It is a rainy Monday morning. As I was leaving for work, I took our dog for a walk outside and to our surprise a squirrel was on the porch steps. Within seconds our setter decided to chase the squirrel, pulling on the leash, and tossing me into a muddy, sandy puddle. Time for a quick shower and change of clothes. Eventually, I was finally pulling into the driveway and arriving at work. I had to stop my car, because the site in front of me was amazing. It was as if I was entering a relaxation zone, because the lilacs in the a nearby garden at Winter Greenhouse were in bloom. Colors of deep violet, magenta, lavender, white, pale lilac, and purple created a beautiful landscape. How can a similar feeling towards color be transferred to a smaller scaled miniature garden?
Color is a powerful tool in any garden. When using the element of color in a miniature gardening design, remember that too much color looks chaotic and a balanced color scheme creates a pleasing effect. When designing your miniature garden, follow these basic concepts for a good design.

First of all, color can be found in flowers, foliage, accessories, pots, and hardscape. Next, find a color wheel online or purchase one at an art store and use it as a reference. Start with the primary color scheme of red, yellow, and blue. All colors begin with these three hues. Since a primary color scheme is intense, it is best to select one as the main color and the remaining three hues will be used as an accent. The main plant in the shade landscape could be a Blue Mouse Ears Plantain Lily, while the accents are the Ruby Red Spikemoss and Lemon Fizz Lavender Cotton. Adding white flowers helps to separate and tone down the strength of a primary color scheme. For all color schemes, it is important to consider the plants growing requirements when it comes to sun and shade.

For a new color scheme called related or analogous, let's begin with sun loving plants and choose another design that works well in miniature garden design. Select colors next to each other on the color wheel. For example, consider the Red Thread Joseph's Coat combined with the Flora Plena Heron's Bill and the Hawaii Blue Floss Flower. They share similar pigments and create little contrast, but the effect can be very elegant and restful.

If you like contrasting colors, consider selecting plants and accessories for a complementary fairy garden with colors that fall directly across from one another on the color wheel. This is an adventurous color scheme. Consider a bright, lipstick red, Retro Chair with tones of green in the background. Place the chair on some white pebbles to reflect the light. The color red will "pop" in the garden.

While experimenting with colors, gardeners will find it helpful to consider the basic primary, related, and complementary color schemes. If you plan on designing a fairy garden, with more than one color scheme, use neutral colors to create a transition between the garden beds. When Monday morning comes around again, I hope that your week starts with pleasure and joy from looking at a colorful miniature garden.