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Intuitive Green
27 Dec, 2007 By: Landscape Management Staff LDB SolutionsA favorite walk for many people is to trace a simple footpath through a mature forest. The lacy canopy of young, emerging foliage glows in the sunlight and it seems as if every possible shade of green is represented — from emerald through to lime, jade, mint and olive. Light transforms and reveals the many complex personalities of the color green. A walk in such a space, bathed in green, is refreshing and therapeutic. It encourages optimism. After a long winter, the spring greening of the land is cause for celebration.
Green is the color of hope. It is soft, soothing, intuitive and above all, healing. A walk in the forest can restore balance, energize and leave the visitor with a calming sense of peace and well-being. The fresh greens of spring represent regeneration.
A veritable symphony of greens in every conceivable shade and texture surrounds this pond.
Because it is so prevalent, green is often taken for granted, however it is essential to the success of a garden plan. It is the balancing force in nature — instinctively connecting and supporting the prima donnas of the garden. Green is somehow neutral, allowing it to be the peacemaker between the quiet pastels and the vivacious hot shades of the spectrum.
The complementary color for green is red. Consider the common stoplight as an illustration. Red means stop — danger, do not proceed. Green, on the other hand represents safety — it is OK to proceed. In a garden, red will stop the eye, making the flower appear to move forward. Green, however, allows the eye to travel around the space, it is calming and seems make the garden feel more spacious. When they appear together, a deep red bloom will appear more prominent against a background of dark green foliage. (Just imagine a red rose in mid June.)
Although green often represents youth and rebirth, it remains the color of choice for many mature, sophisticated gardens. A young garden often depends on color for excitement and interest. In a mature garden, many people prefer a design that encourages an inward journey of sorts. They are no longer trying to attract attention, instead, preferring a garden that is subtle, encourages contemplation and one which will soothe and calm them after a hectic day at the office. Green can act as a tonic, balancing the mind and body, soothing muscles and nerves, and often relieving mental stress and headaches.
Tucked beneath a shade tree and surrounded by hosta, this bench seems to be the ideal spot in which to sit and relax on a hot summer afternoon.
A predominantly green garden can become a retreat, in the spirit of a Japanese garden where form, texture and subtle tints and hues are married in harmonious partnerships. White accents, in the form of variegated foliage, gentle flowers or painted wood details encourage the feeling of peace while giving the picture a feeling of purity and refreshment.
Form and texture can better be appreciated in such a garden. The blue-grey foliage of Iris pallida ‘Argentea Variegata’ with each strap-like leaf edged in soft creamy white makes a striking display when planted above a bed of steel-blue Donkey-tail Spurge (Euphorbia myrsinites) in a dry, sunny bed. Alternately, frothy lime-green blooms of Lady’s Mantle (Alchemilla mollis) make a beautiful, soft edging for a fieldstone pathway.
The following sampling of strong foliage perennials has been grouped according to their colored undertones or variegations. Remember that too many colored or variegated plants will make an unsettling grouping, however, used judiciously, they can be the highlight of a garden.
- Yellow/green foliage: Lady’s Mantle (Alchemilla mollis); Hostas ‘Golden Tiara’, ‘June’ and ‘Sun Power’; Cushion Spurge (Euphorbia polychrome); ‘Dickson’s Gold’ Bellflower (Campanula) and Lamium maculatum ‘Aureum’.
- Variegated foliage featuring yellow markings include: Salvia ‘Icterina’ (Golden Sage); Hosta sieboldiana ‘Frances Williams’; Hosta ‘Paul’s Glory’, ‘Great Expectations’ and the dwarf Hosta ‘Stiletto’.
- Variegated foliage with white markings include: Brunnera macrophylla ‘Variegata’ (Siberian Bugloss); Lamium maculatum ‘White Nancy’; Saxifraga x urbium ‘Primuloides’ and Vinca minor ‘Ralph Shugert’.
- Blue/green foliage plants include: Hostas such as ‘Halcyon’ and ‘Bressingham Blue’ and the Japanese Painted Fern (Athyrium niponicum ‘Pictum’).
Needless to say, these colored foliage plants are only the tip of the iceberg as new selections appear every year. A predominantly green garden will also benefit from foliage that changes in color with the seasons. For example, perennial geraniums develop rich red overtones as the days begin to shorten in the fall. Particular beautiful combinations occur when the coloring of the trees and shrubs of the borders are echoed in the perennials planted at their feet.
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