Whats the best way to get natural looking color into the surrounding landscape?
It depends on when the bloom times are in your area. For example if you plant bulbs they only bloom in the spring and give you a variety of colors. Another example would be annuals like impatiens and petunias. Impatienses in particular, love the water and grow nicely in the pond or the stream; blooming late into the year giving you a season-long bloom.