I do think about colors when I am planting. I like a jumble of colors so my only hard and fast rule is not to put two of the same color side by side there in florabundaville. Exception was the four Sunsprites in a row in the very front. Then I continued that yellow theam by adding a Sunflare and a Julia Child. At the end is a pink rose though, so it all works.
Also close together means 12 to 18 inches here. But then there wold be a jammed up grouping and then path or access space all around it. So think island type bed to allow accress. That means I can go three or four shrubs deep because I can get at them from all sides. They are not in real rows though, didn't want it too even looking.
