Most any garden in bloom evokes a sense of happiness. After all, flowers are proven mood-boosters! Gardens of any kind will have a lot of green—a color that is easy on our eyes and promotes a sense of calm.
From there we add the colors that bring us pleasure, and, at the same time, summon feelings of energy, vitality, hope, spirituality, or compassion. We can tweak our color-emotion choices in the garden by intertwining certain colors throughout. Then we can bring the happiness indoors in a homegrown bouquet.
Here is a guide to colors and the emotions and feelings they are known to elicit. As a general list, they could be subjective; sometimes colors are cultural, and sometimes personal. Majorelle blue is a prominent color in Morocco. Purple might remind you of your first bike. In cases like these, your emotional response may be different than what we list here.
Red
On the color wheel, red complements green which means it creates contrast and really pops in the garden.
Evokes: Love, excitement, energy, strength
Orange
Orange adds vibrant energy to a garden space.
Evokes: Optimism, confidence, enthusiasm, vitality
Yellow
Yellow in the garden is playful and upbeat.
Evokes: Creativity, hope, happiness, fun
Green
Green has a fresh appeal like new growth in the garden, while also being relaxing.
Evokes: Harmony, restful, security
Blue
True blues are rare in the garden, but blue is the most universally favored color in general surveys. Blue elicits calm and reduces tension.
Evokes: Serenity, trust, calming, inspiration
Purple
Purple inspires diving deep into creative thought, the kind of dive that gives insight and inspires action.
Evokes: Ambition, imagination, spiritual, introspective
Pink
Pink lends itself to a softness that is nurturing and gentle.
Evokes: Compassion, romance, gentleness, contentment
White
White creates an illuminating effect in the garden at night that is quite magical. White blooms give the garden a sense of space and consistent peace.
Evokes: Purity, vastness, simplicity, freshness
Whether you are looking to create a color theme in your garden or fill it with a rainbow, it’s nice to understand a little more about how color impacts our brain physiology. You can use these ideas to create a space that nurtures your mental health or perhaps to simply focus on a particular bloom color in your garden to help you shift your mood.
How do you use color in your garden? Tell us in the comments below.
