It is possible to have a border with lots of lovely, healthy plants and yet still feel like there is too much going on in terms of color. Often flower color is the culprit. Every new plant can be chosen based on how pretty its flowers look by themselves, until suddenly there are pinks, yellows, oranges, purples, whites and reds with no obvious connection to each other. A simple color palette connects these individual plants visually. It also makes the overall design much easier to pick up.
When it comes to planning your first bed, it is often easier to think in terms of two or three main flower colors rather than a rainbow of color. These don’t have to be exactly the same shade. Several soft purples, for instance, might go well together with just a little bit of white to add some contrast. In another bed, you might choose yellow and warm cream with a few hints of orange. The key question isn’t whether each color goes with the others but rather whether one color dominates, another complements it, and another provides a slightly more intense splash of color that is clearly meant as an accent, rather than being spread everywhere.
Foliage color is part of the picture as well. Green is not just one big blob of a background color; foliage can be dark green, light green, blue-green, silvery, glossy, or dusty-looking. You can create striking contrast between foliage within a bed that has a fairly restrained choice of flower colors. A large, dark, broad-leafed plant next to a fine, pale-textured plant will stand out differently than two plants with the same shade of green, even if they have totally different flowers. Taking foliage into account means the composition will be more unified when many plants are not currently flowering.
The problem arises when you have several bright colors competing for equal visual importance. Your eye is constantly pulled back and forth between these strong colors and has nowhere to pause. Rather than remove all the bright colors, decide which one is the accent color. Keep it in a small amount, leaving the other colors and foliage masses to take up more room. This holds true for focal points as well: If all flowering groups are vying for your attention, none of them seems particularly important.
You can check out the effect of color in your planting scheme without actually getting the plants. Collect images of the plants you intend to use or make little colored squares on a drawing of your bed. Draw up one version using all the colors you were considering, and then draw a second version using a palette of three harmonious colors plus a more subdued accent color. Keep the plant heights and groupings the same. Comparing these two drawings isolates the effect of color, allowing you to see easily whether your first plan feels exciting in a constructive way or if it’s just chaotic.
Be aware that seasonal considerations might alter your color scheme; check the bloom times of the plants before assuming the drawing is complete. Two colors might balance nicely on paper, but they won’t be blooming at the same time, and another plant might take over the bed for several weeks after the others finish blooming. A more serene planting scheme doesn’t mean no color; it means choosing where color will be repeated, where it will be quieter, and which foliage will tie everything together between blooms. Before adding another flowering plant to your bed, check whether its color is reinforcing the palette you already have, or if it is creating a whole new direction the bed doesn’t need.
