Color Therapy
© Keith Muraoka
Color Therapy is one of those buzz words that I'm sure you've heard. Fact of the matter is, you can use flower colors to create a certain mood and atmosphere in your garden. Here are some of the highlights of a recent talk I presented at the 8th Annual Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival in Orlando, Florida.
Advertisers have been subtly seducing us with color for years in order to get us to buy their products. For instance, it's no coincidence that Coca-Cola has red on its drink cans. Or that McDonald, Wendy's, Burger King and KFC, just to name a few fast-food giants, use red on their signs and products.
Being aware of the subtle effects color has on people can help you create a particular atmosphere or set the tone in your garden. In addition, by strategically selecting certain colors you can manipulate the environment to create a more pleasing garden setting.
Red is the first color that babies recognize and is visually easy on the eyes. The color red is known to elicit sensations of excitement and heat. It is a highly emotional color that may stimulate feelings of love and impulsiveness. Red is a "touch me" color. People like to touch red objects! In color jargon Red is considered a "warm color."
Use red flowers in areas where you want to get attention. In the landscape, red tends to bring the garden "forward." Thus in along narrow side yard, you can plant red flowers to shorten the view. During the cooler seasons, putting out "warm" shades of red flowers may help to create an emotional feeling of warmth.
For landscaping in areas where entertaining is very important, shades of red will help increase Appetites and stimulate conversation. That brings us back to why McDonalds, Burger King, Wendy's and KFC use red so prominently.
The color yellow is another eye-catching color. It is also known for stimulating memory. Could that be why legal and note pads are yellow? There is a psychological association of yellow to sunshine, and short-term exposure to this color will give people an energy burst. Use yellow flowers in the garden to make something stand out and be noticed. Plant yellow flowers a round mailboxes or place yellow flowers in containers near stairways or steps.
The color blue is the easiest color for the eye to see and is considered a restful and calming color. Blue gives people a sense of relaxation, comfort and quietness. Blue is considered a non-threatening color, a color of trust and dependability. Businesspeople often wear blue and police officers wear blue. Historically, blue it has been associated with authority and power. Royalty was believed to actually have "blue-blood." Dark blue is also known to suppress appetites, so
