Inspiration for Color Coordinating The House to The Garden

Cute summer towns are a haven for houses with adorable little gardens. They are always tidy and like a properly dressed lady (whose handbag always coordinates with her shoes), the plants often coordinate with the house. Here in New England, you can find all sorts of inspiration for color coordinating your plants to your house in a plethora of summer towns (I’m thinking of Oak Bluffs on Martha’s Vineyard, Anywhere on Nantucket, beach towns up and down the cape, north and south shore and definitely in Maine.

I’m not exactly this type of gardener (or dresser for that matter) – I tend to either a) be too frazzled to try (and instead, I am drawn to the fashion standby of black – yes even my house is black), or b) I try to do some other bigger experiment with my choices (which are sometimes brilliantly successful, sometimes dismally disappointing).

I envy those who can follow fashion rules. (I just can’t make myself do it!) They are reliably elegant and neat and tidy – so I am cataloging some of the inspiration hoping that maybe I can use it in my own slightly crazier schemes.

Here Are Some Suggestions For the Best Garden Colors to Highlight Your House

When it comes to choosing the best garden colors, make sure you think of everything in the garden. The planting scheme is always nicer when it is a little limited – otherwise you end up with fruit cocktail (as my first mentor used to call it). Fruit cocktail gardens are not good.

But you also need to consider the colors of your house and other materials in your landscape. The decking, the stone or pavers—even the type of light that your garden gets—will have a huge impact on how put together the whole view will look when completed. If you are trying to achieve peak house fashion—like the doyennes of cute upscale summer beach communities—these are a few suggestions for color combinations.

Black & White Buildings Love Cherry, Wine and Pink

Plants to pair with a richly colored exterior trim house spirea and wine and roses weigelia by rochelle greayer www.pithandvigor.com — When choosing flowers to complement a white house, opt for colors that pop against the neutral backdrop. Bright and bold hues like red, purple, and yellow can make a striking contrast. If you are like me and can’t stand red in front of the house, tone it down as you can see here with pink and burgundy. Consider adding white flowers for a classic and elegant look, or go for a monochromatic scheme with various shades of green for a fresh and modern touch.

My ‘cute summer town’ of choice is Bar Harbor, Maine where I spent last weekend. There are lots of sweet houses with color-matching (both harmonizing and complimenting) plants and shrubs to look for inspiration.

On a morning walk, I was drawn to this house. I know – the shot isn’t that sexy – despite my total willingness to trespass for the sake of this blog – but the combo of a crisp white house that had a rich cherry/ oiled teak or ipe colored deck (look at those nice tones of deep burgundy red) and black railings and trim was eye-catching enough to make me cross the street for a closer look. What really took this front garden to another level though, was the Spiraea and the Weigela that complimented the decking and trim and added depth and texture to the whole curb view.

Get the look with:

Big Bang Double Play Spiraea and Fine Wine Weigela or Double Play Doozie Spirea.

Blue House – White Flowers; White house – Blue Flowers

mock orange and delhimium plants to pair with blue and white houses www.pithandvigor.com rochelle greayer — When choosing flowers for a blue house, consider pairing contrasting colors like yellow, pink, or (my favorite) white to make a bold statement. Blue flowers or foliage can also complement the house’s color scheme. Experiment with various shades and textures to find the perfect combination that enhances the exterior of your home.

After noticing the first one, I had my radar up for other combos throughout the weekend. An easy one is white and blue (white house blue plants, or blue house with white plants). These were a few of my favorites using mock orange and Delphinium.

I also noted a great combo where an imposing inn with a wrap around porch was surrounded with a sea of hostas that looked something like Shadowland Whee! Hosta. The inn was painted a pale yellow color and the hostas were a perfect blend between the green of the lawn and the yellow of the house. (No shot of this is forthcoming as it was raining and I was driving by in a car and that’s just dangerous).

Feeling inspired on my return from up north, I’ve put together a few combinations that I thought might help, should any of us want to create a perfectly coordinated ‘look’. Yellow, grey and pale green (along with white, which we already discussed) are among the most common house colors so I played with those for ideas.

Get the Look:

Tall, vibrant blue delphinium flowers bloom in a garden surrounded by lush green foliage. The dense spikes of blossoms create a striking vertical display against a blurred backdrop of greenery, perfectly color-matching the house to the garden for an enchanting visual harmony.

A close-up image of a flowering plant with white, double-layered petals. The flowers are in full bloom, surrounded by green leaves. The background shows more buds and leaves, indicating a lush and healthy plant that perfectly matches the color scheme of the garden and house.

Grow Blue Bell Delphinium from Seed; Buy in bulk to really make a big Impact. Philadelphus ‘Buckley’s Quill’ (Mock Orange) Shrub will pop against a blue house.

Pretty Plant for a Yellow House – Go Silver and Blue Grey

Plants to pair with a yellow house hosta and russian sage by rochelle greayer www.pithandvigor.com — When choosing flowers to complement a yellow house, consider warm colors like orange, red, or pink for a striking contrast. Alternatively, opt for cool tones like purple or blue and silvers for a harmonious look. White flowers can also provide a classic and elegant touch to enhance the sunny facade of a yellow house.

Yellow and grey are very modern color combinations, but the Russian sage (with its purple flowers and airy, slightly wild habit) will keep things from being stark. Alternatively, if you have a shady area, try the beautiful grey and yellow foliage of the Hosta ‘Autumn Frost’.

Get the Look:

A lush lavender bush in full bloom, surrounded by stones, with various green shrubs and a pink flowering plant in the background under a partly cloudy sky. The vibrant garden perfectly matches the color scheme of the house. — There are many varieties of russian sage that will give a similar look. If you can’t find Shadowland Autumn Frost Hosta, you could consider the very similar Hosta ‘first Frost’. Both have silver blue leaves with creamy yellow margins.

A lush hosta plant with broad, variegated leaves in shades of green and yellow grows along a garden edge, providing vibrant vegetation against a background of smaller green plants. The hosta leaves have pointed tips and undulating edges, perfectly color-matching the house to the garden.

Russian Sage and Hostas (in a wide selection, including the shadowland autumn frost variety) are available to order online.

But I want to make a quick mention—if you click through on that hosta link, don’t buy the hot pink hostas. I am quite sure they are not real. When internet shopping for plants, especially on Amazon, you can find some gems at great prices, and you can also get scammed. The key is to be a sceptic, and if it looks fake, it probably is fake. We humans know what plants look like—your intuition is probably right.

Grey Houses & Orange Plants

Plants to pair with a grey house diervilla kodiak orange by rochelle greayer www.pithandvigor.com — When selecting flowers for a gray house, consider vibrant colors like yellow, purple, or pink for a pop of contrast – or, in this case, orange for something a little more unexpected. These colors can brighten up the exterior and create a visually appealing display. Additionally, white flowers can also complement the neutral tones of a gray house for a classic and timeless look.

Grey and orange are also a very modern and striking combination that is warm and welcoming. To keep it sophisticated, try plants that feature orange and rust colored foliage rather than blooms.

Get the look:

A lush shrub with reddish-brown leaves and clusters of small white flowers in full bloom. The dense foliage perfectly matches the color scheme of the house, highlighting the vibrant leaves and delicate white blossoms for a harmonious garden aesthetic.

A lush, green potted plant with broad leaves sits in a light green container labeled "America Beauties Native Plants." The pot is elegantly placed on a wooden crate, perfectly matching the house to the garden amidst a dense background of similar plants.

Ninebark (Physocarpus) has a variety of foliage shades. Coppertina is more orange, whereas ‘ginger wine’ is a combination of orange and red. There are also crimson varieties, and all are beautiful vase-shaped shrubs. Diervilla similarly comes in a variety of foliage colors. Opt for Kodiak orange or Diervilla ‘copper’ (pictured) to get a full display of russet colors and bright oranges – particularly in the fall.

Classic Green house – Red flowers.

Plants to pair with a green house red ballon viburnum and oso easy double red landscape roses by rochelle greayer www.pithandvigor.com — Green and red are a classic combination – and it doesn’t have to look Christmassy. Some additional colors that go well with green and red are white, dark blue, and brown. Experiment with different shades to find the perfect balance for your design.

Green and red are great for a striking and lively combination as they are complementary colors. A house that is more yellow or blue than straight-up green will retain the dynamic nature of the pairing without suffering the sometimes jarring effects of opposite on-the-color wheel combinations.

Get the Look: