July 12, 1883. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
21 
COMING EVENTS 
(V 
\A (A 
12 
th 
National Rose Society's Show, Sheffield. Braintree Show. 
■ 13 
F 
Ludlow (Boses). 
14 
S 
15 
SUN 
8tit Sunday after Trinity. 
16 
M 
17 
TU 
Leek (Roses) ; Evesham Show. 
18 
W 
Mottingham Floral Fete (2 days) ; Darlington (Roses); Loughborough. 
COMPLEMENTING AND HARMONISING 
COLOURS. 
UDGING from the way colours are occasionally 
arranged, some gardeners must be specially 
defective either in the perception of colour, or 
have not put themselves to the trouble of 
observing what combinations are pleasing, or 
of studying how to avoid blundering in colour 
arrangements. Flowers are bright and beautiful 
things; the leafj colours of many plants are 
capable of producing pictures fit to rank as real works of 
art; but the brightness of the flowers and gaiety of the 
coloured leaves often enough—indeed oftener than is 
pleasant to educated eyes—illustrate how even the beautiful 
can actually be made hideous. Doubtless a greater number, 
especially among the younger members of the craft, will be 
glad of a few hints that may at least serve to call attention 
to a much-needed though neglected phase of a gardener’s 
education. 
Green is of itself naturally pleasing, and relieves the eye 
that is accustomed to brick-coloured streets, dusty smoky 
roads, or gaudy colours. Indeed, bright colours pain the 
eye, green soothes it, and relief has often to be found in 
green spectacles. It is not half so much the brightness of 
the flower, which Nature, indeed, furnishes with comparative 
scarcity, that is the charm of the country. It may be doubted 
if the best-planted parterre ever seen is capable of yielding 
so much soothing pleasure as a bright green smooth lawn 
on which handsome green shrubs are tastefully arranged, with 
a park well timbered with grand trees beyond. Nevertheless, 
colours properly arranged in pictures, in tapestry, dresses, 
or in gardens are capable of giving exquisite pleasure, and 
really do so to thousands. If only all were arranged accord¬ 
ing to correct principles, this pleasure could be greatly 
augmented, and the beholders and flower gardeners alike 
refined. 
It is curious to see how popular anything red in a garden 
is, and how despised is yellow; though partly because of the 
necessity for variety, partly because of the ease with which 
many yellow-flowered and yellow-leaved plants are grown, 
yellow is very plentifully employed. The reason is that the 
red of the Pelargoniums, Coleuses, Iresines, Alternantheras, 
and even red Beet complements the green which everywhere 
so preponderates, while the yellow is really about the worst 
to associate with green, although it is often employed in beds 
as edgings next the green grass in the form of Golden 
Feather. But yellow separated from the grass with a good 
band of white, which is neutral and hardly ever wrong—and 
complemented with the shade of violet or plum that best 
complements the particular shade of yellow employed, really 
is as beautiful as the pleasing pink and scarlet that claim all 
the praise of those not possessed of an artist’s eye and an 
artist’s education. It is very seldom indeed that blue is 
properly employed, simply because it must be placed next 
white or orange to make a proper contrast, or beside a 
greenish blue or a bluish purple to make a pleasing harmony. 
The colours and shades named are not a tithe of those at 
the command of the garden artist, but all shades whatever 
are capable of being arranged pleasingly or otherwise, not 
only as contrasts but as harmonies. The rainbow is the 
most perfect example of a harmony, and it will be seen in 
studying its colour arrangements that the one shade passes 
gradually into the other, producing thus a most pleasing 
whole. To some tastes harmonies are most pleasing; to 
others contrasts afford most pleasure. Possibly the extent 
to which the beholder possesses the perception of colour 
determines which pleases most. One possessed with a keenly 
sensitive eye generally takes pleasure in gentle harmonies; 
when the perception of colour is not acute contrasts may be 
best. In this way gardeners have an opportunity of showing 
how much their desire to please is; but can only know how 
best to arrange the colours in the beds when they know what 
is most likely to please. Still, in a general way, it may be 
said that harmonies look best when close at hand; contrasts 
when some distance off. Much depends on whether the beds 
are close to the window or otherwise. Sometimes parterres 
may be planted on both principles. Even single beds and 
borders may be so planted. 
The simplest way of ascertaining what colour is likely to 
best match any other colour is to consider that there are 
three colours only, and that the rest are the produce of these 
mixed in different proportions. Those who wish to be scien¬ 
tific might easily preach a long sermon to prove this state¬ 
ment wrong without anyone being the wiser; but the tyro 
will not go far wrong if he starts with such an assumption, 
especially if he knows nothing of the subject and blunders 
accordingly. 
The colours, which will be here called primary, are red, 
blue, and yellow. The secondary colours are purple (formed 
by mixing red and blue), green (formed by mixing blue and 
yellow), and orange (formed by mixing yellow and red). 
There are also tertiary colours, such as scarlet, which is red 
with a tinge of yellow in it, and plum, which is blue with a 
tinge of red in it, and so on, but so deep into the subject we 
cannot at present go. Now, as an invariable rule, primaries 
always look bad beside each other and the secondaries derived 
from them. Thus, red beside blue, or blue beside yellow, 
is unbearable. Equally vulgar is yellow beside green or 
orange, both of which have yellow in their composition. But 
any primary makes a pleasing complement with any second¬ 
ary formed from any of the other two primaries. Thus, red 
(a primary) is complemented with green, a secondary formed 
from yellow and blue, the other two primaries. Blue is com¬ 
plemented by orange, and yellow by purple or violet. 
If the shade of orange should be nearer yellow than a real 
orange its complement will necessarily incline in the same 
degree to purple. If the red should have a tinge of yellow 
the green should be as dark as possible, or even have a tinge 
of blue in it, and so on. The subject is infinite. As a study 
in harmony the rainbow is perfection, and the nearer the ap¬ 
proach to that the nearer perfection. 
White is most useful in harmonising or clashing colours, 
which may often be made at least tolerable by having a band" 
of white interposed between them, and is by itself a capital 
lightener of an otherwise too-heavy arrangement. While 
hints may be given, and are undoubtedly useful, only close 
study and observation can enable anyone to master the sub¬ 
ject in order to apply the knowledge usefully. This paper 
may be thought unseasonable. Not so. The laggards may 
only have scarcely finished their arrangement, but the 
earnest men are just beginning them for next year. Now is 
the time to do this. In spring only such plants can be pro¬ 
pagated as are in stock. Now notes can be taken and the' 
proper stocks prepared, and entered in note books. Then 
visiting will shortly commence. Many pleasing beds will 
be viewed and forgotten, simply because the secret of the 
pleasing arrangement will not be understood. “Botched” 
beds will unthinkingly be passed, but beginners at least had 
better notice these. The successful ones will probably be 
noticed in some or other of the papers, and be referred to. 
