Analogous Colors and Other Garden Color Combinations

I think there is great appeal in the way complementary colors “pop” in garden beds. But no one can deny that there is real beauty in the way analogous colors play politely together. Analogous colors sit side-by-side on the color wheel and are typically talked about in threes. In flower and foliage form, they blend beautifully to create calming displays or bolder but very coordinated looks. 

Analogous Colors for a Calming Effect

Yellow, orange, and red are garden-friendly analogous colors, though not what most of us think of as “calming” colors. But shades can be saturated or diluted, creating different effects based on their strength. Happy Face® Yellow Potentilla has petite flowers that are quite bright. Place this cheery yellow near the soft-toned peach blooms of an At Last® Rose and a pink-blooming Heron’s Bill, and the effect is rather calming. There is a nice flow, seeing one color blend into the next. 

Replace the bright yellow of the Potentilla with the buttery yellow of certain Coneflowers, the Coppertone Stonecrop, Sedum adelphi, or a muted Plum Crazy Amber Shamrock, and the look of the garden bed is toned down further and even more calming.

Analogous Colors for a “Hot” Effect

I like using side-by-side analogous colors for a calming effect, but I also admire how they turn up the heat with a simple adjustment to their tones. When saturated gold comes alongside brightest orange and leads to hot pink, for example, calm and peaceful turns “hot” and spectacular.

Nature uses hot color combinations: Some Portulaca varieties do this on their own, with bright yellows, oranges, and striking magentas decorating each and every bloom. These Portulacas make it easy for us to get on our way to having a hot-toned display. Geraniums (picture them in lipstick pink) add height, as would tall garden Phlox. Stonecrop with bright blooms such as the John Creech Sedum that grows in so many spots in my yard will keep the pink color going all summer and into fall. And the magenta flowers on other Stonecrop plants such as the SunSparkler® Stonecrop varieties would add even more drama, along with wine and magenta Coleus, Coneflower, or Daylily plants.

My talented-gardener cousin creates “hot” displays by using Zinneas, Marigolds, Dahlias, Geraniums, and a Stonecrop or two in saturated analogous colors. Lately, I have been thinking of how nicely she could add to these displays by utilizing some of the Stonecrop varieties that not only bloom in rich shades but also show off colorful foliage, such as the SunSparkler® Stonecrop varieties just mentioned... specifically, Dazzleberry, Dazzling Dynamite, and Dream Dazzler Stonecrop. This calls to mind a different point that I sometimes forget: Color in the garden need not always come from blooms. Colorful foliage is also key to creating a great look.

Pick Two, Any Two

I started to realize not long ago that creating garden beds using strictly complementary or strictly analogous colors was unnecessarily limiting to me. It is fine to pick and choose from anywhere on the color wheel… “Pick two, any two.” Take pink and blue, for example: In recent years, I have had fun filling one of my garden beds with a “Baby Color” display, utilizing plants that bloom in the palest pinks and sky blues like the ones used for infant clothing or nurseries. I always tend to add a few plants which bloom in the color that results from mixing the two… pale lavender in the form of Nepeta Cat’s Pajamas or the cloudlike Perovskia. The resulting display is sweet, delicate, and youthful.

Other Options

I love monochromatic gardens, but I find they require restraint that I personally lack. I dream of selecting only white-blooming plants for Moon Gardens, but as I shop for plants, there is always something in a totally different color that I cannot resist. This makes monochromatic displays out-of-reach for me… but perhaps not for you.

And then there is what might be called the “full-spectrum” color approach, an approach I often use (and often regret). This use-all-colors method can create a “candy sprinkles” effect… whimsical, but sometimes chaotic. But tie things together with the addition of, say, a greater number of white plants, and the full-spectrum approach hangs together nicely. (Adding white to a rainbow of colors can unify a display; adding white to a pairing or triad can soften it.)

So, What’s A Gardener to Do?

The key to finding attractive garden color combinations is to find what we like best. Most every gardener has a good eye, just naturally. We can use our “good eyes” and choose what best suits our taste. The color wheel can guide us, but using it need not be constraining. Just as seeds blow on the wind and deposit plants in surprising places, a “wild” choice may be the best choice when it comes to creating a display. We can let color work in the way we want it to. And we can take heart in the fact that it is possible to change up garden color each year by adding plants, relocating others, and enlisting the help of annuals. So let's go wild with color. Let's choose what we love.