Landscape dulled by Hurricane Ike? ...
Add Color to the Fall Landscape to Brighten
Spirits
Dr. William M. Johnson, County Extension Agent-Horticulture
Texas AgriLife Extension Service
Galveston County Office
5115 Highway 3
Dickinson, Texas 77539
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We’re still dealing
with the aftereffects of Hurricane Ike in various ways. We have had
to deal with insurance personnel and some have had interactions with
FEMA and other agencies. During a conversation with a neighbor, he
noted that everyone who was affected by Ike is trying to
re-establish a semblance of their normal daily routine.
By his own admission,
my neighbor is not a “high energy” gardener in that he knows the
scientific, common and cultivar names of each plant in his
landscape. However, he is a homeowner who appreciates and enjoys the
outdoor living space provided by his landscape. His prize oak is now
sparsely covered with leaves and he describes the dominant color
scheme in his landscape as dull brown.
While my neighbor did
not want to do a major make-over, he wanted to brighten up his
landscape and asked for some guidelines. My recommendation: turn to
cool-season bedding plants to add dramatic splashes of color to the
fall landscape. A diverse variety of cool-season bedding plants are
available. Excellent choices include pansy, dianthus, sweet alyssum,
petunia, sweet William, nicotiana, ornamental kale and cabbage, and
dusty miller, to name a few.
The colors available
in these cool-season bedding plants are virtually unlimited. Now,
here’s the hard part—don’t plant your garden with every color you
can get your hands on. I know it is hard to resist, but what you
will end up with is chaos-in-the-landscape that is not as effective
as a well-thought-out color scheme. |
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Color is an extremely important factor in how we perceive and
appreciate our landscapes. I’m not going to tell you what colors to
plant or how to combine them, as that is mostly a matter of taste. But
you should think about your color scheme and what you are trying to
accomplish with color in your landscape. Here are some quick tips on
color to get you started.
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Combine cool colors together or warm colors together for reliably
harmonious results. The colors within each group naturally combine
well and look good together. Cool colors include reds with a blue tint,
burgundy, rose, pink, magenta, purple, violet, lavender, blue, navy and
any variations of those colors. Warm colors include reds with an orange
tint, orange, gold, yellow, rust, peach and any variations on these
colors. White combines equally well with either group, and true blue
flowers also look good with just about any other color.
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Use color where you want to focus attention. The human eye is
instantly drawn to color. Never use color to “beautify” an unattractive
feature in your landscape such as a fire hydrant, storage shed or trash
can area. You will simply make sure everyone notices it, and the color
will not make it look any better.
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Use color where you can enjoy it. Many gardeners lavish their
attention and garden budget on their front gardens, and this is a
wonderful gift they provide to their neighborhood. But when little or
nothing is done in the back area where the family spends most of their
time, I think that is a pity.
Don’t forget to include plantings of colorful cool-season bedding plants
in beds, containers and hanging baskets around the patio and other
outdoor living areas. Fragrant plants such as alyssum, and nicotiana are
especially nice.
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Reduce the number of colors you use for best results. In other
words, as a general rule use the colors you like in combinations that
you like, but don’t use every color you like at the same time in the
same bed.
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Plant in mass or groups. It is also important to plant individual
colors in masses or groups, especially if the bed will be viewed from a
distance (as in a front bed being viewed from the street). If, for
instance, you decide to use red, pink and white petunias, it is more
effective to plant groups (three or more plants) of red, groups of pink
and groups of white in the bed. This allows each color to be noticed. A
scattered planting of individual red, pink and white petunias would give
the overall appearance of pink when viewed from a distance.
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Effective use of pastel colors. Use pastel colors in areas that
will be viewed primarily in the evening. Paler colors show up better in
low light, of course. This is also an important consideration when
planting shady areas. Also, pastel colors make a space look larger and
more open. If you have a courtyard that seems a little cramped, a pastel
color scheme would be quite appropriate. Cool, pastel colors also tend
to create a serene, restful mood.
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Effective use of vibrant colors. Vibrant, rich colors energize
the landscape and can help make a larger area seem smaller and more
intimate. Combining colors that are complementary on the color wheel
such as blue and orange, purple and yellow, or red and green is
particularly energetic. Combining white with the primary colors, red,
blue and yellow is also cheerful and lively. A patriotic red, white and
blue color scheme is sure to brighten an area as well.
Creating an attractive, colorful look is easier than ever. Update #1 on
my neighbor: he has established a couple of beds of colorful petunias
near his driveway entrance. He says the planting gives him a smile and
brighten his sprits when arriving home during these stressful days after
Hurricane Ike. Update #2 on my neighbor: His neighbors (myself included)
also get to share a smile and some cheer as we drive by his delightful
display of fall color!
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