The close relationship between your planters and pots can significantly influence your garden’s appearance. It may not appear necessary, yet flower pot colors have a significant visual impact on the rooms they are in if you only have indoor plants. Likewise, you can face the same question of the best color for outdoor planters, as you could end up with a mismatched display on your patio. So, what are the best color combinations for pots? Should they all be the same, or should you mix and match?
Depending on your preference and design style, you’ll need to consider the interior of your home and outside. In addition, you’ll have to consider the color of your existing plants and whether you want the pot to contrast or add an accent color.
Light-colored pots in orange, beige, and yellow hues give a lively, energetic feel, while dark-colored pots, such as blue, green, or gray, deliver a laid-back and subdued vibe. When choosing the style and colors of your planters and pots, there is no right or wrong decision, although a few different samples of planter colors can offer a few ideas of which way to go.
In our guide, you can find design tips for picking your colors. By the end, you can see using the color wheel helps pick a primary or secondary color combination or use neutral and warm colors to change the feeling and compliment the flowers of your plants. (Read When Do Yucca Plants Bloom)
Why Is The Color of Flower Pots Important?
The color of the plant pots can influence the message you want to convey. Plants create beautiful pockets of life in homes, offices, and gardens. With the right tone, a plant pot can pull a room or garden out of the shadows and make your plant a focal point.
One way to deal with color in your decor or garden is to use a simple plant pot. However, you can find that the plant’s health could be affected by the planter’s color; also, the best plant pot can be influenced by several factors.
Matching Seasons For Flowerpot Colors
Seasons affect your design, so using the color of the plant pot is one of the easiest ways to get the vibe you want, as plant pots are easily accessible, deployed, and stored until needed.
Spring and Summer
This time of year has bright decor. A triadic or complementary color scheme would create a cheery, warm atmosphere in the fall. Consider a blue planter contrasting a bouquet of yellow flowers and highlighting the foliage. A monochromatic scheme of cool colors, such as white, will feel refreshing after the summer sun.
Fall and Winter
In the cooler months, earthy colors shine on flower pots while brown and yellow evoke an ombre forest, while oranges and reds are warm and decadent. (Learn How To Get Rid Of Mushrooms In Flower Bed)
Color theory basics:
You may be familiar with the order of colors, such as the primary colors making up the core of the color wheel. Red, yellow, and blue. Secondary colors are created when mixing these colors, and so on.
The idea of color is more prevalent today, and many artists and designers use the color theory significantly. To catch the eye, designers use color theory, and one of the most famous is the fast-food chains’ huge, bright, bold yellow “M” against a red backdrop.
How to create your color scheme:
Color theory is the foundation of all color schemes, with the popular color schemes here:
- Analogous
- Monochromatic
- Complementary
- Triadic
They all make use of color schemes derived from the color wheel. In addition, cooler and more subdued color combinations are used in other decor styles, such as minimalism.
Analogous
This color scheme uses complementary colors. Choosing different spots on the wheel will affect your mood. Popular colors like orange and red can add warmth to a room, while blue and green are calming, and yellow and green are happy.
Monochromatic
A uniform style comprising one color can set the tone of a room. For example, Navy blue, gray, and black make a monochromatic color scheme look professional. On the other hand, imagine a corporate office where the color scheme must be subdued despite the chaos.
Complementary
On a color wheel, complementary colors are opposite. If both colors are dominant, they can be quite contrasting. Equal parts red and green are an eyesore, reducing their use instead of focusing on the complementary colors.
Triadic
This scheme uses three colors evenly spaced on the color wheel to form a triangle. The primary colors are yellow, blue, and red. Using all three in equal parts is lively; a more toned-down approach would be to choose a dominant color and use the others for emotional support.
Besides using three colors, you can use four colors in a rectangular pattern on the color wheel; although this doesn’t have any link between colors, you could just sit outside the most popular color schemes to fit in with your tastes. (Read What Does A Plant Need To Survive)
Minimalist
Post-war minimalism discarded bold and bright colors for a modern color palette. Instead, minimalism uses lighter shades of most colors to blend into the background and complement another decor. Two or three secondary tones—earthy brown, faded pink or green, or watery purple—typically typical in a minimalist design. In any color combination, white is often dominant.
How To Choose Your Planter Color?
Planter colors can affect plant growth. The color of the planter affects soil temperature and how much sunlight it absorbs. Dark-colored planters, such as blue and black, heat the soil more than lighter colors, such as white or beige. It’s the same reason people wear lighter colors in spring and summer and darker shades in fall and winter. If you’re wondering what planter colors to use for your plants, consider where they’ll go in your garden. (Read Accent Base Vs. Medium Base)
White
White containers reflect natural light without making a garden or indoor space too bright. Though these planters aren’t particularly striking, they help open up space and create a fresh feeling. Combine these containers with darker colors to relax your garden, and pair them with darker shades to create a modern or bolder look.
Beige, Tan, and Brown
Neutral colors are popular in homes and gardens as they reflect sunlight and warm the soil. Earthy colors like beige or tan calm a garden while fitting any color or modern decor. Plant greens, oranges, and light blues in the middle of the garden for a more eye-catching presence.
Green and Blue
Greens and blues are versatile planter and common colors that match most decor and tones. In addition, you can pair these with bright colors like red and yellow to create a lively garden. Darker tones absorb sunlight to warm the soil, and you can test this by using a soil thermometer in your pot before using the planters outside for the first time. If you mix white and green, you can obtain a restful look.
Yellow
Yellow planters create an exciting look in your garden. Yellow makes people think of spring and summer, giving your home a warm feel. Combine green and purple to brighten your garden.
Red and Pink
Red and pink tones can create an eclectic home or garden. They work well with southwestern themes and lighter pots. These tones add a romantic touch to your garden and open up small, dark spaces.
Purple
Purple planters may not be your first choice, but they work in most gardens. Purple combined with yellow or pink is vibrant. Lighter purple tones soften the contrast between darker colors such as blue, burgundy, or green. (Learn How Cold Is Too Cold To Plant Grass Seed)
Black
Black is the strongest color and isn’t often used. However, it adds drama, so pair it with other colors that are neutral or have lighter tones. Because black planters retain sunlight, they’re best used indoors. However, pots and tight spaces can make a room look smaller and more enclosed, so use natural light to create contrast.
Should Planters Match?
It depends on your plants and garden’s look, and many gardeners match potted plants, but this rule isn’t set. As previously mentioned, the color of your planters can affect the soil. If your plants prefer cool, moist soil, don’t use dark planters in open outdoor gardens in the summer, so it’s essential to match plant and planter colors.
You can use contrasting or matching colors. For example, if your container garden plants have bright red flowers, green, yellow, or teal planters may help them stand out. Most gardeners choose one planter style or mix different styles for a modern or eclectic look. Some planters can add texture to the garden, bringing out specific colors and making it more appealing than a pot sitting in the shade.
Looking at pictures of other gardens can help you get ideas. Different color combinations, planter styles, and textures can help you see what’s possible and may work for your space. Consider the garden’s color, design scheme, and appeal. If you want a modern look, use intricate shapes and lines instead of long straight rows of one single color for your container garden. (Read I Stained My Deck The Wrong Color – What To Do)
Container Garden Flower Pot Color
Other container designs use two or more colors, so there are as many ways to combine colors as gardeners use planters. To understand color, using a color wheel goes hand in hand with color design. First, use analogous colors. Analogous colors mix easily on the color wheel.
Yellow-orange, orange-red, yellow-orange-red, violet-red, blue-green, and blue-violet are analogous colors and can brighten any containers in or outside the home. Bright or muted, analogous colors are next to each other on the color wheel. A detailed color wheel can help you use thousands of colors effectively. To design your container with complimentary colors, look at the color wheel and choose opposite colors.
On a simple color wheel, complimentary colors are red and green, orange and blue, and yellow and violet. Complimentary colors create contrast, so consider color intensity when using complementary colors. Pot and background can also be part of the color scheme, such as a bright color against a gray backdrop.
A cobalt blue pot with yellow flowers uses a complementary color composition. As a result, these colors look better together. The last color scheme is the triad. Triads use 3 equidistant colors on the color wheel, like an equilateral triangle. Triads are tricky because they use multiple colors.
Red-yellow-blue and violet-orange-green are triads on the basic color wheel. White, black, grey, silver, and brown are neutral colors. Green is another neutral in the garden. Neutral colors can be used with any color scheme to add dimension. Hot and cool colors tend to go beyond any color scheme. Hot colors are red, orange, and yellow. Cool colors are blue, pink, and purple, and these colors often draw attention.
They’re great for highlighting areas, so place them by doors, walkways, and garden corners to draw attention to overlooked spots. They’re perfect for gathering places. Cool colors are soothing and can be used with a neutral color in relaxing spaces. Consider matching your color scheme to the use of each garden or outdoor space.
