The Rural Voice, 1997-06, Page 55Gardening
Colour choices in your garden influence moods
By Rhea Hamilton -Seeger
When I was on a school trip with
my daughter Last spring in Ottawa, we
had the good fortune to see part of the
tulip festival. I gasped when we drove
around the river drive and the grounds
were awash with great drifts of colour;
brilliant throbbing reds, sizzling
oranges, soft pastels and purples so
black, the view conjures up images of
black starry nights.
Colour is a wonderful thing. We
have discovered that certain colours
excite our senses while others subdue
us and offer peace of heart. When
starting out planning a garden one of
the first components many people
consider is colour. Some want great
waves of white while others want
blasts of bright primary colours
throughout the season. How do you
decide?
You have to first think about what
you want to happen in your garden.
Do you want to be revitalized ready to
face the next task with vigour? Or
seek shelter and calm for your inner
self? The best way to discover what
colour does to you begins with a bit of
exploring. The beauty of colour is that
you can imagine it without leaving
your seat. Sit back, relax, take a deep
breath and picture your first colour.
Carol Vemolia in her book Healing
Environments outlines the journey
into colour. She suggests you start
with red. Picture it all around you,
breathe it in and out, feel it within
you. How does it feel? What part of
you is affected most strongly? What
memories are stirred? When you are
finished with red take a deep breath
and concentrate on a pure white light
to wash through and rebalance you.
Then you are ready to try another
colour. You can try this with several
colours although you probably
wouldn't want to try them all at once.
Science has proven that some
colours do have a definite impact on
our bodies that we are often not
consciously aware of.
Red induces excitement,
stimulation and warmth and is
associated with primitive states and
emotions of anger and passion. It is
the colour of willpower, strength and
vitality. It is not recommended for
anxious people or those who are easily
irritated. Red can be helpful in areas
where people have to focus on
physical exercise. It is an effective
colour for highlighting. If you are
aiming for a calm garden, red might
not be your first choice.
Yellow has become quite popular
in the last two years. It too vitalizes
and accelerates mental activity. It is
the colour of the sun and symbolizes
enlightenment, divine power,
immortality, happiness and
intellectual power and mental
creativity. Like red, yellow can raise
blood pressure, and increase pulse and
respiration although not to the same
extent as red. Yellow can relieve
tension and fear and soothe mental
and nervous exhaustion. Now that
sounds like a good colour for the
garden. Often labelled a cheery
colour, it can be over -exciting to the
irritable. You can balance the effect of
yellow by putting blue or violet with
it. Monet had the right idea when he
had his dining room painted a sunny
yellow and all the cupboards in
bluebird blue. You see these same
colours now in decorator schemes for
homes.
Orange is a combination of yellow
(wisdom) and red (physical, action)
and is considered more disciplined. It
symbolizes optimism, enthusiasm and
courage. A very social colour, it
should never be overdone but used in
moderation.
Blue lowers blood pressure and
among many things it reduces eye
blinks, and brain waves. This creates a
restful state, inducing quietude,
gentleness. It offers spiritual qualities.
Purple blossoms in the garden suggest
dignity. The colour is the combination
of red (action and power) and blue
(spirituality and calm). It both
accelerates and sublimates the
processes of the body.
Then there is pink, whic4t evokes
loving feelings and, of course, white.
White intensifies other colors. It
stands for wholeness and *urity and
white gardens or moonlight gardens
are more intense with a hint of blue or
pink amid the blossoms.
Gardens are a very personal
statement of the one who works there.
The choice of colour depends on
moods desired and symptoms evoked.
I tire of the glistening white and
brown months of winter and our
garden has bursts of rainbows here
and there to compensate for the lack
of colour in the winter. The dominant
colour is, of course, green which is
called the master healer and the
multitude of shades and tones bring on
or subdue other emotions. When
planting your garden this spring think
about whether your choice of colour is
a good indicator of how you want
your garden to work for you. Do you
look to it for calm respite or a pick-
me-up before the next project? Just
another subliminal effect of the
wonderful garden at work.0
Rhea Hamilton -Seeger raises two
children, and is a skilled cook and
gardener.
CANADIAN
CO-OPERATIVE
WOOL GROWERS
LIMITED
Now Available
ADVANCE PAYMENTS
400 per pound
* Skirted Fleeces
* Well -Packed Sacks
For more information contact:
WINGHAM
WOOL DEPOT
John Farrell
R.R. 2, Wingham, Ontario
Phone/Fax 519-357-1058
JUNE 1997 51