Landscape Design Using a Color Palette

Designing a landscape can be an overwhelming task, especially when it comes down to choosing colors. There a several factors to consider in deciding on your color palette. For landscape designers, this is almost a reflexive, unconscious process. So, we've decided to develop some helpful suggestions to help guide you in the process.

Style
How Do You Want Your Landscape Feel? In other words, when you think of your perfect landscape, what do you envision? A formal English garden, modern, or cottage style? Your style and preference will help narrow and guide your color palette and hence plant choices.

Setting
Is your home in the country, suburbs, or an urban area? If you live in the country, perhaps you want a natural organic look, using greens, purples, and whites. Or maybe you live in an urban area and want to soften your landscape with pinks and whites. Consider the setting and what you'd like to enhance or distract from in your yard.

Color
Do you have a favorite color? Choosing plants based on color preference is an exciting process. My favorite color is green, so I love large stands of greenery. For instance, I incorporated a lot of ferns and hosta's in my landscape. Colors are highly personal, so your choices should reflect what you like!

Inspiration
Do you have a favorite place to go? The beach or downtown Portland? You can use your special places for inspiration. For example, if the beach is your thing, you can create a complementary palette that brings the beach to your landscape-incorporating blues, grays, brown, and white.