Color theory

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Color Me Green with Envy

green collageGreen is the prime color of the world and that from which its loveliness arises.
– Pedro Calderon de la Barca

No argument from me here. I’ve always loved green, which comes in handy when you’re a gardener. It’s pretty hard to grow a garden without it.

I see no reason to stop with the garden though. I liberally sprinkle green throughout my home.  Just last week I replaced the broken clock in the bathroom with a retro-inspired vintage green clock. It goes beautifully with the green tile. One of the walls in my home office is a muted green and I’m pretty sure half of my wardrobe is green too. It’s handy when you’re getting dressed, because everything goes together. I still tease my husband that when he came to pick me up on our first date in a green car he pretty much sealed the deal.

According to Color Matters:

Green is no longer just a color, but the symbol of ecology and a verb.

Since the beginning of time, green has signified growth, rebirth, and fertility. In pagan times, there was the “Green Man” – a symbol of fertility.  In Muslim countries, it is a holy color and in Ireland, a lucky color. It was the color of the heavens in the Ming Dynasty.

Have you ever thought about your favorite color and why it appeals to you? My sister’s favorite color is purple and my husband’s, blue. My dearest friend loves aqua so much that it feels like part of her personality.

When I was pregnant with my second son, my then-3-year old decided that his brother’s favorite color would be yellow. My oldest son loves orange, and the people around him loved blue, green and red, so he figured his brother would ‘inherit’ the color yellow. With his limited world experience, he figured only one favorite color per person. That still makes me smile.

My Sweet Tangled Bird curated a beautiful post this week entitled, Color Inspiration – Lucite Green. She’s pulled together exquisite examples of  Pantone’s Lucite Green, a trending color this spring. She included a gorgeous owl piece from artist Michelle Morin that had me returning to her post again and again. The art left me breathless.

Our blogging 101 assignment for today: write a post that builds on one of the comments we left the day before on a blog we’ve never followed. The idea behind this is to:

  • Your blog is shaped by your own thinking and by your interactions with others, and building on someone else’s post expands your own ideas.
  • If you thought the original post was worth commenting on, that means it struck a nerve — it’s a topic people are interested in reading about.
  • Responding and linking to other blogs adds to the fabric of the blogosphere, and actually helps other bloggers find you. – Source: Blogging 101

What’s your favorite color? Please tell us why.

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A Garden Dressed in White

“The first of all single colors is white … We shall set down white for the representative of light, without which no color can be seen; yellow for the earth; green for water; blue for air; red for fire; and black for total darkness.” — Leonardo Da Vinci

When I studied color theory, it surprised me to learn that white pigment is the absence of color whereas in light, white is the combination of all color. Scientifically speaking, white isn’t a color at all, but as ‘non-colors’ go it’s loaded with symbolism and meaning.

I also learned today that white or pale flowers are more strongly scented than their darker counterparts. Who knew!

Come join me for a walk through my mid-autumn garden. The ‘color’ of the day, isn’t a color at all.

flowering basil

Flowering basil

The rest of the vegetable garden went to sleep in October, but this pretty plant continues to thrive.

bacopa

Bacopa: This survived the summer heat and very little water

I gave this potted Bacopa very little water this summer. Now that it’s cooler and we’ve had a bit of rain, the plant revived.

camellia

Camellia along the back fence

This gorgeous, Camellia is one of my favorite splashes of white this time of year.

cosmos

A fading Cosmo, one of the lasts flowers in the curb garden

This Cosmo looks tired, but it is November. She’s been pumping out blooms for some time.

hydrangea

Hydrangea, grateful for some rain

Again, one of the last blooms on this plant.

sweet alyssum and begonia

Sweet Alyssum and Begonias on the patio

There are a few begonias in the back of this pot, but the summer belonged to my Sweet Alyssum. As it goes to sleep, a pretty white shower drifts below.

amemone

The last of the Anemone. They’ve been flowering since August

Saying Goodbye to King Tut

My sister’s beloved kitty died yesterday. He’s been a wonderful companion to her and will be sorely missed. He had the whitest coat, emerald-green eyes and the cutest little ears. He also had a sweet personality to match. Farewell KT.

KT Eating Kitty Greens

KT Eating Kitty Greens

Additional Reading:

Sensational Color: All about the color white.

Wikipedia: White

Color Matters: Basic Color Theory

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Mellow Yellow, Garden Gold

Yellow is a happy color. It exudes warmth and cheer. In the garden, it weaves its way through most seasons: striking daffodils in the spring, followed by snapdragons and sunflowers in the summer and fall.  As the blooms fade, several trees take over, dropping golden-yellow leaves in.

What’s unusual this year is the number of summer plants still in bloom.  Our deciduous trees have lost most of their leaves in time for winter solstice. I thought the snaps were done until several days of heavy rain.  Now they’re back to in soft, buttery shades of yellow.

A tomato plant still towers in the side yard, sending out tiny yellow blooms. Several pumpkin plants self-seeded and flowered as well.  Even in California, it’s unusual to see pumpkins bloom so late in the year. I’m trying to squelch my fears about global warming.  Perhaps my garden’s micro-climate is simply in sync with the menopausal gardener.

Using yellow in the garden from Sensational Color:

  •  Yellow is considered a warm color in landscape design.
  • Yellow’s appearance in the garden has a stimulating effect.
  •  Yellow flowers come forward in the landscape, helping to make a large garden feel cozier.
  •  Yellow lilies make for a bright, long blooming addition to any garden.
  •  Yellow’s complimentary color in the garden is purple.
Snapdragons

The Snapdragons returned after a heavy rain. I didn’t notice the tiny grey spider when I took the picture.

Yellow Wildflower

Yellow Wildflower Still Blooming

Pumpkin Flower

It’s mid-December. Do you know where your pumpkin flowers are?

Fruit-Loop Tree?

Fruit-Loop Tree? Nope! Just three stages of an orange

Side Yard Tomato

Side Yard Tomato

Fruit Cocktail Tree Leaves

Fruit Cocktail Tree Leaves

The Color Yellow:

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Fall: The Color Orange

I love color, and find myself mentally attributing various hues to the time of year.  Nothing quite says “fall” like the color orange. Vibrant orange Cucurbitas line walkways and grocery aisles.  Shades of auburn tumble through the graceful branches of deciduous trees. Cool green lawns seem to disappear beneath a carpet of rich autumn hues.

Chinese Pistache Fall Colors

Chinese Pistache Fall Colors

pistache assorted leaves

Pistache up close

Standing at my kitchen window this time of year, I get a grand view of our Chinese Pistache Pistacia chinensis.The leaves drop slowly, as the tree let’s go of summer.  I often collect a few of them to decorate our Thanksgiving table.  Once the tree is bare for the winter, I get a second view.  Our friends directly across the street have a row of Nandina.  They’re covered in red, orange and gold leaves, with berries in multiple hues.  They’re one of my favorite plants this time of year.

nandina berries

Nandina Berries

Nandina leavesAs an aside, when I first met my dear friend Nandini I had to work hard not to call her Nandina.  I assured her it was a compliment to be mistaken for something so vibrant and alive.

According to Sensational Color:

Orange, is a close relative of red. It sparks more controversy than any other hue. There is usually strong positive or negative association to orange and true orange generally elicits a stronger “love it” or “hate it” response than other colors. Fun and flamboyant orange radiates warmth and energy.

Interestingly, some tones of orange, such as terra-cotta, peach, and rust have very broad appeal. Orange stimulates activity and appetite and encourages socialization.

If you’re lucky enough to live in California, you’ll still see oranges on the tree. Not to be undone, the seed pods on the Magnolia take on a similar hue.

Magnolia seed pod

Magnolia Seed Pod

How do you feel about the color orange?

Resources:

“Orange is red brought nearer to humanity by yellow.” Wassily Kandinsky

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Complimenting the Sunflowers: The Color Purple

In color theory, yellow compliments purple. The colors are directly adjacent to one another on the color wheel, in the same way green is to red, and orange is to blue. Without consciously realizing it, I’ve complimented brilliant yellow sunflowers with purple Lavender, Ageratum and nearby Mexican Sage.

The sunflowers line the top of the deck, while the lavender shrubs grow in front. The fragrant flowers bump up against the steps, softening the hard edges. Lavender is one of my favorite plants. It blooms for months on end, with a distinctive scent, valued for its restorative and relaxing powers.  I dried a bunch of lavender in the garage, and used a few blossoms in my bath.  I’m dreaming up ways to share these powerful blooms this Christmas.

Lavender

Lavender Lines the Deck

This week I planted Ageratum and Baby Tears in a moss bowl, added some LEGO® Brick furniture and called it a Fairy Garden. It wasn’t until I took a step back from the arrangement that I realized I had surrounded the sunflowers with purple goodness. I love the shape of the fluffy blooms, but I also delight in the little saucer shapes with the dotted edges just before.

Ageratum

Ageratum Graces the Fairy Garden

Dominated by tall grass, the Dwarf Plumbago is easy to miss. It resides in the lower garden and to the right of the steps leading to the deck. Don’t you just love the red burst of seed pods in the center?

Dwarf Plumbago

Dwarf Plumbago

The magnificent Mexican Sage grows at the curb, in an otherwise unremarkable section of the sidewalk strip. The sage goes dormant around December, when we give it a hard prune, then resumes its show of color, spring through fall. It’s a popular plant with children on the block due to its soft, velvet-like flowers. The hummingbirds are also big fans, frequently tussling over the right of territory.

Mexican sage

Mexican Sage
Drought-Tolerant and a Hummingbird Favorite

On the subject of territory, my sister Sharon “owns” the color purple. It’s been her favorite her entire life. Sharon, this one’s for you.