Garden blogging

Choosing colors for your garden blog

On a garden blog, the photos are the color. The design's job is to frame them and make the words easy to read. A simple palette of three colors does that well.

Updated 26 Oct 2026 · Facts checked against the sources at the end.

Illustration of a garden table with an open notebook, a pencil and a potted herb
AI illustration (decorative).

A three-color palette

  • Background: a calm off-white or very light neutral. It covers most of the page.
  • Text: a dark, near-black color for body text and headings.
  • One accent: a single color for links and buttons. Pick something your photos do not already shout, such as a deep green, a warm terracotta or an ink blue.

A rough split of about 60 percent background, 30 percent text and secondary surfaces, and 10 percent accent keeps a page calm.

Make it readable

Text needs enough contrast with its background. The W3C's WCAG guidance sets a minimum contrast ratio of 4.5 to 1 for normal body text and 3 to 1 for large text. Free contrast checkers online tell you the ratio for any two colors. Pale green text on a white page, or white text on a busy photo, usually fails.

Mistakes to avoid

  • Patterned or photo backgrounds behind text.
  • Many different link colors.
  • Bright colors that compete with your photos.
  • Light gray body text that looks elegant but is hard to read.
  • Using color alone to show meaning; add a word or icon too.

Test it

View your blog on a phone in sunlight, and try a grayscale screenshot: if headings, text and buttons are still clear in gray, the design will work for almost everyone.

Frequently asked questions

What colors are best for a garden blog?

A calm light background, dark readable text and one accent color for links. Let your photos provide most of the color.

How much contrast does text need?

WCAG guidance asks for at least 4.5 to 1 for normal text and 3 to 1 for large text.

Should I use green for a garden blog?

It can work well as an accent, but make sure it has enough contrast with the background and does not clash with your plant photos.

Sources

Written in our own words from the sources above. See our editorial policy. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.