Garden Design: The Monochromatic Garden

Among garden design concepts, the monochromatic garden offers simplicity, beauty and elegance. Monochromatic means “one color”, and this garden design focuses on one color selected from the many hued palette available to the home gardeners. Using perennials, this garden design idea incorporates plants whose blooms span several seasons for nonstop colors within a single color scheme. Even containers and window boxes can pick up the single-color design scheme through the clever use of annuals of a single color.

Reasons to Choose a Monochromatic Garden Design

There are many reasons to choose a monochromatic garden design. Choosing a single color creates a feeling of peace and serenity in the garden. The soothing shades and hues within a single color present a unified picture. Green foliage and grass acts as a neutral foil for the intricate hues and shades within the selected color.

A second reason to choose a monochromatic garden sign for flower gardening is simplicity. Selecting all pink flowers, for example, is much easier than trying to select complementary shades from the color wheel. Simplicity works well for backyard gardens, and monochromatic gardens are a great small garden design idea.

Fashion designers often use a monochromatic clothing outfit to accent one bold accessory. The same may be said of the garden. A monochromatic color scheme also accents one bold plant, accessory, or structure painted a different color.

Moon Gardens, Perennial Borders and Flower Gardens

A single color design concept may be used in multiple ways in the garden. Moon gardens include white flowers that reflect the subtle rays of moonlight in the evening and appear to glow in the dark. Silvery foliage offsets the white flowers nicely in this monochromatic design scheme. A perennial border looks lovely in a single color, and works well in both small gardens and large gardens. Single-color borders create a unified appearance and add visual structure along pathways of formal gardens. Among small garden ideas, a monochromatic garden also creates a blanket of color and may make an area look larger. Using just one flower color in these cases works equally well.

Selecting Perennials for a One Color Garden Design

To begin a monochromatic garden, use the same steps as any new garden.

• Test the soil and amend with compost or other additives to ensure adequate nutrients and drainage.
• Find perennials suited to the gardening zone.
• Choose a color that complements nearby structures, such as the house color. Remember that similar colors soothe while colors on opposite sides of the color wheel impart energy.
• Plant perennials in clusters of 3, 5 or 7 – odd numbers typically look better than even numbers.
• Create a natural appearance by grouping plants or a formal appearance through the use of straight lines.
• Include evergreens and some foliage-only plants for interest.
• Use garden benches, garden fountains and garden statues as focal points.

Once you’ve planted the basic perennials in the flower garden, use annual flowers as accents. Experiment with different annuals each year to update and add interest to the flower garden.

For more flower gardening and garden design ideas, see:

• Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello Flower Garden
• Introduction to Perennial Gardening from the University of Illinois Cooperative Extension
• Creating the Monochromatic Garden