A lot of people these days are looking to landscape the yard around their home, either to create a nice relaxing natural space for themselves, to make their house look more attractive or even to raise the value of their home. Whatever the purpose, it is the colour theme of the new garden or yard that becomes the most prominent factor, something that is important to consider when reinventing or sprucing up a landscape. Here are a few tips for choosing the right colour for your dream garden or yard.

Know What You Like

This is your garden, so you will want to make it a space that you feel comfortable in. The best way to begin your colour selections is to simply understand what you are drawn to. This could mean spending hours flipping through garden magazines or even driving around the neighbourhood looking for gardens that are pleasing to your eye. You can also try a visualisation technique: close your eyes and picture a garden that has all the elements that would be your ideal garden. What do you see? Is it a tranquil space for hanging out and relaxing? Is it a social place filled with fun and laughter? Is it sophisticated or bright? Colour has this amazing ability to embody a specific mood, so you can narrow down your colour choices from there.

Work Around What You Have

Chances are you already have some prominent features in your yard such as your house, shed or garden fencing, and you will want to choose a colour theme that complements rather than clashes with the colour of these features. The most important feature to work around is the colour of your house since other smaller features can be painted or changed. Remember that the colour of wood or Colourbond fencing can easily be changed, so you don't have to hinge your entire plan on these features.

Understand Colour

Good garden design involves having a solid understanding of how colours and textures can be combined to create an outcome that is pleasing to look at. An artist's colour wheel is a great tool in familiarising yourself with colour relationships, and can be used to visualise what colours go well together. Start by deciding whether you want a harmonious or contrasting colour theme. Harmonious colours are those that are found next to each other on the colour wheel and can be different shades of the same colour (monochromatic) or different colours that are next to each other such as violet and blue or red and orange (analogous). Contrasting colours are opposite each other on the colour wheel such as red and green or blue and orange and, when together, they become more vibrant. A subliminal mood of your choice can be created with the colours you choose, so it's important to know what mood you are going for. Combining harmonious colours creates a peaceful mood, such as using red and yellow to have a 'warm' and peaceful mood, or combining blue and green to create a 'cool' and peaceful mood. Contrasting colours, however, will create a feeling of energy and excitement in your yard or garden.

Don't Forget the Hardscaping

The colour theme of your garden isn't just about the plant material you use. Hardscape colours come from rocks, paving stones, patios and retaining walls and they should be taken into consideration when deciding on a colour theme. For example, if you have a red brick patio or a redwood fence, choose flowers that are yellow or white as opposed to red flowers that would only fade into their surroundings.