Chapter 8 Flower Selection 177 Working with Color Harmonies Chapter 7, Elements of Design, introduced the various color harmonies. This section explains how to use the color harmonies to develop a color story for any occasion. Adhering to a single color harmony, whether monochromatic, complementary, or analogous, to develop your color story eliminates fl oral choices that are not necessary to portray a theme. No matter how beautiful, unique, or appealing a fl ower may appear, if it does not work within the parameters of your color story, it should be avoided. Complementary Arrangements As you may recall, fl owers that are opposite each other on the color wheel are complementary. The traditional Christmas colors of red and green are an example of complementary colors used in fl oral design. The combination of red fl owers and seasonal evergreens is often a customer’s fi rst choice for designs created for this holiday, Figure 8-4. Analogous Arrangements Colors that appear next to each other on the color wheel tend to look pleasant together because they are closely related. Choose one color to be the dominant color, and another to be the secondary color. Use a third color as an accent, along with gray, black, or white, Figure 8-5. A fall centerpiece can be beautiful in analogous colors. For example, you could use red rover mums, orange lilies, and light bronze spray chrysanthemums. Adding seasonal accents of small orange pumpkins or gourds and preserved bronze leaves makes a strong statement of fall. Monochromatic Arrangements As the name implies, monochromatic arrangements contain one (mono) dominant color (chroma). Secondary neutral materials support the primary color. For example, you might use pink and white miniature carnations for a newborn baby girl. In this case, pink is the primary or dominant color, and the Zalena Photo/Shutterstock.com Figure 8-4. Lime green can become a neutral color in a design. In this arrangement, the lime green accentuates the intensity of the hot pink materials. Sergey Andrianov/Shutterstock.com Figure 8-5. Many autumn arrangements use analogous colors. The colors used in this bouquet can be seen in the foliage and fl owers of the fall season. Copyright Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc.