The four qualities of form, texture, tone and color interact, allowing us to see and enjoy the world around us. It is not really possible to separate one from the other, so looking at how to select color - something your landscape contractor will have had much experience in doing - means considering the other qualities too. This is especially important in a small space like a patio, where every element has to be effective to make it an attractive outdoor space that you will want to make use of frequently.

The materials of which your patio is made will have a color and texture of their own. Stone or concrete, old bricks or wood are rich in textural variety and can vary in color from dull greys and greens through rich earthy reds and browns. If your patio is tiled, you have a rainbow of tiling colors from which to choose. Remember that strongly contrasting textures will reduce the effects of contrasting colors - and the most beautiful bright colors can be overwhelming if they are in a large group. So if your patio has a rough texture, brick or stone perhaps, that will subdue the effect of any colors that may seem too bright in any other small space - those orange-red zinnias perhaps. If, however, the patio is covered in glossy-surfaced tiles it will lend intensity and depth to other colors, so it may be necessary to opt for quieter colors like the soft pink of carnations, or just many-hued green foliage alone.

Distance usually softens colors, giving them a gray appearance when they are far away. A patio, by its nature, keeps colored plants very close to the viewer, where they will appear very clear and hard-edged. If you plant a blue-grey colored shrub - something like a small juniper, Juniperus conferta perhaps (an evergreen with long needles and low, spreading branches that grows happily in sun or part shade) at one end of your patio it will have a "distancing" effect, making the patio seem longer than it really is - a useful trick for a small area.

If you want your patio to have a light, bright look you need to take care that you do not mix too many colors. Real brightness requires that you use a bright color sparingly. On your patio this might mean having furniture a neutral color, stained, or painted white, possibly; as much green as you can with shrubs or vines around the area and just one or two colored items as highlights (red geraniums are traditionally used in this way on many European terraces or in window boxes).

And while you can achieve a lot with flowering annuals, don't overlook the colors in fall leaves, or stark winter grays and blacks, which have a beauty of their own.