Pinks, lavenders, pale blues and other pastel colors have, in recent times, been the preferred choice of garden designers and gardeners when determining the color schemes for their flower beds. Even wow-factor plants of recent years, such as ornamental alliums, typically fit into this trend of color usage. But there is a French painter who I feel can also influence the way we look at using color in our garden — and this time it isn't pastels but bold, bright colors.

Henri Matisse is usually regarded as the greatest colorist of the 20th century. As one of the early postimpressionists, he is perhaps most known as the leader of the French art movement known as fauvism. ("Fauvism" comes from the French word "fauves," meaning "wild beasts.") Fauvists used colors to express emotion about their subjects, not to show them realistically.

Matisse's color choices still influence our use of color today in lots of areas, including the garden. We can even see their use in the Pantone fashion color choices for fall 2012, which will influence both fashion and lifestyle designers. We can use the same bold colors to invigorate our gardens both in the plants and planting schemes we use, as well as our choice of colors for outdoor accessories.

Here are some inspired planting and garden designs using Matisse's color ideas. jenny_hardgrave "It is not enough to place colors, however beautiful, one beside the other; colors must also react on one another." — Henri Matisse

Normally in addition to situation and climate, basic color theory comes into play when selecting plants for a garden. Color selections can be harmonious, monochromatic or, as with Mastisse, complementary. The wonderful contrasts of colors in this border are heightened by the monotone evergreen planting behind. The New York Botanical Garden One of the signature trademarks of Matisse and fauvism was the use of complementary colors. Complementary colors are opposite each other on the color wheel. These are high in contrast and can add drama and excitement to a garden.

Combinations of yellow and violet, orange and blue or green and red plant varieties are popular examples of complementary colors often used together. jenny_hardgrave Plants that enjoy sunny situations are perfect to use in a Matisse-inspired garden masterpiece, as they tend to have brightly colored flowers; pastels in bright sunlight can appear faded and washed out. Reds, oranges, bright yellows, deep blues and purples in swaths and blocks of contrasted color put the same sort of energy into a planting that Matisse put into his paintings. jenny_hardgrave Not only seasonal bedding plants provide these beacons of color. Here we see a colorful bed that uses herbaceous perennials to create the same effect. Perennials in red, orange, magenta and bright yellow are guaranteed to energize your garden. These bold colors always tend to steal the show, so don't try to combine bright colors with pastels. Classic Nursery & Landscape Co. / Alan Burke, asla "Seek the strongest color effect possible." — Henri Matisse

This container shows the spirit of Matisse in its exuberant planting. The mixture of cosmos, impatiens and verbena in an informal mass clearly shows how the complementary colors work together. vernardakis george - avantgarden athens Matisse's health declined in his later years following an operation. He could no longer paint, so he turned to paper collages, guaches découpés, which he called "drawing with scissors." His cutouts of brightly colored shapes usually followed natural forms.

This interesting cactus garden's colorful circles of gravel have a similar bold and playful appeal. "The use of expressive colors is felt to be one of the basic elements of the modern mentality." — Henri Matisse

The use of strong colors in the garden needn't be limited to plants. We can see how these brightly colored cushions, scattered around the horseshoe-shaped seating area and backed by lush foliage, bring this garden to life. Exteriorscapes llc Sometimes it's good to step back from reality and use color just for the fun of it. The use of the Matisse style of color on this hardscape — fencing, seating, wall and even the birdhouse — is balanced by the simple, almost random planting of the garden.

Event: Matisse comes to the Met. From early December 2012 through March 2013, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York is holding an exhibition, "Matisse: In Search of True Painting," which will explore the artist's techniques.