Add Colour to Your Garden with Plants and Paint
Colour is all around us and whether we are aware of it or not, we respond to it. It is no different in the garden.
No matter what time of year it is, colour in the garden can lift our spirits. Throughout spring, summer and well into autumn, nature treats us to a fantastic display of colour.
But in the depth of winter, with grey skies and bare trees and shrubs, colour can be hard to come by. This affects our mood, contributing to perhaps feeling a little fed up on yet another grey, miserable day.
However, with some clever tricks with plants and paint, you can set the stage for a garden that has colour in it all year round. So before the grey of winter sets in completely start to add colour to your outdoor space.
Set the stage
The backdrop is important. Just like when you visit the theatre the set designer has created a backdrop against which the story unfolds, you need to do the same in your garden.
Some things cannot be changed – the colour of the roof, the windows and doors, in many cases and of course, the several wheelie bins and recycling containers that most properties accommodate in their gardens.
There are many ways of adding all-year round colour;
Rattan furniture for the garden is not only stylish, but colourful too. With bright coloured cushions, throws and outdoor rugs, the seating area can be vamped up to become a really colourful area.
⦁ Colourful pots can make a big difference too but rather than opting for all kinds of pots in every different shade you can get your hands on, stick with two main colours and a third colour for occasional use.
⦁ Paint fences and/or walls is also a great way of adding colour to a space but again, rather than a riot of colour choose one that will act as a backdrop to showing off the main actors on the garden stage: the plants.
There are all kinds of new paints and stains coming to the market which can make it almost impossible to choose. We love the chalky grey and green colours, but we also enjoy the flair of mustard yellow. And don’t forget, the backdrop doesn’t need to be plain; you can add dashes of colour or, if you are very artistic, some paintings of your own too.
The best time to paint or stain fencing, decking and sheds is in the warmer months of spring or early summer. Choose a time when the danger of frost has passed and check the weather forecast too. Pick a day when the fence, decking or shed is dry, and when there is no rain forecast for at least six hours after too – tough when the British weather is so unpredictable but rain and wet paint do not mix well!
Flowers and foliage, the actors on your garden stage
Now you have the painted backdrop, the pretty pots and the stylish garden furniture, you can now start to add colour with plants. Don’t just think flowers, take a look at their foliage too.
There are different shades of green foliage on different plats, with some having variegated leaves, meaning they have green and another colour ‘mixed’ in. This alone adds a lot of interest to a space.
Knowing what colours work well together is an important basis for creating pockets of colour in your garden. Take a look at this simple colour wheel;
Colours that lie adjacent to each other work well together in real life. Therefore, teaming varying shades of blue together work really well, as does mixing yellow with orange and green
Colours that are directly opposite each other on the wheel also look great together and this is when you can have some real fun with colour.
For summer colour, why not mix bright orange violas with blue lobelia? Or deep red roses with evergreen shrubs?
What affects colour?
Our perception of colour is changed by how much light there is in a space. Thus, as the daylight begins to fade, other colours seem to glow a little brighter.
This also means that some coloured plants are more able to withstand bright sunshine than others. This can help in knowing where to plant certain flowers and shrubs in your garden too. As a rule of thumb, bright coloured flowers – like sunflowers – will sparkle in full sun whereas paler flowers will ‘disappear’ in bright sunshine.
Pale colours will be more noticeable on duller days and in twilight. So those barely pink, tiny flowers that you assume will not add colour where you need it most, will come into their own as dusk falls.
Colour in the garden transforms it. Combine plants and paint for optimum effect.
Rattan Direct have a range of stylish, practical and affordable outdoor garden furniture and accessories, perfect for a backdrop in any garden.
xoxo
Debbie
