The first sprig of green each spring is a very exciting time. Maybe it’s the leaves of your favorite daffodils popping through the soil or perhaps it’s the new growth bursting forth on trees in the landscape. While I find these moments just as exciting as anyone else, for me it’s another sea of green in the garden that tickles my fancy and it comes in the form of green flowers.

Sea of Green in the Garden

Green is one of my favorite colors, and in the garden, it doesn’t have to be limited to foliage. Many plants produce green blooms and these can take your garden to a whole new level. I always try to include some of these interesting plants in my beds, experimenting with new varieties every year. Whether it’s chartreuse bells of Ireland or the lime-colored petals of coneflower, hydrangea and zinnia, you have many options to choose from – literally. You’ll also find a variety of textures for additional interest as seen with the bright green, fuzzy looking spheres of ‘Green Ball’ dianthus, a particular favorite of mine.

There are even spring- and summer-flowering bulbs that bloom in green such as:

• Hellebore – Helleborus viridis and H. argutifolius are green-flowering types.
• Tulip – The Viridiflora variety ‘Spring Green’ is a unique white flowering tulip feathered with light green.
• Gladiolus – Both ‘Green Star’ and ‘Green Flash’ have ruffled lime-green blooms or try Gydan with white blooms tinged in apple-green.
• Fritillaria – Fritillaria acmopetala has nodding pale green blooms with burgundy accents.
• Calla lily – Many naturally mature to green but there’s also ‘Green Goddess,’ known for rich green color.
• Pineapple lily – Eucomis bicolor has spikes of greenish-purple flowers.
• Daylily – Hemerocallis ‘Green Inferno’ is a truly cool daylily with its yellow-green spider flowers and rich green throat. There’s also ‘Green Iceberg’ (greenish yellow) and ‘It’s That Green’ (mint green) too.

It all begins in spring with the first hint of green that peeks through the ground. As the season progresses and the plants grow taller, those long-awaited flower buds start to swell. And then BOOM! Just like that they open into a beautiful sea of green carpet.

As with green foliage color, flowers within this shade come in different hues, which can help break up the monotony, especially when used with other specks of color. I enjoy sprinkles of dark plants in shades of rusty orange to purplish-black. Of course, that’s just me. Whatever your desire, green gardens generally won’t mind. Sometimes the garden has chosen for me with sprigs of colorful volunteers from years past. That’s always fun!

Spring is a wondrous time of year filled with new growth and new beginnings. If you get excited watching those first green shoots appear, just wait for the anticipation that follows throughout the season and beyond with copious green flowers in the garden. It’s like reliving those first bursts of spring green color again and again.