Home And Garden Articles

Colour in the Garden

Colour affects our emotions, moods, physical, and spiritual well-being. It has a significant effect on everything we eat, drink, and touch and influences our physical environment including our home, office, and garden. Colour reflects our personalities. The colours we prefer for home interiors carried out to the garden, provide continuity between our interior and exterior living spaces. Colours are a useful tool in creating different moods in the landscape. In order to effectively create with colour it is important to understand the meaning of the different colours.

Red creates vitality. It tends to command attention and will make areas seem smaller. It is a good colour for dining areas as it increases appetite. It creates a feeling of warmth, movement, and drama. For those who may find it too stimulating, use pink instead. Red plants to use in the shade include begonia, coleus, and impatiens. In sunny areas use salvia or verbenas. To augment your plantings use glazed pots, red sandstone gravel, red clay bricks or tiles will bring that vitality to your landscape.

Orange means optimism. It is primarily the colour of joy. It is warm, welcoming, just bursting with earthly energy. Orange flowers have been known since ancient times as a cure for depression. It is a good colour to use when you have experienced trauma or loss. Plants to try in the shade include begonia, coleus and impatiens. For sunny areas try honeysuckle and marigolds. Materials to augment plantings include terracotta pots, ornaments, rusting metal, golden gravel, and clay bricks.

Yellow means contentment. It represents the power of the sun, increases the feeling of space. It brings a sense of well-being to the garden even on grey, dull days. Golden foliage will often scorch in full sun so plant in dappled shade. Many of the grey or silver-leafed plants have yellow flowers. Plants to grow in shade include begonias, coleus, and hostas. For sunny areas try day lilies, potentilla and yarrow. Materials to augment plantings include reconstituted stone containers, ornaments, golden sandstone gravel, and buff paving.

Green means growth. It is a primary healing colour. Green foliage on its own will create a tranquil impression. It is restful and relaxing as it offers sanctuary from the outside world. Using foliage colours and architectural leaves gives structure and form to any garden space. Plants for shady areas include coleus, ferns, and hosta. Use junipers, grasses and conifers in sunny areas. To augment plantings use green wood stain on fences and buildings. It is a popular colour for garden furniture, umbrellas, glazed pots, garden ornaments.

Blue means spirit. It is very conducive for meditation. It conveys the peacefulness of sky and ocean. It combines well with many other colours. Use this colour for modern-day stress and anxiety. Blue flowers add depth and strong healing vibrations to a border filled with pink, lilac, and white flowers. Plants for shade include campanula and columbine. For sunny areas, delphinium, lobelia and morning glory. Materials to augment planting include deep blue-grey slate, paving, granite and ceramics with vivid blue glazes.

Violet means calm. It brings a feeling of self-worth. It sometimes appears dull unless plenty of contrast in texture, form, and tone are used. Flowers are particularly useful for protection and for the cleansing vibrations they give out. It is a rich regal colour that indicates knowledge, self-respect, spirituality, nostalgia, dignity, and wealth. It will help soothe the mind if you are tense. Plants for shady areas include coleus and impatiens. For sunny areas use aster, butterfly bush and salvia. To augment the planting use glazed pots, dyed fabrics used on garden furniture and umbrellas.

Gwen Nyhus Stewart, B.S.W., M.G., H.T., is an educator, freelance writer, garden consultant, and author of the book The Healing Garden: A Place Of Peace – Gardening For The Soil, Gardening For The Soul and the booklet Non-toxic Alternatives For Everyday Cleaning And Gardening Products. She owns the website Gwen's Healing Garden where you will find lots of free information about gardening for the soil and gardening for the soul. To find out more about the books and subscribe to her free Newsletter visit http://www.gwenshealinggarden.ca

Gwen Nyhus Stewart © 2004 – 2005. All rights reserved.

Other Article Sites

findabook.com  moneycd.info  a-mortgage.info   about-lemon-laws.info  aboutstudentloans.info
all-about-publishing.info  auctions-articles.info  bestcollege-university.com  bestispconnection.com
biblefolder.com  blogger-website.com  books-used.info  brokers-guide.info  buywindows.info  cable-dsl.info
career-miner.com  carpel-tunnel.info  cashinaflash.info  cashloanreviews.info  casinobell.com  chat-house.info
clearmycredit.info  collegeloantips.info  crones.info  depression-articles.info   dirnic.net  dishguides.info
divers-below.com  expodog.info   financewizz.com  fire-insurance.info  getgood.info  handleit.net   it-idea.info
health-supplies.info  hosting-right.com  insidealert.com  insurance-facts.info  jobs-employment.info
justgood.info  lookgold.net   lowcost-travel.info  money-source.info  myhostzone.info  numisblog.com
peoplesearchfinder.info  pr-articles.info  realeas.com   refinancing-guides.info  spyware-remove.info
telelot.info  the-law.info   toppaid.info  travel-deals.info  travelcorrect.com  wedding-guide-site.com
your-blog.info  your-credit.info

MORE ARTICLES:

When Can I Refinance My Home?
There are a number of different reasons you may want to refinance your home mortgage loan, the most common reason being that people want to lower the monthly payments, mainly by lowering the interest rate.

Can I Really Make Money At Home Filling In Online Surveys?
It's true, this is a very viable approach to many stay at home moms, and dads, college students, retirees, and you name it. No one really believed you could actually earn a monthly income just from getting involved with survey companies and focus groups.

Miami Real Estate Market: Best Place To Purchase A Home
Buying home is more likely very difficult decision to do; you need a lot of preparation to have an owned home at Miami real estate market. Basically you need to prepare your pocket and think to spend money practically in earlier time.

Riley's Real Wood Furniture in Eugene Oregon is Proud to Announce the Arrival of our Home Page Web Specials
Riley chooses fine furniture made from the highest quality wood, including cherry, red and white oak, maple, rubber wood, pine and New Zealand pine. Riley's complete line of furniture offers something for almost every taste, and style. Beds, dinning sets, living room and bedroom sets, sofas and recliners, and office furniture are a few top selling items.

Attract Birds To Your Garden By Giving Them What They Need
Birds need five basic things from life. Cover to hide them from their predators, shelter to protect them from the elements, food to provide sustenance, water to drink and to bathe, and nesting sites to raise families. For those bird lovers who want to attract birds to their gardens, they should ensure that their garden has all of the above features.

Advantages of a Home Based Business
By the age of 25, when you have already obtained your permanent job in the office or in the field, the stressful situation starts. That is, your day-to-day schedule will revolve around waking up early, taking a shower, and preparing and consuming your breakfast. All of these activities will be done in a fast-pace approach so that you will not be late for work.

Home D?cor Tips For Bare Wall
We oftentimes have a wall section in our home that is bare We end up simply staring at it while brainstorming of some ideas to spice it up without really deviating from your decoration theme

The Easy Way to Start Organizing Your Home Today
Organizing your home does not need to be difficult You just need to get started and take that first step

Home Business Opportunities For Farmers
A home Internet business that is operated from a farm homestead can provide some real benefits for many farmers around the world.

Home Office Decorating Ideas
Have you recently started running a business from home? If so, you'll now be at the stage where you're looking for ideas on decorating your home office. To keep on working from home you need to feel motivated, so it's important that your home office is somewhere that you are both comfortable and energized, a place which helps you to develop your ideas.

Modular Home Manufacturer Welcomes New HR Director
Customized Structures, Inc. of Claremont, NH welcomes Laurie Methven as new Director of Human Resources.

6 Tips To Cope With Isolation From One Successful Stay-At-Home-Mother
Ask any woman who?s had a baby and they?ll tell you it is the most rewarding experience of their lives. However, after months and months of spending your entire day with an infant, you begin to feel as though you are losing touch with the adult world, particularly if you are accustomed to a fast-paced work life.

This Home Improvement Website Provides Free Members with an Abundance of Very Useful and Exciting Interactive Features
Thousands of people have been coming to Showroom411.com, The Do-It-Yourself Home Improvement Resource. From the DIY Videos and How-To Articles to using the extensive Home Products and Resources directory, Showroom411.com has proven to be The One Stop Shop for everyone's home improvement needs. But now, Showroom411 wants everyone to know more about the Free Membership Advantage.

Top 10 Tips for Selling Your Home
If you are currently considering selling your home then there are certain things that you can do to ensure that you get that all important sale. Certainly, with the way that the economy is currently selling your home has become more difficult and it is now a buyers market. Below we offer 10 top tips for selling your home and which should hopefully help you to achieve the price you are after.

Home on the Range Adventure Tours Announces Team Building Experiences Website Enhancements
Extensive enhancements to Home on the Range's website highlight unique corporate team building activities