How Do I Lay Out Different Colors of Petunias in My Garden?
Petunias (Petunia spp.) typically are grown as annuals, although some varieties are cold-hardy in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 10 through 11. The flowering plants offer a visually interesting shape and an array of styles. Mixing petunias that produce different flower colors can give your landscape a boost in the aesthetics department, and following a few basic color-theory designs can make your petunia beds pop even more.
Colors and Description
Gardeners often choose petunias to make their flowerbeds stand out and supply color throughout the growing season. Purples are among the most common petunia bloom colors, although petunias with blooms in yellows, reds, greens, white, black and candy-stripes are available at garden centers and plant nurseries. In some cases, flats of petunias contain varieties that produce a mixture of flower colors, or you can choose flats with petunias that bloom in a single color. Petunias have a variety of growth habits as well. Styles include ground-hugging and trailing. Mounding varieties provide height and a shrublike appearance, and minis are petite, short-growing petunias. Petunias' height varies from about 4 inches to almost 2 feet for various cultivars.
The phrase "opposites attract" applies to color in an astounding way. On the color wheel, the colors opposite each other are complementary to each other. The basic color wheel consists of the primary colors, which are red, blue and yellow, and the secondary colors, which are purple, green and orange. The complementary opposite color combinations are red and green, purple and yellow, and blue and orange. Shades and tints of those colors also complement their opposites. One approach is to alternate groups of petunias with complementary flower colors throughout your garden bed. For example, planting groups of three yellow-blooming petunias with small groups of purple-blooming petunias can make for a visually appealing flowerbed.
Sometimes one bloom color in a flowerbed works best. A single-color scheme such as that is known as monochromatic, and it can be used for a never-ending wave of petunia flowers to help create a pleasing aesthetic. The color doesn't have to be exactly the same for all of the blooms. Using petunias with blooms in various shades of purple, which is one of the most commonly seen and abundant hybrid petunia flower colors, can create an eye-catching effect that doesn't detract from the rest of a garden. For example, plant petunias with lavender-purple, bright-purple and violet flowers. The chosen color should blend with and act as an accessory to the rest of your landscape, preventing an eyesore.
If you don't want or can't accomplish a complementary or monochromatic scheme with the colors of petunias you have, you may be able to create an analogous color scheme. An analogous color scheme relies on choosing colors that neighbor each other on the color wheel. This color scheme generally includes secondary and tertiary colors. An example for a garden layout includes deep purple or indigo petunias, lavender-colored petunias and pink petunias. Another example is pink, red and reddish-orange petunias. The look often incorporates a gradient of the colors.
With a professional background in gardening, landscapes, pests and natural ecosystems, Jasey Kelly has been sharing her knowledge through writing since 2009 and has served as an expert writer in these fields. Kelly's background also includes childcare, and animal rescue and care.