Unique color combo
By: Garden Gate staff

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Cool color
Create a relaxing atmosphere on your patio! It’s as easy as adding burgundy, plum and blue. Cool colors have a calming effect, perfect for kicking back after work. Keep things feeling light with paler shades, like the blue pot and wicker chair at left.
Oxalis’ interesting foliage shape and color stand out in front of pale blue. And while there are some flowers in this shade, like amsonia (Amsonia spp.), delphinium (Delphinium hybrid) or forget-me-nots (Myosotis sylvatica), the list is pretty short. You may have an easier time getting this hue with paint on a wicker chair, trellis or other piece of hardscaping. Just make sure the paint is suitable for outdoors and the material you’re painting.
For more info on this color combo, just click ahead.

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Combo recipe
Find out more about creating an area with an eye-catching color scheme.
A – Throw pillows make sitting outside more comfortable. Look for fabrics, such as Sunbrella®, that are UV and weather-resistant.
B – Natural fiber wicker furniture shouldn’t be left outside all the time or sun, rain and snow will eventually cause it to rot. Waterproofing slows the process but doesn’t prevent it. Bring furniture inside before rain storms and in winter.
C – ‘Red Star’ cordyline (Cordyline) Tender perennial; small orange red flowers in late spring; burgundy foliage; full sun to part shade; 10 to 12 ft. tall, 4 to 5 ft. wide; cold-hardy in USDA zones 9 to 11, heat-tolerant in AHS zones 12 to 1
D – Oxalis (Oxalis triangularis) Tender bulb; white to pale purple flowers in late spring to summer; plum foliage; part shade; 7 to 10 in. tall, 8 to 12 in. wide; cold-hardy in USDA zones 7 to 10, heat-tolerant in AHS zones 12 to 1
E – If you can’t find a container glazed in a hue you like, make your own with some outdoor spray paint and a terra-cotta pot. You can spray on a coat of polyurethane to supply added protection for your special color but it’s not essential.
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