Enviable Green Flowers

Green is the color of spring, abundance, optimism, and good fortune. In shades and tints from emerald to sunny chartreuse, green is primeval yet soothing. Green flowers are enviable for their subtle sophistication, whether cut for the vase or growing in the garden.

Here's a garden-worthy sampling:

Zinnia 'Envy' (left) is a lime colored fluff of double annual that grows easily from seed.  (photo courtesy of Park Seed). Another bright green annual is the marigold 'Nosento Limegreen'. 

'Bells of Ireland' (Moluccella laeviscomes) is a flower arranger's dream of a plant, with its tall wands of chartreuse bells.

 

There are a couple of green flowering tobaccos; Nicotiana alata 'Lime Green' and N. langsdorfii with sweetly dangling bell-shaped flowers.

 Rudbeckia 'Green Wizard' is more of a curiosity than a pretty flower (photo courtesy of Thompson and Morgan), and quite a stunner with its chocolate center cones set into rays of green petals. 

Helleborus foetidus and H. argutifolius have truly green flowers. Old-fashioned columbines like 'Aquilegia viridflora' and A. 'Irish Elegance' light up the spring garden. Lady's mantle (Alchemilla mollis) sports soft froths of tiny chartreuse flowers.

Perhaps the most delicately charming of green flowers is the pretty snowdrop 'Flora Pleno' that is already finished blooming by the spring equinox. 

 

 The swirled flower of Calla 'Green Goddess' matches its own leaves so exactly that it doesn't show up well in the garden. Cut for the vase, 'Green Goddess' shows to best advantage.

Some flowers morph through a green phase. The miniature rose 'Green Ice' opens white, then turns soft green. Kniphofia 'Green Jade' starts out green and ages to cream.  'Annabelle', one of my favorite hydrangeas, has snowball flowers that mellow to soft green in autumn.

Green flowers are great for beginning gardeners because, like foliage, they go with any other color in the garden. Because they're  monochromatic, you see texture and shape more than obvious color, which makes green flowers so attractive to more experienced gardeners. Do you have any favorite green flowers I've missed here? If so, let us know...

Comments

[Sue Nevler]

Val, Your inspiring green flowers bring more green thoughts. On St. Patrick's Day I'm thinking emeralds. Let's launch the idea of Seattle's Emerald Necklace: the west coast version of Blooms in Boston. Perhaps the Flower and Garden Show could morph into a glittering strand of venues scattered across the city. We could be the Emerald City for real.

[Valerie Easton]

Hi Sue,
Thanks for commenting. To continue your lovely metaphor (or is it an analogy? I can never tell the difference!) I'd think that various groups and individuals might step up to create a single emerald in that necklace, and we might end up with many participants and great variety in that glittering strand you've conjured.

[Ray Larson]

Hi Val,
Great blog! I wanted to pass along one of my favorite plants for green flowers, Hacquetia epipactus. Great in the shade and an early bloomer, it has small yellow flowers surrounded with large green bracts, giving it an overall effect of a cheery green flower, more in the chartruese range. These are becoming much more available, and can be found easily at the local spring plant sales. I've seen green flowered primulas on occasion, either Primula 'Francesca', which Heronswood carried some years back, and more recently Primula 'Green Lace', which is probably more available currently. Some of the Primula auricula types also have a lot of green in their flowers, but these can be a bit fussier and perhaps better suited to container culture.

[Karen Platt]

Over 1,000 green flowers can be found in Karen Platt's book -'Emeralds'. Karen has just started (April 2009) the International Society for Green Flowers - all green flower lovers come and join us.
http://www.karenplatt.co.uk

[Valerie Easton]

Hi Karen,
Thanks for writing - I've seen your new book and it's beautiful......
Val

[flower delivery Philippines]

This is lovely flower i like it so much,i want that i have this kind of flower on my garden.

ford

[roses philippines]

So beautiful! This would make an awesome centerpiece so adorable flowers,love it.

vee

[Silk Wedding Bouquets]

These are unusual flowers,(well, at least for me), but don't get me wrong, they're very lovely as well.

[rover spares]

So beautiful, thanks for the facts about flowers!

[Bet365 Bingo]

This Zinnia 'Envy' lime colored fluff is look awesome. These all are nice.This book is an invaluable addition to the garden library.

[LG Franklin]

Maybe someone can help me identify a plant that a friend gave me for Christmas. It is almost a shrub looking plant but it has green blooms on it that look like butterflies. You can pull them off and let them dry to use in crafts. I love it and want to make sure that I treat it correctly so it will stay with me a long..long time

[al capone cigars]

It is very beautiful and looks so sweet colours. I read your new book, it is really very nice.

[assicurazione moto]

I like green flowers, and I will buy the book for me today as I'm very interested to know more about these beautiful flowers

[BestPhillyFlowers.com]

I so love green. It really looks fresh and the pictures are indeed catchy..

[mod file player]

I like flowers and they green flower looking wonderful. I am so excited for that. It looking so amazing.