January 31, 2017 at 5:10 pm | Author: ray_westcoastmodernscape | Posted in Landscaping Tips & Tricks
Landscaping can take many forms including a new concrete driveway (a specialty of West Coast Modernscape Landscaping of Vancouver), an interlocking driveway, deck or patio. Sometimes it is a simple as adding a new garden bed (raised or otherwise) or grass area.
Although West Coast Modernscape Landscaping can set the stage for an amazing garden from a landscaping hardscape standpoint, ultimately what you plant in your garden is your choice. Some decisions you may consider include do you want colour in your landscaping year round? How much maintenance will be required? And what colours will match and be a good fit?
As a Vancouver Landscaping company, West Coast Modernscape Landcaping recognize that the seasons on the west coast are quite different from other parts of the province and country. Typically, winters are wet, spring is damp and summer and fall may be drier. Knowing this should help assist on what to plant. Don’t forget, how much daylight will your landscaping area receive?
Our focus here is on colour. In Vancouver, it is February 25, 2015. There is no snow on the local mountains, crocuses are out, cherry blossoms are in bloom and daffodils are making their annual appearance; a far cry from the 3 feet or more snow blanketing back east.
Although a start to having colour back into our gardens, there is plenty of improvement to make your landscaping pop. Working with colour in your garden is like how an artist works with paint and pigments. They are mixed in varying amounts until the desired colour is attained.
A gardener has a different kind of pallet. One that Mother Nature offers, which can have limitations in tints and brightness. We also have to be mindful in the types of plants we select because a spring garden that looks full of promise in the spring may quickly become an overgrown disaster half way through summer. Knowing the behavioral patterns of certain plant species is a benefit. For instance, a lilac that has just budded and started to bloom is a beautiful deep rich violet red, however when it dies, it turns to a less flattering brown.
Because of our climate in Vancouver, Landscaping companies like West Coast Modernscape Landscaping have access to a wide variety of colourful plants. Understanding colour and light can help immensely.
Are you aware that colour has three attributes? They are hue, value and chroma. Hue is the element that helps distinguish one colour from another like yellow from orange and purple from blue. Value is quality from light to dark and chroma may be looked at as the saturation of the color. For more detailed information on this, check out Albert Munsell’s “Munsell’s 3 attributes of colour” at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert_Henry_Munsell.
A requirement for plants to come to bloom is light. Light provides the flower its colour. Colours that have high value like pastels are highly visible and can stand out, even against a dark background.
Landscaping gardens that really grab attention are those that include contrasting colors on the colour wheel combined with complimentary colors. For example, red-violet and yellow-green could go well together with lighter and darker hues of violet and red. The same could be said for a purple-blue and a yellow combined with some greenery.
Don’t forget that some of your hardscape, like a new concrete driveway or interlocking driveway may affect what colours you choose and where certain plats may be placed. Is there grass in your landscaping? Where do you want the colors in your garden to go?
If you are not aware of what colours would work best for your landscaping, West Coast Modernscape Landscaping can help make some suggestions. Typically this may be more of a personal choice on what you select, however we are always happy to provide some insight.
If you are looking for some landscaping ideas in the Vancouver area, check out our landscaping gallery at: http://www.westcoastmodernscape.com/gallery
