1. Group hot colours close to your house and pastels further away to increase the feeling of space as the eye is drawn more slowly down the garden.

2. Blend contrasting colours with grey foliage plants, which will soften hot colours and draw different hues together.

3. Refer to a colour wheel to help you select plants on a colour basis. It will help identify complementary colours – pairs of diametrically opposed hues such as red and green, yellow and violet.