Colour theory for florists,
minus the art-school fog

Four harmonies cover ninety percent of work

Complementary pairs opposites for drama: purple iris against yellow ranunculus. Analogous keeps neighbours together for calm: coral, peach, rust. Triadic picks three evenly-spaced tones for pieces that need to feel deliberate. Monochrome stays in one hue and lets texture do the talking, which is why it photographs so well.

Learn these four and you can answer almost any brief. The remaining ten percent is taste, and taste is what the crit sessions are for.

Why dusty works

Saturated colour is unforgiving: one wrong stem and the piece shouts. Dusty, greyed-out tones sit next to each other peacefully because each already contains a little of its neighbours. Café Latte roses, terracotta carnations, mauve scabiosa. Beginners build better work in dusty palettes, then earn the right to go loud.

The noise problem

Most supermarket bouquets fail on the same axis: six hues at full saturation fighting for attention. The fix is not more rules, it is fewer stems. Pick a dominant tone, a support tone, and one accent. Count the colours on one hand or start again.

Where this shows up commercially

Clients do not say 'analogous harmony'. They send a Pinterest board and say 'like this but quieter'. Reading that into a harmony you can buy to is a real skill, and it is exactly what we drill in the beginner course colour weeks and again in the bridal masterclass, where the palette is non-negotiable because it has to match a dress.

If you want the seasonal side of stem choice, the Adelaide seasonal guide pairs well with this one.