Trends in the garden are always changing. One of the most popular trends is green flowers, often described as lime or chartreuse. Green flowers are unusual and can lend a degree of sophistication to the garden.
Generally, we think of green as a cool, restful colour, but most flowers are a rather arresting hot chartreuse –not a colour that recedes! Chartreuse is a combination of warm yellow and cool green and believe it or not, they look good with almost every other colour in the garden. Try some mixes and matches that suit your tastes. Give a try at pairing green flowers with bright pink or orange as it seems to make the colours simply pop and will for sure grab lots of attention. Scarlet red flowers might be overwhelming when paired with chartreuse, but try some cool blue and red-purple instead and see the result!
Start the year out with green and grow ‘Spring Green’ tulips in your garden. This cultivar is considered a late-blooming tulip with white blooms lightly feathered with green. Another fun selection is ‘Greenland’ which is pink with a light feather of green.
Nicotiana is one of the most popular garden flowers. It comes in many colours but is available in a bright lime green. It gives an airy look to the garden as the lime cultivar has slightly smaller flowers than is usually associated with nicotiana. It is a great choice as a contrast plant.
Many zinnias are wonderful to grow in any of your hot, drier areas. Try ‘Envy’ which is a lovely double or semi-double pale green bloom that turns ivory as it ages. Pairing this one with dark purple nearby is stunning. Another zinnia that is larger is ‘Benary Giant Lime’ which is 4 feet tall with flowers up to 4 inches in diameter. The flowers are fully double.
A fun selection is ‘Emerald Tassels’ Love-lies-bleeding which has pale green hanging inflorescences about three months after sowing. These plants get to be a stunning three to five feet tall.
Purple coneflower ‘White Swan’ has white flowers with green cones in the middle. As they mature they turn a dark, chocolate brown. ‘Green Envy’ has large four-inch flowers that emerge a nice lime green that develops a rose-pink flush tipped with lime green. ‘Green Jewel’ has greenish quilled petals and ‘Coconut Lime’ has short white double petals surrounding a fuzzy green centre.
Lady’s mantle has not only great foliage but frothy clusters of frothy chartreuse blossoms. It is a wonderful perennial for the shady areas of your garden.
There are many of the daylilies that can grace your garden green and bring forth the easy charm of low maintenance. Try ‘Lime Frost’ with creamy green flowers or ‘Frozen Jade’ with creamy blooms flushed with a lime green centre. ‘Green Flutter’ is a cheery canary yellow with a bright green throat.
A very lovely, short-lived perennial is Heuchera ‘Greenfinch’ that grows to about two feet in height. It produces incredible airy little bells that are sulphur-green. This selection will self-sow.
Last but not least are the famous green flower Bells of Ireland. It is annual and grows about two feet tall. The blooms are strangely beautiful leafy-green bracts that hold the true flower which are tiny white blooms inside. This plant has a unique scent that you might find attractive. They dry easily so are considered everlasting.
Hanbidge is the Lead Horticulturist with Orchid Horticulture. Find us at www.orchidhort.com; by email at [email protected]; on Facebook @orchidhort and on Instagram at #orchidhort. Tune into GROW Live on our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/orchidhort or check out the Youtube channel GROW https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzkiUpkvyv2e2HCQlFl0JyQ?
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