Bright and bold colors add drama and excitement to the garden. They attract the eye and elicit an immediate emotional response. While soft, monochromatic colors bring a soothing, relaxing feeling, a shot of bold color brings instant energy.
I notice I am drawn to the vibrant colors of red, violet and fuchsia. Especially when picking out hanging baskets at the garden center, my eye is drawn to the bold colors. And if the basket is mixed with several bold colors, that is even better. Last year I selected two petunia baskets to hang on the deck pergola in full sun – one was a deep violet color and the other was red-violet with white edges. I love the picotee edges on petunias. Another basket was filled with purple fan flower and fuchsia superbells. To further brighten the back deck, I hung a trailing basket of bougainvillea, with papery magenta bracts.
Red, Violet, and Fuchsia Bring Pollinators
The petunia baskets, hung high, attracted butterflies and hummingbirds to the deck. Less noticeably, I placed a hanging basket of cypress vine, its dainty, ferny foliage punctuated by tiny stars of red, also a hummingbird favorite.
In my deck planter, most of the flowers were red last summer because I read articles claiming bees don’t see red. The planter is near the back door so I wanted it bee free. I planted pentas, red salvia, mini roses, and deep rose periwinkle. I didn’t see one bee on my planter all summer, but the hummingbirds zoomed in.
In the shade, I hang the always flowering fuchsia plant with its bright pink and violet blooms. The trumpet-shaped flowers full of nectar are a calling card to hungry hummingbirds. The berries that form attract fruit-eating birds such as robins, catbirds and mockingbirds. I never see the birds partaking but the fruits disappear quickly. Also in the shade are my containers of impatiens – and I always choose the vibrant deep coral colors, rather than the white, pink, or red.
Bold colors can be warm or cool colors on the color wheel. While red, orange, and yellow are the warm colors, adding cool colors to the yard such as purple and vivid blue, definitely are bold. So go bold this summer and add those bright splashes of color around the yard!
