Advice from Blue Door Painters about Using Paint to Accent Your Garden
The first thing that usually comes to mind when a homeowner sets out to decorate his or her outdoor space, is the landscaping. Foliage, flowers, mulch, and hardscaping – the variety of colors available in the natural elements of a garden are so rich that most people don’t think about painting. But using paint intelligently can enhance both the beauty of the garden and the structural integrity of its elements.
So what, you might ask, might you actually paint in the garden? The answer is simple: anything but the plants! Fences, trellises, latticework, large ceramic pots, decorative boulders, retaining walls – even hardscaping elements like decks or patios – can all be painted. The trick for the exterior decorator is to determine when the color options available with paint are superior to the natural colors of the substrates. When a more natural look is desired, stains and clear coatings are an alternative option to gain the structural protection of paint while keeping the look of the uncoated substrate.
One way to use paint in the garden to maximize its beauty is to pick one color for all of your garden accents. If you intend to garden with color (flowers, etc.), your best bet is to pick a neutral color (like black, white, gray, beige/cream, silver, or gold). Paint fences, retaining walls, trellises, gazebos all in the same color, and then arrange the richness of your garden around them and the accent color will act as a three-dimensional frame. Using the same color in small doses everywhere makes it so that an extremely diverse garden still contains a unifying theme.
Another way to use paint is to create splashes of bright color that harmonize with the plants in your garden. This bold use of exterior painting can produce a daring, visually sophisticated effect. Take a large planter box, for example, and paint it bright red, then fill it with bright red tulips, and the two reds will create a beautiful visual echo. Or paint the railroad ties in a retaining wall a bright primary blue and ochre (in stripes), and then frame it with a bed of marigolds backed by a large cluster of deep indigo irises. You can use any of the color-matching techniques we have offered in our color combination series to develop a color combo, and spread the colors across the plants, flowers and paint colors. The synthetic planes and tones of painted hardscaping look truly amazing when harmonized with the natural elements of your landscape.
One final technique, mentioned briefly above, is to use coatings that protect and enhance the natural colors of the substrate for a sturdier and more vivid finish. Wood, concrete, and masonry are the most common substrates for garden hardscaping. Stain and varnish can be used on exterior wood, like fences, trellises, or wooden retaining walls. Clear coatings are the best non-colored protective coat for concrete or masonry, although masonry stains are also a viable option, and can look particularly handsome with brick. Using stains and sealants help your garden hardscaping resist the elements, while retaining their natural colors and appeal.