If you’re all about eye-catching contrast, a complementary color garden is for you! They are visually stimulating and satisfy the craving for a bold and exciting space.

Complementary colors are the colors that complement (are directly across from) each other on the color wheel! They beautifully combine a warm color with a cool color. Each color combination has a certain ‘feeling’ or vibe they give off to create a vibrant and eye-catching garden. As with any garden, make sure you consider the light and water needs of all the flowers that you plan on planting. 

Here are the fun complementary combinations you can create with your own garden space…

Orange and Blue

Bold, Energizing, and Eye-Catching, this type of color garden will be sure to brighten and energize your day! It syncs the bold, warm energy of the orange with the cool and calming tones of blue to create a striking effect. This combo packs a visual ‘punch!’

The Vibrant and Energetic Oranges

Annuals

• Cosmos: A favorite in annual gardens, sporting feathery foliage and bright colors with daisy-like petals! ‘Klondike’ Cosmos are known for their brilliant orange blooms.
• Sunflowers: A cheerful classic, giving off a warm splash of color and happy vibes!
• Zinnias: Easy to grow and like the sun; are striking because of their layered petals and daisy-like appearance.

Perennials

• Daylilies: Are easy to care for and have a long blooming season! They’re vibrant and come in a variety of orange shades.
• Lilies: Add height and dimension, many are a brilliant shade of orange.
• Marigolds: A cheery annual, they attract pollinators and may deter the rabbits and deer with their aroma.

The Cool and Serene Blues €153;

Annuals

• Blue Cornflower: Are known for their very striking ‘electric’ blue flowers; these are a great choice for a color garden that is intended to ‘pop!’
• Lobelia: Lobelia is pretty much as ‘true blue’ as you can get for an annual! They come in several shades- deep blues, lighter blues, indigos, and some have a ‘white eye’ on the blue petal! They like sun and part shade.

Perennials

• Blue-eyed Grass: This is a striking wildflower with a yellow center and sky-blue, starry flower shape.
• Delphinium: With their height bringing dimension to the garden and spikes of intense blue flowers, these plants are a great choice.
• Hydrangeas: Some varieties of Hydrangeas are a beautiful shade of blue. Having shrubs in your garden would create a further visual dynamic. Good blue Hydrangea varieties include ‘Endless Summer Bloomstruck’ and ‘Let’s Dance Rhythmic Blue.’
• Grape Hyacinths: These bulb flowers are a striking blue and smell amazing, too
• Forget-Me-Nots: Tiny, sweet and true-blue flowers that thrive in shady and moist areas.

*disclaimer: We at Ebert’s Greenhouse do not sell Forget-me-nots, as they are an ‘invasive species.’ 

• Salvia: Salvia come in a variety of blues, and are heat and drought tolerant.

More tips on creating an Orange and Blue Garden:

• Think beyond flowers, and get creative with foliage, too! Incorporate some foliage plants, like Dusty Miller with a silvery-gray hue. That will give the blues more of a variety in shades.
• To add interest and variety, use several shades (both intense and soft hues) of oranges and blue, and balance it well.

Here are even more color ideas:

• Pansies and Violas are a perfect annual pick for both orange and blue in one plant!
• The soft blue of Russian Sage pairs beautifully with the bright orange of the Marigold.
• Cornflowers and Poppies are a popular wildflower choice for an orange and blue pairing, and create a bold and dynamic look!
• Bright and fiery orange Calibrachoa is paired with a deep blue ‘Royal Velvet’ Petunia.

Yellow and Purple

            This combination is lively, dramatic, energetic, and high in contrast. It also can be playful, uplifting, and fresh, if using lighter shades. It can give off a ‘luxurious’ feel as well, since purple is often associated with royalty. Pollinators will love visiting this garden; many yellow and purple flowers are loved by the bees and butterflies (goldenrod, black-eyed susan, coreopsis, asters salvia, liatris, purple coneflower). Fun Fact: When our Instagram followers were asked which complementary color combination is their favorite on our ‘This or That Thursday’ poll, the purple and yellow combination was most popular!

The Joyful and Lively Yellows

Annuals

• Marigolds: Easy-to-grow annuals and come in cheerful yellow and gold shades.
• Snapdragons: Easy-to-grow with ‘snaplike’ blooms, in various shades of yellow.
• Sunflowers: A cheerful classic! A yellow sunflower can’t not give off happiness. 

Perennials

• Black-Eyed Susans: A popular perennial, these flowers offer sunny yellow petals with a dark brown center, attracting pollinators!
• Coreopsis: Offer bright yellow blooms throughout the summer.
• Daylilies: Bloom throughout the summer and have cheerful yellow flowers.
• Yarrow: Another good choice for attracting bees! They offer clusters of yellow flowers and feathery, aromatic foliage.

The Luxurious and Sophisticated Purples €156;

Annuals

• Alyssum: Are pretty, delicate, and come in a beautiful purple. They’re known for their sweet, honey-like scent!
• Angelonia: Are known for their height, density and thickness.
• Osteospermum: Pretty and daisy-like, these come in a stunning shade of pinkish-purple!

• Petunias: Come in seemingly endless purples! Favorites of mine include Royal Velvet, Bordeaux, Violet Star, Indigo, and Wave Blue.
• Verbena: Comes in several pretty purple varieties. Great choices include ‘Firehouse Grape’, Sparkling Amethyst, Cobalt (has more of a blue hue), and Violet Ice.

Perennials

• Allium: A fun, easy-to-grow bulbous perennials with a purple globe-like bloom!
• Asters: Come in a beautiful shade of light purple and attract pollinators!
• Delphinium: A tall, cool-season perennial that adds height and vibrant purple color!
• Irises: A beautiful, elegant, and come in some striking purple shades!
• Lavender: An elegant classic with their purple blooms. It’s sure to bring pleasant fragrance to your garden as well!
• Liatris: A late summer bloomer, they’re known for their fuzzy purple flower spikes!
• Phlox: A great choice for purple shades that have a hint of pink (magenta Phlox)
• Russian Sage: A tall and lush perennial that offers a lighter, silvery purple shade.
• Salvia: Offers various shades of purple, especially deep purple/indigos.

More Tips on Creating a Yellow and Purple Garden

• Adding green foliage as a backdrop helps the yellow and purple stand out even more.
• Go with both more saturated and pale hues of both colors to give it balance and variety!

An Ebert’s display showcasing the pretty contrast of bright yellow and dark purple. Pictured are Argyranthemums (butterfly daisies) and Petunias.

A Purple and Yellow Wildflower Garden.

Yellow and purple create a stunning look in any season! Yellow daffodils and purple hyacinths make for a great combo in the spring, and ‘Hot Joker’ Ornamental peppers are fun for the fall! (The photo of the peppers was taken in late August, and as they grow, they will change colors).

The ‘Elderberry’ Nemesia is a fragrant annual that combines both deep purple and cheery yellow into one flower!

The ‘Show Off Starlet’ Forsythia is a wonderful yellow shrub choice for your purple and yellow garden!

Red and Greend84;️€154;

            Not just for Christmas, the complementary colors of red and green make for a balanced garden. Red, being bold, strong, and attention-grabbing balances out the calming, serene and natural aesthetic of the green! Since green is the dominant color in most gardens, the red hues pop and stand out even more! Our eyes will experience red at its most vibrant with this type of garden.

The Bold and Vigorous Reds d84;️

Annuals

• Begonias: More tolerant of shade, but have brilliant red blooms that stand out in shady spots!
• Celosia: A very vibrant red annual that has a fun, tufty shape! It could even resemble fire flames.
• Dahlias: Border dahlias offer an assortment of bright reds and have almost three dimensional, puffy blossoms.
• Geraniums: Classic and stand out against green with their vivid blooms.

Perennials

• Astilbe: These beautiful perennials thrive in shade. Their plumey flowers and fern-like foliage is very striking, and the red varieties may look like a flame.
• Bee Balm: Bee Balm is an outstanding pollinator attractor. They come in striking red varieties, making them stand out.

• Gladiolus: Gladiolus are tall and elegant to add height and interest, and come in a variety of red hues.
• Heuchera: Also known as Coral Bells, these elegant and popular perennials add burgundy and rusty hues to the mix!

Trees/Shrubs

• Bougainvillea: The Bougainvillea explodes with vibrant reds against a deep green! The red parts, called ‘bracts’, surround the actual flowers, which are white and very tiny.
• Japanese Barberry: All of their foliage is a smoky, burgundy red. They add plenty of texture to your garden.
• Japanese Maples: Super striking red leaves make this tree stand out! If you have the space, incorporating a larger tree in your garden would really add some interest.
• Rhododendron: These are another shrub with beautiful shades of both red and green- the Red Rhododendrons have rich red flowers on deep green foliage.

The Calm and Harmonious Greens€154;

Annuals

• Eucalyptus: For a soft, silvery-green hue, plant Eucalyptus! They do well in warmer climates, or bring part of your garden indoors (they make a great indoor plant)!
• Grasses: Both annual and perennial grasses add texture and height to any garden! Popular choices include King/Queen/Baby Tut, Corkscrew, or Fiber Optic.
• Annuals that actually have a green flower would add a touch of uniqueness! Some I love are ‘Pistachio Cream’ Petunia, ‘Spring Green’ Celosia, or Green Ball Dianthus.

Perennials

• Hostas: A super popular perennial known for their evident foliage. A few Hosta varieties have a red hue to their stems, making it perfect for a red and green garden!
• Grasses: There are many grass choices that perennials have to offer! Popular perennial grasses include Karl Forester (a feathering grass), Blue Oat Grass (has a blue-green hue), or Switchgrass (has a reddish hue)!
• Groundcover: Include breadth! A spreading ground cover adds a lot of beauty and a green backdrop! It’s also functional- groundcover can prevent weed growth and retain moisture.

Other

• Green vegetables: Add an element of edibles! Great green vegetables to add could be green peppers, cucumbers (for a deeper green), spinach or kale (for a ruffly element), or broccoli.
• Herbs: Continue with the edibles with aromatic herbs! Any herb will do- whatever you love to use in the kitchen! Chives add a spiky element, Bay Laurel have large, glossy leaves for a larger visual, and dill or fennel will put a ‘feathery’ texture in your green garden.

More Tips on Creating a Red and Green Garden

• Utilize different shades of red to add depth. For a ‘loud pop of color,’ use bright scarlett reds. For more refined and elegant looks, plant some deep burgundy. The same goes with the greens- both lime green and dark forest green foliage. 
• Use the bright red flowers as focal points in your garden.
• The Magic Carpet Spirea with its beautiful shade of burgundy against lime-green- a striking shrub!
• Vibrant red tulips against the natural color palate of the perennial bed.
• Barberrys possess both red and green in their foliage, making them perfect for a red and green garden.
• The unique Celosia can add a ‘fiery’ look and element to a red and green garden. Its foliage is an eye-catching bright green.
• If you want to go a step further with complementary colors, try pairing tertiary colors- like red-orange with blue-green, yellow-orange with blue-violet (indigo), or red-violet with yellow-green. 

No matter which complementary color combination you choose, if you incorporate and balance the hues of each color and throw in variety to make it completely your own, it's sure to be a stunning color palette and a show-stopping sight!