9/28/2015

Landscape Basics: Color Theory | Publications | UGA Extension

Publications

Landscape Basics: Color Theory

(B1396)

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MatthewChappell1
BradDavis2
BodiePennisi1
MerrittSullivan3

PrimaryandSecondaryColors
PerceptionofColor
ColorValue
ColorIntensity
ColorSchemes
UsingFoliageColor
UsingColorsoftheSeasons
UsingEvergreenvs.DeciduousPlants
UsingColortoAffecttheSpatialQualityoftheLandscape
UsingLighttoAffectthePerceptionofColorintheLandscape
Summary
Therearemanythingstoconsiderwhendesigninganexceptionallandscape.Plantsplayan
importantroleinmakinglandscapesfunctionwellforbothhumanandnaturalsystems.Besides
function,plantsmakelandscapesattractive.Alandscapefullofcolorfulandinterestingplant
combinationsgeneratesattentionandcandirectpeopletowardafocalpoint.Asamajordesign
principle,plantscanexpresseachoftheelementsofartthataredefinedasform,line,shape,color,
texture,spaceandvalue.Whencombined,theseartisticelementsbegintoexpresstheprinciplesof
design,includingemphasis,balance,harmony,variety,movement,rhythm,proportionandunity.
Colorisastrongdesignelementandcanbeusedtoattractattentionandguidethehumaneye.
Becauseofitsstrength,colorcanalsobecomeaproblemwhenusedincorrectly.
Thispublicationexplorescolorrelationshipsinthelandscape,waysofseeingplantsintermsof
color,andvariouswaystousecolorsuccessfullyinplantselectionandlandscapedesignand
composition.However,onemustremembertoconsiderallelementsofartbeforecompletinga
landscapedesign.

Primary and Secondary Colors

Therearethreeprimarycolorsblue,redandyellowthatcanbemixedin
differentwaystomakeallothercolors.Secondarycolorsgreen,orangeand
violet(purple)aremadebymixingtwoprimarycolors.Forexample,when
blueandyellowaremixed,theymakegreen.Whenyellowandredaremixed,
theymakeorange.Whenredandbluearemixed,theymakepurple.Aneasy
waytovisualizethisiswithacolorwheel(Figure1).Colorisalsoreferredto
ashue,orpurecolor.

Figure1.Color
wheel.

Perception of Color
Colorscanbedescribedascoolorwarm.Greenandbluearecoolcolors.Theyareusually
associatedwithwater,skyandforestandtheyevokerelaxedandcalmfeelings.Red,orangeand
yellowarewarmcolorsoftenassociatedwithheat,fireandthesun.Becauseofthis,theydemand
attentionandevokeexcitement.Purpleisoftenconfusingbecauseitcanbeeitheracoolorwarm
colordependingonothercolorsthatappearadjacenttoitinalandscape.Whenpurpleappears

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nearblue,itisperceivedasacoolcolor.Whennearred,purpleisseenasawarmcolor.Itmay
seemoddthatcolorscanhavesuchaneffectonpeople,butthishaslongbeenstudiedby
psychologistsandisusedinthedesignofmanyproductsandplaces.Forexample,fastfood
restaurantstypicallyusewarmcolorstoexcitecustomersandgettheminandoutthedoorfaster
whereashospitalstypicallyusecoolcolorsinroomstocreateacalmandrelaxingatmosphere.

Color Value
Valueisthelightnessordarknessofeachcolor.
Addingwhite,blackorwhiteandblack(which
combinetomakegrey)toeachcolorchangesits
value(Figure2).
Whenwhiteisaddedtoacoloritbecomeslighter
andiscalledatint.Whenblackisadded,it
makesacolordarkeranditiscalledashade.
Whengreyisaddeditiscalledatone.Let'stake
red,forexample.Whenwhiteisaddedtored,it

Figure2.Colorvalue.

turnspink,atintofred.Whenblackorgreyis
addedtored,itturnsmaroon,ashadeofred.
Valueisimportantinthelandscapebecausethe
humaneyeisdrawntotintsandshades,
especiallywhentints,shadesandtonesareused
closetogether.Thiscreatesarichvisual
combinationthatismorecomplexandinteresting
thansimplyonecolorusedrepeatedlywithout
anyvariation(Figure3).

Figure3.Acontainerplantingwithvarious
shadesandtintsofpurple.

Color Intensity
Intensityreferstoacolor'sbrightness.Thisis
importanttoconsiderinthelandscapebecause
othersurroundings(orcontext)affectaperson's
perceptionofcolor.Whenseveralbrightor
intensecolorsareusedtogether,theyincrease
theintensityofoneanother(Figure4).
Incontrast,whenshadesortintsareused
together,theoveralleffectissoftenedandless
intense.Colorsusedwithwhiteappearbrighter
thanthesamecolorsusedwithblackorverydark
greens.Inthecasewhereaplantingislocated

Figure4.Pink,orange,red,yellowandwhite
flowersagainstabrickbuildingbackground.

nexttoawhiteordarkcoloredbuilding,the
backgroundwillaffecttheperceptionofplant
colors(Figures4and5).

Figure5.Pink,purpleandwhitepetunias
againstadarkerbrickbuildingbackground.

Color Schemes
Naturallandscapescanprovideinspirationforgoodcolorcombinations.Mostpeopledescribecolors
usinglandscapeterms,suchasskyblue,grassorsagegreen,orfirered.Lookingatnatural

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landscapesandallofthesubtlecolorcombinationsthatnatureproducescanbegreatinspirationfor
designinggardens.Asunsetmightinspireawarmcolorscheme,orawalkthroughaforestmight
inspireacoolschemeusingdifferentshadesofgreen,fromgreygreentobluegreentoyellow
green.
Byplanningwhatcolorstoplant,thelandscapearchitectorlandscapercreatesathemeforthe
design,oracolorscheme.Thereareatleastsixdifferentcolorschemestochoosefromandthey
mostlyrefertopositionsonthecolorwheel.Eachevokesadifferentpsychologicalresponse.

Monochromatic
Monochromaticcolorschemesuseonecolorand
itsvariousvalues(tintsandshades).Such
schemeshaveharmoniousvisualeffect(Figure
6).

Analogous
Analogouscolorschemesusecolorsthatarenext
toeachotheronthecolorwheel.Forexample,

Figure6.Amonochromaticcolorschemeusing
greenasabasecolor.Whitesandvariousshades
ofgreencreateasubtleandsoothinggarden
space.

orangeandredareanalogousfromadistance,a
plantingoforangeandredmayappearasa
plantingofthesamecolor.Thisisbecauseofthe
closenessofthecolorsonthewheel.However,
upcloseanalogouscolorscreatearichmixof
colorsthatblendwellandarevisually
harmonious.Dependingonthecolor,awarmor
cooleffectcanbeachieved(Figures7and8).

Complementary

Figure7.Analogousgreenandyellowcolorsare
visuallypleasingandcreateawarmimpression.

Complementarycolorschemesusecolorsthatare
oppositeeachotheronthecolorwheel.Each
complementarycoloraddstotheintensityofits
opposite.Forexample,onthecolorwheelpurple
andyellowareoppositeeachother.Bothcolors
complementeachotherandmakethebrightness
oftheotherincrease.Purpleandyellowisa
popularcombinationbecausethecolorsaccent
oneanotherandmakeeachotherstandout
(Figure9).Inalandscape,complementarycolors
areoftenmostsuccessfulwhenonecolorismore
dominantthantheother,ratherthaninequal
proportions(inFigure9,theyellowpansies

Figure8.Analogouswhite,lightgreenand
purplecolorscreateacoolimpression.

dominate).

Primary
Primarycolorschemesusethethreeprimary
colors,red,yellowandblue.Theyarebrightand
energetic,especiallywhenusedtogether.
Children'splaygroundsandtoysareoften
designedusingthethreeprimarycolorsinorder
toattractattentionandstimulatethedeveloping
mind.Inothersettings,primarycolorsmaybe

Figure9.Aplantingofpansiesusinga
complementarycolorscheme.

toovisuallyjarring.Thisiseasilycorrectedby
usingshadesortintsoftheprimarycolorstogether(Figures10and11).Forexample,insixteenth
andseventeenthcenturyFrenchculture,royalinteriorswereoftendesignedusingaverydark
shadeofred,adarkshadeofblueandashadeofyellowwecallgold.

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Figure10.Usingmanycolorstogethercan
createalotofenergy.

Figure11.InBuchardtGardenstheemphasison
primarycolorsdrawsattentionandinvitesthe
gardenvisitortoenterandexplore.

Riotous
Riotouscolorschemesarebestdefinedasthe
useofmultiplecolorsinavibrantandbold
combination.Thisisthemostdifficultschemeto
achievesuccessfully.Withtheuseofsomany
colors,somemayclash,andthehumaneyemay
havenowheretofocus.Thisschemecanbetoo
energeticandvisuallystimulatingtherefore,
repeatingcolorsisimportanttoensureunity
(Figure12).
Figure12.Allofthecolorsofthecolorwheel
havebeenusedherehowever,thepinks
dominateandtietheoverallcomposition
together.

Pastel
Pastelcolorschemesusecolortonestocreatesoftandsubtle
effectsinthelandscape.Pastelcolorscombinebestwithother
pastelcolorsandworkwellwithplantswithsilverorgraytinted
foliage(Figure13).

Figure13.Thesilverygrey
foliageofJuniperandgrasses
combinewellwiththepurple
foliageofColeusandmauve
flowersofAngelonia.

Using Foliage Color

Weuseplantsnotonlyfortheirflowercolorbutalsofortheirfoliage.Indeed,manyplantshave
moreattractiveleaves(orfoliage)thanflowers.Mostpeoplethink"green"whentheythinkof
foliage,buttherearemanyothercolorsandmanyplantswithleavesthathavemultiplecolorson
justoneleaf.Thesearecalledvariegatedleaves(Figure8showsvariegatedZebrina).Some
variegatedleaveshavestripesofdifferentcolors(usuallywhitecreamoryellowandgreen)others
havepatchesorblotchesofcolor,includingwhite,creamoryellowandgreen,pink,purpleand
green,oryellow,orange,red,copperandgreen(Figures14af).Whenusingvariegatedorfoliage
coloredplantsitisimportanttoapplythesamecolorschemerulesdescribedabove(Figure15).

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Figure14a.Variegated
foliageofAbelia.

Figure14b.Variegated
foliageofYucca.

Figure14d.VariegatedfoliageofColeus.

Figure14c.Variegated
foliageofEleagnus.

Figure14e.VariegatedfoliageofAcalypha.

Figure14f.Variegatedfoliage
ofBreynia.

Figure15.Despitethelackofflowers,colored
foliagecreatessoftnessandblendsthecolor
schemetogether.

Sofarwehaveexploredhowtocombinecolorsindifferentschemesforavisuallysuccessful
landscape.Inthefollowingparagraphswediscussotherfactorsthatcanaffectcolor.

Using Colors of the Seasons

Seasonalchangeshaveagreatimpactoncolorinthelandscape.Manyplantshavesignificant
springorfallcolorationthatisquitedifferentfromother

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seasons.Thisfactorcanleadtoexcitingplantcombinationsand
colorschemesthatchangeentirelyfromoneseasontothenext.
Forexample,alandscapemightexpressamonochromatic
schemeofwhitesandpinksinthespring,coolgreensinthe
summer,warmandenergeticcolorsinthefall,andfinallycalm
greensandbrownsforthewinter(Figure16).Theseseasonal
changescanbeusedtocreateadditionalinterestandrichnessin
thelandscape.Seasonalchangecanalsoleadtoclashesif
individualplantschangetoacolorthatdoesnotharmonizewith
theotherplantsduringthatparticularseason.Buildingonthe
sameidea,itwouldbeawastetoplaceapurplespringflowering
plantnexttoayellowfallfloweringplant.Theseasonalityof
colorisanimportantconsiderationineverylandscape.

Figure16.Winter(top)and
summer(bottom)landscapes.
Noticehowthedeciduoustrees
filloutthebackdropofintense
greeninthesummer.

Using Evergreen vs. Deciduous Plants

Itisalsoimportanttoconsiderthecoloreffectsofevergreenversusdeciduousplants.Evergreen
foliageprovidespermanentcolorinalandscapesincetheseplantsaregreenyearround.Deciduous
plantsdroptheirleavesforthewinter,butoftenstillpossessgreatwinterinterestintheirbark
colorandbranchstructure(Figure17).
Someplantsholdontotheiroldflowerheadsorhavecolorfulberriesallwinter.Manyornamental
grassesturnapleasanttanorgoldcolorforthewinter.Thesequalitiescanbeusedtocreatewinter
plantcombinationsthathavesubtle,yetbeautiful,colorschemes(Figure18).

Figure17.Carefullyplanted
crapemyrtlesprovidestrong
architecturalinterest,perhaps
moresointhewinter.

Figure18.NativeBroomsedgeturnsa
distinctivewarmambercolorthatwillremainall
winter,complementingtheblueskyand
evergreentreesinthebackgroundevenafterthe
redSumacleavesfadeanddisappear.

Using Color to Affect the Spatial Quality of the Landscape

Thespatialqualitiesofalandscapearealsoaffectedbycolor.Coolcolorstendtorecedeinthe
landscape,orseemfartheraway,whereaswarmcolorsadvance,orappearcloser.Thismaybe
importanttoconsiderwhenchoosingplantsforanoutdoorspace(likeabackyardorsmall
courtyard)thatcanfeellargerbyusingacoolcolorscheme,orsmallerthroughtheuseofawarm
colorscheme(Figure19).Thissametechniqueisoftenusedin

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interiordesignwhenchoosingpaintandfurniturecolors.

Figure19.Warmcolorscheme.

Using Light to Affect the Perception of Color in the Landscape

Differentamountsoflightalsohaveaneffecton
colorinthelandscape.Brightlightorfullsun
tendstomagnifywhiteandwarmcolorsbutwash
outdarkcolorsandpastels.Inshadyorlowlight
conditions,white,darkandcoolcolorstendto
sparkleandintensifybutwarmcolorsmayappear
dull(Figure20).Assunandshadepatterns
changethroughoutthedayandseasons,the
impactsoncolorchoicemayneedtobe
evaluated.

Figure20.Naturallightstronglyaffectsnotonly
howweperceivecolorsbutalsohowcolors
interactwitheachother.

Summary
Colorhasabasicappealtohumansandcanbeusedbylandscaperstoevokepowerfulemotional
responses.Colorscanevokeasenseofpeaceandcalmorexcitementandenergy.Theycanbe
usedtoshowcoolnessorwarmth,lightnessordarkness.Plantcolorswillappeardifferentlytothe
humaneyedependingonsurroundingcolorssuchasthosedisplayedbyotherplants,buildings,
wallsandothernearbystructures.Colormayserveasthehighlightofadesign,providingafocal
point.Colorbuildsonthestructureandframeworkofthelandscapeandmayalsohighlightanarea
byaddingrepetitionincolorthatcreatesunity,visualbalanceandharmony.Colormaynotbethe

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mostimportantconsiderationinanoveralllandscape,butithasapowerfulvisualeffectandshould
beconsideredcarefullyforbestresults.
1DepartmentofHorticulture
2DepartmentofLandscapeArchitecture
3DepartmentofHorticulture,B.S.Student

StatusandRevisionHistory
PublishedonNov14,2011
ReviewedonNov30,2014

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