There are two schools of perennial garden design when it comes to plant combinations and color choices. Here they are in simple terms. Understand you decide which you choose and not the neighbors or local garden maven.
The First School Loves All Color
The first school of garden design says that with certain exclusions (white and magenta) every color in the perennial garden matches every other color and it is impossible to have a bad combination. It is possible to have better combinations but impossible to have really bad ones. This is the school of the gardener who wants to have a good time with perennial plants of all kinds and colors but isn’t overly concerned about artistic merit. This is the fun school.
This school of garden design allows you to put plants where you think the plants will look best and not to worry about color schemes.
The Second School Only Loves Colors In Combinations
The second school, espoused by most professional garden designers, is that only certain colors and plants should go together in the garden. Certainly, if you are trying to create artistic color schemes or moods in the garden, then this is the direction you’ll wind up taking and instructions for beginning this process are on page 00 under color wheel and color chord applications. This school of color gardening is a lot of work but can create masterpieces of design.
If you are a real beginner, join the first school. Like kindergarten, it’s easier, it allows you to experiment, and it is far more fun. You can switch at any time, as gradually as you wish.
And if you need advice on how to get your perennial garden to bloom all summer, click here