I have a garden with purple and yellow flowers with some white and bright pink accents. Purple and yellow are opposites on the color wheel so they are a classic combination. It is softened by the fact the purple is more a lavender and the colors are spread over a large area with lots of green. You have red probably with the monarda. You can look at the color wheel and see green is the opposite of red, so colors near green will give a punch. Dark blue/navy is also often paired with red, but we'll have to rely on others for suggestions on that one (containers/accents?). Colors closer to red (orange,pink, etc) will be more soothing (in theory although red is very warm so I would tend to want to tone it down).

I grow cannas specifically because the hummingbirds like them, so I grow hummingbird favorites along with them too. And mine are in pots also (and I never thought about them breaking the pot, now I'm scared!). I usually have zinnias, terra cotta million bells, white annual phlox, blue salvia for contrast - mostly hot colors with a little blue. This isn't a great picture, but might show you how they look (the cannas weren't blooming yet). Ann

OOOO the ideas are comming in now.. I love it Kara I would love some of the yellow butterfly bush seeds i you have extra.. Is it the buddelia type of butterfly bush? If so and if you can tell me how I can share with you too.. I have purple (nice sized) white (just getting going) and a small pink one I just bought at HD.. Nikki I love your ideas they sound beautiful but the bed is already 5 feet wide as it is and is boardering where we will eventually be our driveway to the garage.. ( probably stone pavers kinda natural ) I thought it was 4foot but my dear Dh corrected me..lol Ambersky I believe I really like the idea of the purple firespike since I already have red it would be a nice addition.. O and I will definately be looking up the Formosa Sage it sounds like something I would like.. Anyone have any black eyed susans or know where I could get some? I really loved havingthem in ohio and I bet they would last a bit longer here with the milder weather but havent seen many anywhere. The Dh is even liking the general plant suggestions but he wants to sit his 2 citrus trees in for awhile ( they are small right now and in pots we could sink in the ground if needed ) Keep the suggestions comming please..

Do you have any pictures of the Hosta? What color(s) are they, what size and what is the leaf shape? Dogwoods are great. Are you talking about a Cornus florida or Cornus kousa tree, or a shrub like Cornus sericea Silver and Gold? Burning Bush, aka Winged Euonomous, are a non-native invasive species. Planting one of these would be a mistake, not just for your garden but for any unmanaged ecosytem nearby. The birds will deposit the seeds and this non-native will take over crowding out native species. If you are looking for strong fall color in a shrub try High Bush Blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum) or Fothergilla (Fothergilla gardenii). Fothergilla comes in dwarf size as well as full shrub size 8x8, and it gives you white flowers in April/May. There are lots of other great companion plants for Hosta. Just give us an idea of what your plants look like. Steve