Birthdays, anniversaries, weddings and funerals; flowers top it up each time. Ever thought about the colour families of these flowers? Or the science and theory behind a blooming arrangement?

In case you said ‘no’ to the above questions, we take it as our duty to get you acquainted with the language of colours.

The Colour Theory forms a rational structure for different colour families to co-exist. It can be enticing to simply look at the colours you adore and put them all together; but that can be noticeably disorganised and unsettling. However, with a little understanding you can accentuate some colours and make your bouquet pop.

Let us begin with The Colour Wheel, a representation of colours in the form of a circle, which depicts the relationship between Primary, Secondary and Tertiary colours.

Primary Colours are the three colours that naturally exist in nature and cannot be created with mixing of hues, namely, Red, Yellow and Blue.

Secondary Colours are the ones resulting from the mixing of two primary colours, namely, Orange, Green and Violet.

Tertiary Colours are a result of mixing of a primary with a secondary colour which is why the hues have two word names, namely, Red-Orange, Yellow-Orange, Yellow-Green, Blue-Green, Blue-Violet and Red-violet.

In the Colour Wheel, the colours representing the fiery brightness and warmth of the sun- clockwise: Red to Yellow Green- belong to the family of ‘Warm Colours’ or ‘Aggressive Colours’ while the ones representing the coolness of the sea- clockwise: Green to Red-Violet- belong to the family of ‘Cool Colours’ or ‘Receding Colours’.

As you may have reckoned by now, there are widely recognised rules to the use of colours.

• When the complementary colours, colours directly opposite to each other on the colour wheel, are placed next to each other, they enhance each other. Hence, a bouquet of red roses always works admirably well red and green are opposite to each other on the colour wheel.

• The same principle applies to split-complementary colours; one colour and the colour(s) beside its opposite on the wheel. So you may club your yellow sunflower, blue hydrangea, pink chrysanthemum, and white disbuds.

• To design a cohesive flowing look, you may use Analogous Colours; shades (mixture of a hue with black), tints (mixture of a hue with white), or tones (mixture of a hue with gray) of colours that lie adjacent to each other on the colour wheel. To achieve this look, you may blend pink Asiatic lilies with pink and blue-violet roses, pink hydrangea, and white chrysanthemum.

• Monochromatic Colours: Use colours that belong to the same colour family (Warm or Cool). In the below picture, you can see a blend of orange Asiatic lilies with orange and red roses.

• Diad: Use colours that are two colours apart on the colour wheel. For such arrangement, you may club blue hydrangeas with the violet ones.

• Triadic: Use three colours equidistant from each other on the colour wheel such as the three primary colours. Pick yellow sunflowers with red alstroemeria and some blue veronicas to capture all the eyes around you.

Now, that you have learnt the language, you may as well express yourselves through these beautiful colours of nature. The above mentioned rules are not deal breakers, so challenge the limits of your imagination and design according to your own style.

Take up the challenge and gift yourself the all new ‘The Flora DIY Kit’ to become a floral artisan. The kit comes handy with woven threads, burlap, flower food, a secateur, and an assorted mix of flowers.

When you subscribe to the DIY Kit, you receive in all four deliveries - the kit with your first delivery and assorted flowers for the remaining three deliveries.

You can subscribe to the kit by clicking here.

Go make your blossoms prettier and merrier!

The Flora is a fresh flower company. We deliver flowers and bouquets all across Bengaluru. You can order flowers for various occasions, and also check out an interesting flower subscription packages.

Author: Shikha Nangru