Regardless of what color you use, gardens are beautiful things to arrange and decorate. They can range from the simple to ornate and serve as extensions of yourself – allowing the various hues of your own personality to shine through. Happy gardening!