Specialty Gardening: Blackie Potato vine and fountain grass, 1 by nedweenie

nedweenie wrote:
Orange would be fine. Orange is "complentary" to the purple of the blackie vine-which mean that when they are next to each other, each color is more vivid.

Google "color wheel" and you'll see that colors that are on opposite sides of the wheel are complementary. Technically yellow is purple's complement, but orange will "pop" well too. If you're at a loss deciding what color to use, and you want something strong, complementary colors are a way to go. If you want to keep it toned down a bit, move over a color or two, or go for pastel shades.

Here's a good quote from one of the sites that came up when I googled "color wheel"-

"When people like artists, interior designers and quilters work with color, they are constantly thinking about how to put different colors together in a palette to create a certain look. Monochromatic color schemes, for example, are all tints or shades of one color (sky blue, medium blue, navy blue), while analogous schemes are all different colors which are side by side on the color wheel (green, blue, and violet.) Complementary schemes are when you put together colors from opposite sides of the wheel (green and red; blue and orange.)"

So there are three "schemes" to think about when putting colors together. With the "Thiller, Spiller & Filler" rule for pots, (keeping in mind your light availability), the combinations are endless!

I hope that helped-