Annuals and Perennials

Colors

White - Goes with anything and helps to make combinations that by themselves may seem awkward such as red and blue, purple and orange, yellow and blue. An " all white " garden is very elegant and showy even at night ( called Moon Light Gardens ).
Yellow - Very useful color. Pastel shades look great with pink, lavender, apricot, baby blue, and white ( wedding and Easter egg colors ). Clear or strong yellow flowers look best with blue, orange, and purple. Mustard yellow looks best with burgundy red, browns, and dark blue.
Orange - A tricky color to use, most people don't like orange. Use orange with blue and white, yellow and white, and purple and white. Pastel shades such as apricot and peach are much easier to use, and go nicely with the pastel combinations. Use orange in moderation.
Red - Also a tricky color to use. Some people like red in pastel shades such as pink or rose-pink, versus a hot red or orange-red. Red can be used as an accent in an otherwise drab garden, catching the eye and adding interest. Use red in combination with white and blue, limey-green flowers, and other hot colors like purple for a festive mood. Red flowering plants look great with gray foliage plants such as dusty miller or wormwood.
Blue - One of the most popular flower colors, and yet there are very few "true blue" flowers. One of the best combinations is yellow, blue, and white. Blues look good with red, white, pink, and purple/lavender. Blue, orange, and white work well if the client likes orange. Blue flowers have a tendency to fade if used as background flowers, so use them in the front or middle part of the bed. Most men like blue and purple.
Purple - Can be tricky to use. Use this color in moderation if unsure about the client's color preference. There are shades of purple that tend towards blue - called violet, or tend towards red - called wine. Pastel shades of purple are called lavender and lilac. Purple works nicely with orange, white, and yellow for a dramatic or festive mood. Pastel shades work well with other pastel colors. Red and purple rarely look good together. Like red, purple can be used as an accent color .
Chartreuse - Lime or yellow green is occasionally found in some flowering plants, (why anyone would want this is beyond me), whatever boils your crawfish I guess. Within the last twenty years there has been a worldwide effort to come up with green roses, gladiolas, marigolds, etc. I think they look like Bells of Ireland, on the other hand, they are green due to the papery sepals that cover the tiny center flowers making them kind of cute. Lime-green flowers, if you do choose to use this color, might look good with a number of flower color combinations, Be careful.
Gray or Colored Foliage - There is a need for colored foliage in a garden such as gray, blue, burgundy, etc. The foliage adds color, contrast, and interest. Gray foliage plants
(wormwood) look great with red flowering plants ( red salvia). Blue floated plants look good with yellow flowering plants such as blue clump fescue and euryops. Burgundy foliage plants look great as a backdrop to gray foliage plants or pastel flowers such as white, pink, and baby blue. Some of the new flax plants ( Phormium tenax ) have yellow, burgundy, and even tricolor leaves. Be careful how you use these as they have a medium to coarse texture, and can overwhelm a small garden. Be careful with variegated foliage plants. Many clients don't like variegated or yellow foliage plants as they consider them sickly looking. Too much variegated foliage in a design can be distracting and busy.
Experiment - The above combinations are very formal and are based on years and years of tradition. I really like doing some off the wall groupings, but only in my own garden. I like the Sunrise - Sunset concept, which, when done right can be very dramatic! Sunrise; Yellow(Gold), Orange, and Red. Sunset; Orange, Red, Purple, and Blue! "Go for it!"

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